ABSTRACT
In the twenty-first century, Britain’s social and physical fabric is still broadly defined by the transformative events that took place in the middle of last century. The Second World War and its aftermath witnessed the birth of the welfare state and defined an architectural epoch that was responsible for creating many of the government offices, public institutions, schools, hospitals and homes that form the fabric of society today. This book is therefore both timely and apposite. From a historical perspective, the fascinating and fundamental relationship between architecture and the welfare state in post-war Britain has been largely overlooked and deserves much broader attention. But, perhaps more significantly, looking back from a vantage point in twenty-first century Britain where the very existence of the welfare state may be questioned and the architectural profession is seen to have submitted either to servitude or celebrity, there are important lessons to be learned from an era in which public service was a cornerstone of the profession.
