Twentieth Century Society

Twentieth Century Society
source
Name	Twentieth Century Society
Formation	1979
Type	Charity
Headquarters	London
Region served	United Kingdom
Leader title	President
Leader name	Sir Nicholas Serota

Twentieth Century Society is a British charity dedicated to the study, protection, and advocacy of twentieth-century architecture and design. It operates across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, engaging with public bodies, local authorities, architects, developers, and heritage organisations to conserve buildings and material culture from circa 1914 to the 1990s. The organisation combines campaigning, research, publishing, and advisory roles to influence planning decisions and raise public awareness about modern architectural heritage.

History

Founded in 1979 amid debates over postwar redevelopment and the fate of modernist landmarks, the Society emerged in the context of heritage battles involving sites such as the Euston Arch controversy and debates over postwar reconstruction after the Second World War. Early figures included architects and critics connected to institutions like the Royal Institute of British Architects and commentators from publications such as the Architectural Review and the Guardian (London newspaper). During the 1980s and 1990s the organisation responded to high-profile interventions concerning works by practitioners associated with Le Corbusier, Erich Mendelsohn, Alvar Aalto, Brutalism, and proponents of the Modern Movement. The Society developed statutory advisory status with heritage bodies parallel to Historic England and engaged with planning inquiries influenced by legislation such as the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Mission and Activities

The Society's mission centers on identifying, recording, and promoting understanding of twentieth-century built heritage including domestic, civic, industrial, and ecclesiastical architecture by figures like Sir John Soane-era successors, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Edwin Lutyens, James Stirling, Denys Lasdun, and Sir Basil Spence. Activities include monitoring planning applications with implications for assets influenced by movements exemplified by Art Deco, International Style, New Brutalism, Postmodernism, and late twentieth-century High-tech architecture. It advises bodies such as the National Trust, engages with local planning authorities including Greater London Authority, and collaborates with academic institutions like the University of Cambridge, University of Liverpool, and the Bartlett School of Architecture.

Campaigns and Conservation Work

The Society has led and supported campaigns to save buildings ranging from municipal landmarks to private commissions. Notable interventions addressed threats to work by architects such as Germán Samper, Ernő Goldfinger, Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer, T. P. Bennett, Michael Hopkins, Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, and Nicholas Grimshaw. Campaigns have involved statutory listing processes with agencies like Cadw and negotiations tied to development projects by firms including British Land, Canary Wharf Group, and Landsec. The organisation has campaigned for preservation of structures influenced by events including the Festival of Britain and sites associated with cultural institutions like the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Battersea Power Station, Glasgow School of Art, and the RIBA Southwark complex. It has also engaged with conservation of industrial heritage such as factories linked to Harland and Wolff and transport infrastructure including stations on the London Underground network and interchanges related to Channel Tunnel planning.

Publications and Research

Publishing scholarly and public-facing material, the Society issues guides, monographs, and surveys documenting twentieth-century architects and buildings, with illustrated case studies covering figures such as Charles Holden, Sir Herbert Baker, Basil Spence, William Holford, Ernő Goldfinger, William Crabtree, and Sir Nikolaus Pevsner. Research collaborations have produced inventories used by bodies including Historic Environment Scotland and have informed entries in county lists and conservation area appraisals conducted alongside local civic societies such as the Georgian Group and the Victorian Society. Its periodicals and reports draw on archives held at institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Library, the RIBA Library, and university special collections at University College London.

Governance and Funding

As a registered charity, the organisation is governed by a council and trustees, drawing leadership from figures with backgrounds in institutions such as the Tate, the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Museum of London, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Funding sources include membership subscriptions, philanthropic grants from trusts such as the Pilgrim Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund, project-specific awards from foundations like the Wolfson Foundation, and consultancy income related to heritage assessments commissioned by county councils including Cambridgeshire County Council and metropolitan boroughs in Greater Manchester. It maintains partnerships with professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Building and the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Notable Cases and Impact

The Society's interventions have influenced listing decisions, planning appeals, and refurbishment schemes affecting buildings by James Stirling (including university commissions), Denys Lasdun (civic centres and residential towers), Ernő Goldfinger (residential blocks), Giles Gilbert Scott (power stations and cathedrals), and twentieth-century public housing estates across London and other conurbations. Its campaigns contributed to protections for structures associated with the Festival of Britain, and its advice has been cited in inquiries involving developers such as Argent (property developer) and public bodies including the Mayor of London. Through research and advocacy, the Society has shaped conservation practice for modern architecture, influenced academic curricula at institutions like the Architectural Association School of Architecture, and fostered public appreciation of twentieth-century design across museums, galleries, and heritage trails.

Category:Conservation organizations Category:Architectural conservation in the United Kingdom