Shortlisted for the Architectural Book Awards 2025 Shortlisted for the Royal Historical Society First Book Prize 2025 Longlisted for the British Society for the History of Science Hughes Prize 2025 Longlisted for the Walpole Society's Berger Prize 2025
Smyth takes us on an extraordinary journey around the world to tell the story of how a group of determined individuals in the first half of the twentieth century created the science of acoustics, transforming our understanding of the relationship between architecture and music forever. James W. P. Campbell, Professor of Architecture and Construction History, University of Cambridge
Fiona Smyths energetic prose brings to life the gradual emergence of the science of acoustics in Britain between 1901 and 1951. In this pioneering and fascinating book, she combines an engaging sense of humour with absolute seriousness of purpose. Deborah Howard, Professor Emerita of Architectural History, University of Cambridge
Expertly researched, Fiona Smyths Pistols in St Pauls exudes authority. Exploring the development of the concept of building as instrument, Smyth enhances our understanding of how past sonorous encounters have shaped todays built environment. Her book makes an important contribution to how we should think about the historical formation of the soundscapes of modernity. Edward Gillin, editor of Science and Sound in Nineteenth-Century Britain
Fiona Smyths history of architectural acoustics in modern Britain is a fascinating and vivid journey across the frontiers of scientific research, religious faith, musical expression and, above all, architecture as a medium of experience and a form of thought. Captivating and deeply researched. Joseph L. Clarke, author of Echos Chambers: Architecture and the Idea of Acoustic Space
'There is much to enjoy in this book. It is extensively researched and is full of contemporary architectural drawing, photographs and incomprehensible (to me) acoustic maps and data sheets, along with biographical details of the main actors.' Barry Coidan, London Society
'Pistols in St Pauls is a riveting history of the formation of acoustics as a serious field of science. I find it essential to the context of contemporary concert hall design. And to a casual tourist to architectural acoustics, it is an insightful museum guide.' Nicole Kirch, SoundGirls.org
'Overall Smyth paints an evocative picture, transporting us into these legendary auditoria. For me at least, listening will never be quite the same again.' Sharon Ann Holgate, Physics World
'You will never see (or hear) a building in the same way again.' William Whyte, Church Times
'It is humbling to read about the hard work of those who laid the foundations of modern auditorium acoustics science. This book would be a valuable addition to the library of acoustic specialists, but is also accessible to a wider audience.' Chris Middleton, Acoustics Bulletin (November/December 2024) -- .
