Gavin Stamp
Encyclopedia
Gavin Stamp is a British writer and architectural historian
. He is a trustee of the Twentieth Century Society, a registered charity which promotes the appreciation of modern architecture and the conservation of Britain’s architectural heritage. He writes the "Nooks and Corners" column for Private Eye
under the pseudonym Piloti and regularly contributes essays on architecture to the fine arts and collector's magazine Apollo
.
at the Glasgow School of Art
.
Currently he teaches "Architecture in London: A Field Study" at New York University in London
, where he leads his students on brisk walking tours throughout the city.
. In 2007 he presented a five-part architectural travel series Gavin Stamp’s Orient Express. Stamp travelled by train along the original Orient Express
route, stopping off on the way to look at architecture and to see how the history of Eastern Europe is told in its buildings.
Stamp has also made various television appearances as an expert interviewee: in 1986 he appeared in A Sense of the Past, a 6 part series for schools produced by Yorkshire Television
about the relationship between buildings and local history; in 1990 he was interviewed for Design Classics: The Telephone Box, a favourite subject of Stamp's and one he has written about; in 1995 he appeared as guest expert in an episode of One Foot in the Past
about Brunel; and in 2003 he was interviewed by Paul Binski for an episode of Channel Five's Divine Designs which profiled Alexander 'Greek' Thomson's St. Vincent Street Free Church
in Glasgow.
.
Architectural historian
A architectural historian is a person who studies and writes about the history of architecture, and is regarded as an authority on it Similar profession are known widely such as Historian, Art historian and Archaeologist. Architectural historians survey areas that are often threatened by extinction...
. He is a trustee of the Twentieth Century Society, a registered charity which promotes the appreciation of modern architecture and the conservation of Britain’s architectural heritage. He writes the "Nooks and Corners" column for Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
under the pseudonym Piloti and regularly contributes essays on architecture to the fine arts and collector's magazine Apollo
Apollo (magazine)
Apollo is a British fine and decorative arts magazine. Founded in 1925 and based in London, it features a mixture of exhibition reviews, art-world news, profiles of collectors, and articles by scholars....
.
Academic career
From 1990 until 2003 he taught at the Mackintosh School of ArchitectureMackintosh School of Architecture
The Mackintosh School of Architecture of the University of Glasgow/Glasgow School of Art is one of the three schools which makes up the Glasgow School of Art, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow, Scotland. The Mackintosh School of Architecture is the GSA's only academic school concerned...
at the Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
.
Currently he teaches "Architecture in London: A Field Study" at New York University in London
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he leads his students on brisk walking tours throughout the city.
Television appearances
Gavin Stamp has presented a number of programmes about architecture for Channel 5. In 2005 he presented Pevsner’s Cities: Liverpool and Pevsner’s Cities: Newcastle and in 2006 Pevsner's Cities: Oxford; each programme profiled the cities with reference to the writings of architectural historian Nikolaus PevsnerNikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
. In 2007 he presented a five-part architectural travel series Gavin Stamp’s Orient Express. Stamp travelled by train along the original Orient Express
Orient Express
The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train service originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. It ran from 1883 to 2009 and is not to be confused with the Venice-Simplon Orient Express train service, which continues to run.The route and rolling stock...
route, stopping off on the way to look at architecture and to see how the history of Eastern Europe is told in its buildings.
Stamp has also made various television appearances as an expert interviewee: in 1986 he appeared in A Sense of the Past, a 6 part series for schools produced by Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
about the relationship between buildings and local history; in 1990 he was interviewed for Design Classics: The Telephone Box, a favourite subject of Stamp's and one he has written about; in 1995 he appeared as guest expert in an episode of One Foot in the Past
One Foot in the Past
One Foot in the Past was a British television series on BBC 2. It considered the cultural heritage and history of England. Each programme ran for 30 minutes.Presenters included Kirsty Wark and also:* Joan Bakewell* Roger Bowdler* Dan Cruickshank...
about Brunel; and in 2003 he was interviewed by Paul Binski for an episode of Channel Five's Divine Designs which profiled Alexander 'Greek' Thomson's St. Vincent Street Free Church
St. Vincent Street Church, Glasgow
St. Vincent Street Church is a Presbyterian church in Glasgow, Scotland. It was designed by Alexander Thomson and built in 1859 for the former United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. It is a Category A listed building...
in Glasgow.
Personal life
Gavin's daughter Cecilia played bass and sang in the Scots ElectroPop band Futuristic Retro ChampionsFuturistic Retro Champions
Futuristic Retro Champions were a Scottish indie band from Edinburgh and Glasgow who sang and played Electropop with a Scottish brogue. They played support for such headliners as Kate Nash, Ladyhawke, The Vaselines, Bombay Bicycle Club, Charlotte Hatherley, Friendly Fires and Glasvegas, before...
.
Publications
- Britain's Lost Cities (2007). London: Aurum. ISBN 9781845132644
- The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme (2006). London: Profile. ISBN 9781861978110
- An Architect of Promise: George Gilbert Scott, Jr. (2002). Donington: Shaun Tyas. ISBN 9781900289511
- Edwin LutyensEdwin LutyensSir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
: Country Houses (2001). London: Aurum. ISBN 9781854107633 - Personal and Professional Recollections of George Gilbert ScottGeorge Gilbert ScottSir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
(1995). Stamford: Paul Watkins. ISBN 9781871615265 - (with Phil Sayer) Alexander "Greek" ThomsonAlexander ThomsonAlexander "Greek" Thomson was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building. Although his work was published in the architectural press of his day, it was little appreciated outwith Glasgow during his lifetime...
(1999). London: L. King. ISBN 9781856691611 - (with Sam McKinstry) "Greek" Thomson: Neo-Classical Architectural Theory, Buildings and Interiors (1993). Edinburgh University Press.
- Telephone Boxes (1989). London: Chatto & Windus. ISBN 9780701133665
- The Changing Metropolis: Earliest Photographs of London 1839–1879 (1984). London: Viking. ISBN 9780670800582
- (with Colin Amery) Victorian Buildings of London, 1837-1887: An Illustrated Guide (1980). London: Architectural Press. ISBN 9780851395005
- The Great Perspectivists (1982). London: Trefoil. ISBN 9780862940027
- (with Andre Goulancourt) The English House, 1860–1914: the flowering of English domestic architecture (1986). London: Faber. ISBN 9780571130474
- Temples of Power: Architecture of Electricity in London (1979). London: Gardners. ISBN 9780950215495
- Britain in the Thirties (1979). London: Architectural Design. ISBN 9780847853113