Raymond Erith Architect (1985)

Raymond Erith occupies a lonely position among British architects of the mid-twentieth century. As a deeply committed classicist swimming against the tide of modernism he achieved only slight conventional success, though he earned a considerable degree of respect among his contemporaries. Many of those who had little sympathy for his architecture admired his unquestioned integrity and consistent high standards. Recent disillusionment with the modern movement has led both architects and laymen to re-examine the role of tradition in architecture today and it seems appropriate that there should now be a fresh appraisal of Erith’s work. It is still too soon for an assessment of his importance in relation to the architecture of his period and I should not, in any case, feel qualified to undertake it. What I have done in this book is to bring together the raw material which is necessary for an understanding of his theory and practice. Erith was both cogent and entertaining in his largely unpublished writings. Much of what he wrote was in letters to clients and friends but throughout his life he returned at intervals to his youthful intention of publishing a book on architecture. His copious notes and his occasional essays and lectures give a very good idea of his main lines of thought. In order to explain the individual quality of his work and the impulse which sustained him through so many years in the wilderness, I have prefaced his writings with a short biographical introduction.