Oliver Hill. A window on Regionalism in Britain during the Interwar Period

The relationship modernism had, or might have, with regionalism was, and is, largely ignored by the contemporary chroniclers of The Modern Movement and many current historians alike. All too often the study of British interwar architecture seems to be focussed on how the continental modernist vocabulary was appropriated. If, however, we stop looking at the interwar period as a conflict between modernism, regionalism and many other ideologies, a more inclusive understanding of the built environment could be formulated and, more specifically, the characteristics of British cultural identity and its search for modernity would become an integral part of this understanding.

Modernism and regionalism are not the only schools of thought that are often considered to be at odds with one another. The vernacular also needs to be considered in this discussion; since it was a significant influence on British architectural expressions. Indeed, the vernacular becomes a central notion in interpreting regionalism in architecture in Britain during these decades