Architecture for All

Brighstone 1950s Holiday Chalets ©Ellen Leslie

Brighstone 1930s Holiday Chalets ©Ellen Leslie

Yesterday, I came across some simple, brightly-coloured chalets at a holiday camp called Brighstone, on the Isle of Wight. It brought to mind something that the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner wrote in his book An Outline of European Architecture.  “A bicycle shed is a building; Lincoln Cathedral is a piece of architecture. Nearly everything that encloses space on a scale sufficient for a human being to move in is a building; the term architecture applies only to buildings designed with a view to aesthetic appeal." That was in 1943, and I think it is safe to say that today the definition of what architecture is has changed. Our view of what is aesthetically appealing has expanded, reflecting our more inclusive and equal society. 

Time was when “architecture” was the preserve of cathedrals, castles, manor houses and other “polite” constructions, usually with a named architect or builder connected with it; or it related to the revered designs of ancient Greece or Rome. Buildings associated with the common people rarely achieved “architecture” status in the eyes of Pevsner or his contemporaries. Not that he didn’t appreciate the prosaic, but, in short, a sixteenth century cow shed was a building and a sixteenth century castle was architecture.

The evolution and understanding of history has moved from that of kings and queens, wars, battles and landmark events, to include the lives of the ordinary people and this has impacted on our approach to architecture. Once upon a time you would visit a stately home and only see the grand rooms of the aristocratic family who had lived there; now seeing the kitchens and servants quarters is equally popular. Today the function of the building and therefore how it was designed or constructed gives it architectural kudos rather than merely whether it had high status or was visually or aesthetically appealing.

Back to Brighstone, this holiday camp is possibly the oldest surviving holiday camp in the UK, dating to 1932. Echoes of the comedy series "Hi-De-Hi" exist in the neat rows of brightly painted chalets, so specific of a time and a purpose. Many of the chalets date to the 1930s and are still very much used by holiday makers. Brighstone also has chalets and washing areas built in the 1950s with a very distinctive "Festival of Britain" flavour to their appearance. I would venture that Pevsner would not deem the chalets of Brighstone as architecture, but in our more egalitarian age, I think it would be difficult not to!

Brighstone 1950s Holiday Chalets ©Ellen Leslie

Brighstone 1930s Holiday Chalets ©Ellen Leslie