Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The man who ruined Britain

In last weeks Daily Mail, Quentin Letts listed the 50 people who he says ruined Britain. I have to say that I mostly agreed with his opinion, but there was one name missing from the list.

Le Corbusier.

It was his ideas and influence that helped turn Britain's wonderful urban areas into ugly brutalist monstrosities devoid of aesthetic value and humanity. Virtually every town in Britain has been desecrated by architecture inspired by this man and all of them are the worse for it.

Not only that, but since then we have been content to put up with the modern architecture which, although better than that inspired by Le Corbusier is still insipid, unattractive and generic.

Hitler tried to bomb the heart and soul out of our towns and failed. Le Corbusier succeeded with the stroke of a pen.

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