Connell Ward and Lucas were seen by some as irritants on the British architectural scene of the 1930s - a scene largely the province of traditionalists, class snobberies and latent xenophobia. They ruffled the feathers of the architectural establishment and poured scorn on the ignorant and restrictive practices of the planners. They even infuriated their MARS Group colleagues. Never deviating from their beliefs in Corbusian principles, they produced the most authentic modern buildings of the period, many of which now have iconic significance.
This book is the first major monograph on Connell Ward and Lucas and the result of many years of research and study. It puts the work of the trio into the context of the times and incorporates unique material obtained from their colleagues, friends and relatives as well as contemporary and newly commissioned photographs, original drawings and authoritative statements by all three partners.
With their strikingly simple shapes in concrete and glass, Amyas Connell, Basil Ward, and Colin Lucas introduced a new and uncompromising architecture to England in the 1930s. In the first full account of their innovative practice, architect Dennis Sharp offers a fascinating historical overview of the firm, then focuses on detailed studies of their houses, housing projects, shops, and cafés. Each study is fully illustrated with contemporary plans and photographs showing the buildings under construction, newly constructed, and as they appear now.
