Modern British Architecture

Historically a vibrant if rather seedy neighborhood, bounded on the north by the Thames and trailing off into suburbs in the south, the borough of Southwark was populated largely by poorer citizens and boasted theaters, brothels and taverns before the advent of industrialization turned it into a place of railway bridges and grimy warehouses. Bombing during the Blitz and a series of fires over the centuries have had a particularly devastating effect on its architecture. Southwark has lately sought to revitalize its status as a place rich in the arts and culture; cut off from the rest of the City by the Thames as it is, it faces the challenge of attracting tourists and inhabitants over the river, a task facilitated by the construction of bridges (most recently the Millennium footbridge) and the revamping of its northern limits, the Bankside area (Godley).

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The De La Warr Pavilion (originally the Bexhill Pavilion) is a public arts, education and entertainment building located in the seaside resort town of Bexhill-on-Sea on the southern coast of England. Designed in 1933 by Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff and completed in December of 1935, it is considered one of the world’s best examples of Modernist architecture.

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These niches, located on either side of the chancel of C.R. Mackintosh’s church at Queen’s Cross in Glasgow, were originally intended to hold gargoyle-like stone sculptures; because of the Free Church of Scotland’s objection to ornament, they ultimately remained empty. The detail of the niches themselves, however, is in itself a work of art: a subtle, unique blending of rigid lines and flowing curves that can be seen throughout the church and other Mackintosh-designed buildings.

This image of the niche on the left illustrates its fusion of the geometric and the organic. The framing outlines are simple, straight vertical lines following the rigid verticality of the projecting wall in which the niche is set, coming to an arrowlike point that draws the eye upward to the high ceiling above. The semicylindrical hollow of the niche itself introduces an element of curvature. The really striking detail, though, is the base of the niche. Beneath the flat slab with curved edges on which the statue would rest, the stone flows outward into a dynamic sweep resembling a bird with outspread, sheltering wings. The symbolic image of the bird (a dove, perhaps?) recurs everywhere one looks in the sanctuary; here, it serves as a supporting bracket for the contents of the niche, a seamless blending of practical and artistic function. (Compare the gracefully curved window brackets of the Glasgow School of Art, which exhibit and develop the characteristic Mackintosh rose motif while providing support and reinforcement for the large, multi-paned expanses of glass.)

The niche on the right, while similar at first glance, reveals upon closer examination a subtle but significant asymmetry. While the bird-form on the left is smoothly curved except for the point of the “beak,” the supporting element on the right has a vertical ridge, faint but evident, down the center. With that simple alteration, the outgrowth of stone is transformed from a bird in flight to a ship’s prow–another deeply meaningful element (symbolizing both the spiritual voyage of the church and the livelihoods of much of the congregation) that dominates the church, as the entire ceiling bears an unmistakable resemblance to the keel of a huge boat. Mackintosh’s work in architecture and design shows the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement, with slight irregularities and variations in pattern emphasizing his master craftsmanship and close attention to detail. The Queen’s Cross Church, as well as other Mackintosh buildings, make use of external and internal asymmetry both to deal with the practical challenges of the site and to create a sense of complexity and uniqueness in construction. Here, a tiny change in form shows the care Mackintosh evidently took in designing the church, even down to the smallest detail, and enriches the symbolism that detail possesses.

The present-day Filene Center, the main performance venue of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, was completed in 1984 after the original incarnation of 1971 burned down. It is built of Douglas fir and yellow pine, with a seating capacity of over 6,000; performances there range from classical opera and symphonic orchestras to blues bands, modern dance and performing groups from around the world. I have attended several performances at the Filene Center, and have always been struck by its blending of indoor and outdoor space–it is a unique combination of open-air amphitheater and covered auditorium, with half the audience seated on the surrounding lawn. Its architectural style is modern, but the use of vernacular materials (it is constructed entirely of wood) gives it a more “traditional” air and allows it to blend in with the hills and trees of the park. The area was originally known as Wolf Trap Farm Park, and the Center’s barnlike, wooden-beamed construction is intended to harmonize with that rustic image. The tall vertical element to the right holds the stage, along with dressing rooms and necessary equipment; the fan-shaped section, with the slanting roof echoing the slopes of the hills around it, houses the auditorium proper, with orchestra and balcony seating.

The interior, open on all sides except the stage, conveys a sense of spaciousness and elegant, airy simplicity. The exposed roof beams again show the building’s rustic inspiration. The architect has dealt admirably with the difficulties of acoustics; performances here are clearly audible even from the lawn seats. The huge wooden beams or slats that support the sides of the building are narrow enough to retain an open-air feel even in the covered auditorium seating. The balcony, supported by slender pillars, seems to float above the orchestra seats.

Altogether, the Filene Center is a truly unique building, a blending of the rustic and the sophisticated. The architect designed it both to harmonize with its surroundings, giving it a distinctive character, and to maximize its function as a performance space.