Alistair Fair
@alistairfair.bsky.social
Reader in Architectural History, University of Edinburgh. C20 architecture in Britain. New towns. Theatres. Book 'Building Modern Scotland' available open access. Own views. No age ID so no DMs but I can do e-mail!
Currently writing about Essex County Council's 1973 'Design Guide for Residential Areas', which advocated contextual materials (though not necessarily revivalist forms) plus shared-space 'mews courts' and went on to have a massive influence on late 70s/80s new housing
December 19, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Currently writing about Essex County Council's 1973 'Design Guide for Residential Areas', which advocated contextual materials (though not necessarily revivalist forms) plus shared-space 'mews courts' and went on to have a massive influence on late 70s/80s new housing
Just delivered by the postman, this substantial new collection edited by @osaumarezsmith.bsky.social @petermandler.bsky.social and Simon Gunn with a stellar lineup of contributors. I'm looking forward to diving into it over the next few days.
December 2, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Just delivered by the postman, this substantial new collection edited by @osaumarezsmith.bsky.social @petermandler.bsky.social and Simon Gunn with a stellar lineup of contributors. I'm looking forward to diving into it over the next few days.
Lunchtime perambulation around the University of Glasgow. The (former) Modern Languages building (now Law?), by Walter Ramsay, 1958-59, showing the often gentle modernism of the 1950s. Perhaps now overshadowed by the brutalism of the adjacent Queen Margaret Union, but I'm quite partial to it.
November 30, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Lunchtime perambulation around the University of Glasgow. The (former) Modern Languages building (now Law?), by Walter Ramsay, 1958-59, showing the often gentle modernism of the 1950s. Perhaps now overshadowed by the brutalism of the adjacent Queen Margaret Union, but I'm quite partial to it.
My colleague @milesglendinning.bsky.social is the latest recruit to Bluesky. Follow him for insights on the architectural history and heritage of global mass housing
Wang Fuk Court must surely be the end of bamboo scaffolding on housing. Flexi 2 HOS blocks intrinsically safe – only 8 flats/floor – but the scaffolding is like wrapping them in a ‘temporary Grenfell’! Big questions for HKSAR Buildings Dept. to answer (esp. with other live cases - eg Sui Wo Court)
November 26, 2025 at 4:44 PM
My colleague @milesglendinning.bsky.social is the latest recruit to Bluesky. Follow him for insights on the architectural history and heritage of global mass housing
Stir-up Sunday. 7 hours down, 1 hour to go. (This is the pudding; the Christmas cake and mincemeat were made in September and are maturing in the cupboard.)
November 23, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Stir-up Sunday. 7 hours down, 1 hour to go. (This is the pudding; the Christmas cake and mincemeat were made in September and are maturing in the cupboard.)
Excellent news for the end of the week as @thesahgb.bsky.social recognises the monumental efforts of the Buildings of England/Scotland/Wales/Ireland team over several decades.
November 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Excellent news for the end of the week as @thesahgb.bsky.social recognises the monumental efforts of the Buildings of England/Scotland/Wales/Ireland team over several decades.
Disappointing news about the non-listing of the Brunton Theatre, despite it being deemed list-able by HES. A replacement building will cost £50m+, replacing the roof was estimated at £22m... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Theatre at demolition risk over Raac loses listed building bid
East Lothian Council has said it has little option but to demolish the Brunton Theatre building.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Disappointing news about the non-listing of the Brunton Theatre, despite it being deemed list-able by HES. A replacement building will cost £50m+, replacing the roof was estimated at £22m... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Alistair: let's de-centre the architect in architectural-historical writing. Meanwhile Duolingo:
November 13, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Alistair: let's de-centre the architect in architectural-historical writing. Meanwhile Duolingo:
Archive-based teaching this afternoon, on the post-war reconstruction of central Coventry.
November 13, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Archive-based teaching this afternoon, on the post-war reconstruction of central Coventry.
End of week reading. @samwetherell.bsky.social's excellent new urban history of post-war Liverpool.
October 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM
End of week reading. @samwetherell.bsky.social's excellent new urban history of post-war Liverpool.
Yesterday - teaching @edincollegeofart.bsky.social Architectural History students in the archive. Drawings of Coventry Cathedral from the Basil Spence archive, as well as many other items that showed the collaborative process by which the cathedral was designed and built.
October 3, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Yesterday - teaching @edincollegeofart.bsky.social Architectural History students in the archive. Drawings of Coventry Cathedral from the Basil Spence archive, as well as many other items that showed the collaborative process by which the cathedral was designed and built.
First day of the new academic year @edincollegeofart.bsky.social. This semester's teaching includes my course on architecture in Britain 1919-56.
September 15, 2025 at 11:11 AM
First day of the new academic year @edincollegeofart.bsky.social. This semester's teaching includes my course on architecture in Britain 1919-56.
New towns stuff! It was very good to talk to @charlielynch.bsky.social for this feature. The book is still available - in print but also as an open access (free!) e-book at www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?do...
September 10, 2025 at 1:38 PM
New towns stuff! It was very good to talk to @charlielynch.bsky.social for this feature. The book is still available - in print but also as an open access (free!) e-book at www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?do...
Recently @vawright10.bsky.social and I were interviewed for a podcast about the Scottish new towns book which we recently co-wrote (and which is available Open Access for free download via bloomsburycollections, though you can also buy a copy in print if you wish!)
🔉 Listen in! Dr @alistairfair.bsky.social & Dr @vawright10.bsky.social: Building Modern Scotland - The Social Histories of New Towns. Ep3, s2 of Artful Inquiry, the ECA research podcast.
Listen in on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1qDQ...
More about the series: www.eca.ed.ac.uk/eca-research...
Listen in on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1qDQ...
More about the series: www.eca.ed.ac.uk/eca-research...
Spotify – Web Player
open.spotify.com
September 3, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Recently @vawright10.bsky.social and I were interviewed for a podcast about the Scottish new towns book which we recently co-wrote (and which is available Open Access for free download via bloomsburycollections, though you can also buy a copy in print if you wish!)
Northampton Guildhall extension - 1991 by Stimpson Walton Bond. Contextual Gothic to echo the adjacent Victorian Gothic.
September 2, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Northampton Guildhall extension - 1991 by Stimpson Walton Bond. Contextual Gothic to echo the adjacent Victorian Gothic.
Malcolm Inglis building, Northampton (1900). Built for a leather and hide factor. A piece of Glasgow especially in the carving above the entrance, where we have St Mungo and the two salmon from the city's coat of arms.
September 2, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Malcolm Inglis building, Northampton (1900). Built for a leather and hide factor. A piece of Glasgow especially in the carving above the entrance, where we have St Mungo and the two salmon from the city's coat of arms.
Important message from today's Duolingo session
August 31, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Important message from today's Duolingo session
Working on Northampton new town. Today's discovery is that a promotional record about the town was issued as a single in 1980. It had a version of the song with lyrics about aliens on the A-side with the promotional version, '60 Miles by Road or Rail', on the B-side. www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7ZQ...
Linda Jardim - (60 Miles by Road or Rail) Northampton
YouTube video by EvenThisNameTaken
www.youtube.com
August 27, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Working on Northampton new town. Today's discovery is that a promotional record about the town was issued as a single in 1980. It had a version of the song with lyrics about aliens on the A-side with the promotional version, '60 Miles by Road or Rail', on the B-side. www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7ZQ...
Former Debenhams/Bon Marché store, Gloucester: the early 1960s part of the building very like the Festival Hall's original 1951 elevations, especially the small windows to the left which echo those which originally illuminated the RFH's side fire escape stairs.
Things you can do with a former Debenhams store. #Gloucester #refurbishment #repurpose #architecture #university
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
📷 flic.kr/p/2pMdKcQ
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
📷 flic.kr/p/2pMdKcQ
August 25, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Former Debenhams/Bon Marché store, Gloucester: the early 1960s part of the building very like the Festival Hall's original 1951 elevations, especially the small windows to the left which echo those which originally illuminated the RFH's side fire escape stairs.
A morning of course admin and intranet stuff for next semester. Luna has appeared to offer moral support.
August 12, 2025 at 11:09 AM
A morning of course admin and intranet stuff for next semester. Luna has appeared to offer moral support.
Changed trains at Birmingham New St y/day. This is part of the station's Navigation Street entrance and footbridge, built in the early 1990s and now looking a little grubby. I do like this era of railway architecture.
August 8, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Changed trains at Birmingham New St y/day. This is part of the station's Navigation Street entrance and footbridge, built in the early 1990s and now looking a little grubby. I do like this era of railway architecture.
Sad news overnight of serious damage by fire to St Mungo's church, Cumbernauld - designed by Alan Reiach 1963-64. Its dedication echoed Glasgow cathedral & recognised the Glaswegian roots of many early residents in the new town, which had been begun a few years before
August 3, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Sad news overnight of serious damage by fire to St Mungo's church, Cumbernauld - designed by Alan Reiach 1963-64. Its dedication echoed Glasgow cathedral & recognised the Glaswegian roots of many early residents in the new town, which had been begun a few years before
Excellent news that the Bernat Klein studio has been bought by a coalition of heritage groups. The hard work starts here. Photo by me in 2016.
July 30, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Excellent news that the Bernat Klein studio has been bought by a coalition of heritage groups. The hard work starts here. Photo by me in 2016.
I do like the 1980s/90s tradition of having commissioned murals on the end panels of train carriages. These are by Michael Healey.
July 28, 2025 at 3:28 PM
I do like the 1980s/90s tradition of having commissioned murals on the end panels of train carriages. These are by Michael Healey.
Today has been office moving day...for the last 10 years I've been fortunate to have a very large, bright university office (pictured here in Dec 2019) but as I WFH a lot these days and there is pressure on space I've moved (willingly) to a much smaller room. A good excuse for a clear out.
July 28, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Today has been office moving day...for the last 10 years I've been fortunate to have a very large, bright university office (pictured here in Dec 2019) but as I WFH a lot these days and there is pressure on space I've moved (willingly) to a much smaller room. A good excuse for a clear out.