A Short History of British Architecture: From Stonehenge to The Shard

British architecture has always been a battle of styles. For a thousand years it has been Romanesque versus gothic, gothic versus renaissance, classical versus gothic revival. The greatest battle came in the 1960s, when modernists took control of British planning and plotted the demolition of large swathes of the centres of Britain’s cities. Yet by 1974 almost all these plans had been abandoned. How did it happen? Sir Simon Jenkins tells the turbulent history of Britain’s built environment. He shows how the battles of the past live on today, in arguments over what should be preserved and what form new buildings should take. He feels that such debates are undemocratic when people cannot ‘speak the language of architecture.’ Simon’s new book is history told with a purpose.

Dates

26 Jul 2025

4pm - 5pm

Price

£14

Concessions: £5 tickets are available for under 35 year olds who are part of the Friends of BIF's Next Gen Scheme.

Venue

Pavilion Arts Centre

Booking info

BIF Friends get priority booking from 18 March
Public booking opens 15 April
More info | Become a Friend

Dates, times & booking

  • Sat 26 Jul 2025 4.00pm - 5.00pm
BIF Friends get priority booking from 18 March
About Friends Priority Booking

Public booking opens 15 April

Priority Booking
for BIF Friends

To book seats early, join the Friends of Buxton International Festival and become part of our ‘Festival Family.’

Directors’ Circle, Benefactor, Gold Patron Tuesday, 18 March

Patron Tuesday, 25 March

Gold Friend Tuesday, 1 April

Friend and Joint Friend Tuesday, 8 April

Become a friend

Joining our community and becoming a BIF Friend unlocks a whole host of benefits, including priority booking for the festival.

From just £36 per year, become part of the festival you love all year-round.

  • Priority booking for all festival events
  • Six tiers of membership starting from just £36
  • Regular newsletters during the year – via email/post
  • Be the first to hear exclusive festival news & announcements
  • Special friends events throughout the year: meals, dinners, recitals and more
  • Support from friends members have enabled us to grow into one of the UK’s leading opera festivals
  • Recognition of your support in the Festival Souvenir Programme Book

If you are under 35 you can join the Next Gen Friends for free, and access £5 tickets to book events and £10 tickets to all other events.

Find out more