The Architect and His Wife: A Life of Edwin Lutyens (2002)

The work of Edwin Lutyens variously includes the Cenotaph in Whitehall, vast Imperialist buildings in India (including much of New Delhi), Queen Mary’s dolls’ house and Hampstead Garden Suburb. But his greatest heritage is the traditional Edwardian country house, an architectural style he made his own, using local materials and often working with Gertrude Jekyll who designed the gardens for his family homes. This is a full biography of a witty, complex personality, a man who had little formal education, who loved jokes and hated growing up. He was the intimate of many famous families of his day. His wife, Emily, fell in love with Krishnamurti, 23 years her junior and believed to be the reincarnation of a god, and she thereafter spent her time and his money promoting Theosophy, a Hindu-inspired cult. Lutyens’ failure to find a common language with Emily possibly drove him to seek the communication through the language of architecture which characterizes his best work.