Dulwich: Mid-Century Oasis

by Paul Davis

Dulwich’s mid-century modern architecture is increasingly recognised for its qualities of light, landscape and lifestyle. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, around 2,000 new homes were created to the most modern standards without destroying the qualities which had made Dulwich so attractive to previous generations. With both historic and new photography, this book showcases the award-winning work of the Dulwich Estate’s architects, Austin Vernon & Partners, working with house builder Wates. Today, there is much to be learned from the architects and landscape planners who saw their role as fundamental to building Britain’s modern society.

208 pages, Paperback

Published September 18, 2023

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Reviews

[Nick Chantarasak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book on a great topic, and one that isn’t written about enough. Some good in depth pieces on some of the ‘primary’ mid century housing developments within the Dulwich Estate. This is also coupled with some nice personal accounts from residents. The inclusion of plans was also helpful to help visualise the spaces against the text descriptions of the houses. However, I think the book could have included more photographs, including historical ones. The end seemed to tail off with very brief information and description to some of the estates - College Gardens for example. At the very end there’s a section of estates included for ‘completeness’. But again, these were very brief and lacked photographs.

A good book overall and one to spark interest in the subject. But having visited a lot of these estates in person, much more imagery would have been welcomed to fully celebrate these wondering pieces of urban design and architecture.