Design
Modernism in London's 'Metro-Land'
Linked to the urban core by state-of-the-art electric trains by 1900, this area was in many ways a harbinger of a cleaner, brighter future.
Head out along the rails that snake out through London’s post-Victorian suburbs and you’ll find a treasure chest of innovative 20th-century architecture.
The Modernism in Metro-Land blog has been cataloging this design heritage since 2011, also spinning off into walking tours led by creator Joshua Abbott. Not only does the blog show the distinctive and sensitive direction that avant-garde Modernism took in Britain’s aesthetically conservative atmosphere, it also charts how whole sections of the city have their public transit connections to thank for their current form and style. Now, a crowdfunding campaign is also underway by Abbott to map and celebrate these buildings in an illustrated book, itself drawing from the longstanding website.