The Surrey volume of the Buildings of England was published in 1962 and was the first of the guides for which Nikolaus Pevsner shared his duties for fieldwork and writing.  Pevsner reserved the northern areas of the county for himself and handed over the rest to Ian Nairn,  ‘who as his text proves, is a born topographer’. This gave the Surrey a unique style and character among the first volumes. Bridget Cherry’s second edition followed in 1971 but the first full-scale revision of the county is now underway, excluding much of the area originally covered by Pevsner which was absorbed into Greater London in 1965. In our next online talk,  Charles O’Brien – editor of the Pevsner Architectural Guides, will reflect on Nairn’s interests and enthusiasms and some of the idiosyncrasies of his opinions and writing, while also reminding us of the centrality of the county to the history of English architecture in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. Along with consideration of some of the best known buildings of the time, he will offer insights into some of the lesser known places and architects and some new discoveries.

Please note, should you be unable to watch the lecture live, you can still purchase a ticket and watch the lecture at a later time – included in the ticket price is a link to watch a replay of the lecture at your leisure.