100 20th-century sports and leisure buildings / Twentieth Century Society.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Twentieth Century Society (London, England), issuing body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Recreation centers--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Recreation centers.

Sports facilities--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Sports facilities.

Architecture and recreation--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Architecture and recreation.

Architecture, Modern--20th century.

Architecture, Modern.

Physical Description:

256 pages : illustrations (colour) ; 22 cm

Other Title:

One hundred 20th-century sports and leisure buildings

Hundred 20th-century sports and leisure buildings

Place of Publication:

London : Batsford, 2025.

Summary:

"A showcase of Britain's most architecturally significant sports and leisure buildings from the twentieth century and beyond. 100 20th Century Sports and Leisure Buildings gives a fascinating insight into the spaces where we play: from swimming pools and skate parks to ice rinks and cricket pavilions. These structures are not only an intensely evocative part of our shared social heritage but some of the most architecturally innovative constructions of the past century - as seen here in buildings by architects including Edwin Lutyens, Walter Tapper, John Burnet and Zaha Hadid. The twentieth century saw a rapid expansion in the public provision for sports and leisure as workers won the right to paid holiday, prompting a boom in the construction of municipal lidos, pools and sports grounds. Later in the century leisure centres brought together facilities for a whole range of sports with an emphasis on family fun, combining environmentally controlled environments with soaring engineering and playful pop imagery. Space-age geodesic domes, diamond-glazed pyramids, castellated forts, brutalist elephants and Moorish postmodern palaces are just a few of the highlights of this idiosyncratic genre showcased here. Expert essays on particular building types, including Alan Powers on lidos and Simon Inglis on sports stadiums, give further context to these spaces. Also included is an introduction with a strong campaigning element - with the decimation of local authority budgets forcing the closure of many centres and pools, this is a timely exploration that provides a crucial record of this key part of our cultural heritage"--Publisher's description.

Contents:

1914-1929

1930-1939

Lidos / Alan Powers

1940-1949

Sports stadiums / Simon Inglis

1970-1989

The Leisure Centre Boom / Otto Saumarez Smith

1990-1999

2000-present.

ISBN:

9781849949408

1849949409

OCLC:

1518926491

Publisher Number:

CIPO000219947