t.me/PROFESSIONALS_cefr page 16 The huge glass-and-iron Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton to house the Great
Exhibition of 1851, shows another strand to 19th century architecture—one which
embraced new industrial processes. But it wasn't long before even this confidence in
progress came to be regarded with suspicion. Mass production resulted in buildings and
furnishings that were too perfect, as the individual craftsman no longer had a major role in
their creation. Railing against the dehumanising effects of industrialisation, reformers like
John Ruskin and William Morris made a concerted effort to return to hand-crafted, pre-
industrial manufacturing techniques. Morris's influence grew from the production of
furniture and textiles, until by the 1880s a generation of principled young architects was
following his call for good, honest construction.
The most important trends in early 20th century architecture simply passed Britain by.
Whilst Gropius was working on cold, hard expanses of glass, and Le Corbusier was
experimenting with the use of reinforced concrete frames, we had staid establishment
architects like Edwin Lutyens producing Neo-Georgian and Renaissance country houses for
an outmoded landed class. In addition there were slightly batty architect-craftsmen, the
heirs of William Morris, still trying to turn the clock back to before the Industrial Revolution
by making chairs and spurning new technology. Only a handful of Modern Movement
buildings of any real merit were produced here during the 1920s and 1930s, and most of
these were the work of foreign architects such as Serge Chermayeff, Berthold Lubetkin and
Erno Gold-finger who had settled in this country.
Questions 30-35 Complete the sentences. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text in each gap. Because most Anglo-Saxon buildings were constructed from
