Building Britain
First shown on Channel 4 in April 2005
As an island that has not been invaded for 1000 years, Britain has always defined itself by its difference from other countries. Programme presenter Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, emphasises the unique character of British architecture. 'The buildings of Britain could have been built nowhere else,' he says. 'They have been shaped by our experience in a unique and surprising way.'
Thurley begins his historical tour with the continuing British fear of invasion. As evidence of this, he visits the heavily-defended Dover Castle and modern underground bunkers, designed for use in a nuclear attack. Through the centuries it has been the people that have shaped the architecture. The community focus of the parish church to the stately homes of the rich took precedence over the establishment of church and monarchy, in complete reverse to much of the continent. The British sense of self-worth and stake in their own land is demonstrated by the terraced house and local pride by the municipal masterpieces of the Industrial Revolution. The modern resurgence of British architectural innovation reminds that the British character is inextricably linked with building.
Thurley's view that buildings are shaped by society is picked up with five of the most notable castles, parish churches, stately homes, terraced houses and industrial spaces, telling the inside stories of the lives of their people.
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