Hello Everyone,

 

I just wanted to send a quick message now A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land has been published. Hopefully everyone who pledged for a copy of the book has now received it. I hope you are enjoying it despite, (or maybe because of?), the current lockdown situation. We couldn’t have produced it without your support, so once again thank you.

 

Hopefully those of you who selected extra rewards as part of the crowdfunding should have received the prints, tote bags and t-shirts. If you haven’t, please let Unbound know. 

 

There was also a guided tour option as part of the rewards. For obvious reasons we have not been able to hold the tour yet, but rest assured we are planning to hold it in the spring. We will be in contact closer to the time to let you know the details.

 

I hope you enjoy the book, and stay well over the winter.

 

Josh

November 2020 Update

Dear Subscriber 
 
We have an update on the progress of A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land, a book that you supported.  
 
The current coronavirus crisis and the impact it is having on supply chains and the general trading environment has forced us to review our publishing programme. In line with almost all other publishers, large and small, we have had to make some difficult decisions about publication dates. 
 
We have reluctantly decided to move the publication date for A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land a few months further into the future than we had originally planned. The planned publication date for the book is now 1 October 2020. 
 
Market uncertainty and the increasing likelihood of supply chain difficulties as lockdown continues and deepens necessitate this if we are to be sure of delivering as promised to our authors, and to you and everyone else who has supported the book.  
 
We apologise for this delay, and are sorry if this comes as disappointing news.  
 
These are challenging times but please understand that these decisions are made with the best interests of our authors and you, their readers, at heart. 
 
Take care and keep safe, 
 
The Unbounders

A Message from the Unbound Editors

Hello All,

 

First of all, Happy New Year to everyone!

 

It's been a little while since I updated on progress to A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land, but things have been happening behind the scenes. The book has now been laid out and proofed, and we are almost ready to go to print. The book should be published in July. 

 

I am pleased to share with you the cover design for the guide, which integrates photos from the book as well as the tube map theme that has become part of Modernism in Metro-Land branding in recent years.  


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/thumbnail_AGTMIM7b.jpg?v=1690910757" width="313" height="500">


If you need to change the name you want to appear in the book, or order another copy with name in you have until midnight on Sunday 19th January. You can do so via your Unbound account.

 

Thank you once again to everyone for your support and just as importantly, patience. The book is nearly here!

 

Regards

 

Josh Abbott

January 2020 Update

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/IMG_2863.jpg?v=1690910762" width="500" height="375">


Hello Everyone,

I just thought I'd send you a quick update and let you know what is happening with A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land.

The proofs arrived this week, as you can see in the photo. So now I need to go through and double (triple) check everything with a red pen and a large coffee! Hopefully that won't take too long and then we will be nearly ready to go to print. Of course once that happens I will let you all know.

The book is due to be published next year, and I know you are all eager to get your copy. Thank you once again for your patience and your continuing support, it is really appreciated!

Right, lets get proof reading!

Josh Abbott

Ps I have also updated the Modernism in Metroland website, with a new look and a new arrangement, take a look here <a href="http://www.modernism-in-metroland.co.uk/">http://www.modernism-in-metroland.co.uk/ </a>

November 2019 Update

Hello All,

 

It has been awhile since I sent an update about the progress of A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land, so I thought I would let you know how things are going. The book is currently in the Final Design stage, with the layout being finalised. The copy has all been edited and checked, and the maps for each section created. The book is due to be published next year, and a firm date will be confirmed once it is sent to print. Thank you all for your patience, I know those of you who pledged for the book when the crowdfunding began in February 2018 have been waiting a long time, but things are progressing.

 

Now the text is finalised, I thought I would take this opportunity to share some numbers about the makeup of the book. There will be 235 buildings featured in the book, spread over 9 London Boroughs and 2 Counties. The completion date of the buildings range from 1912 to 1990, so taking in nearly the whole of the 20th Century.

 

The 235 buildings in the book break down into; 86 Houses &amp; Apartment Blocks, 32 Tube &amp; Bus Stations, 28 Religious Buildings, 21 Factories &amp; Offices, 13 Cinemas, 12 Schools, 4 Shops and 39 Other Buildings (which includes film studios, health centres, fire stations and libraries). 101 of the 235 buildings in the book are listed, mostly at Grade II, with just one at Grade I. 

 

In terms of location, Barnet has the most houses and apartments featured with a total of 13. Ealing is the best connected borough with 8 tube or bus stations. The hardest working borough is Hounslow with 6 factories or offices (thanks of course to the Golden Mile on the Great West Road). Harrow is the most learned place with 3 schools featured (not including the famous public school). Ealing is also the best place to catch a film, with 4 art deco cinemas in the book. And the most pious borough is shared by Barnet, Brent and Hounslow, which each have 4 religious buildings featured. 

 

I hope that has whetted your appetite for the book and the modernist marvels in will contain a little. Thank you once again for your patience, and I will provide a further update when the book goes to print and we have the exact publication date. 

 

Regards

 

Josh Abbottt

August 2019 Update

Hello Everyone,

 

Happy New Year, and I hope you all had a good festive period. "A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land" is now 95% towards funding with over 700 supporters. Thank you to all who have pledged and made a donation to the project. Hopefully you will be able to get your hands on the book sooner rather than later now!

We have a special offer on the Piccadilly Circus pledge level, which includes the book plus three 8x10" digital art prints of Charles Holden's "round" stations; Chiswick Park, Southgate &amp; Arnos Grove, as well as a Modernism in Metroland T-shirt. Previously it was £35, but now we have taken £5 off for this week only (until Sunday 20th Jan). So if you haven't upgraded your pledged previously this would be a great chance to do so! 

Once again, thank you for your support, both by pledging for the book and promoting it on your social media channels. We  couldn't have (almost) done it without you!

Regards

Josh Abbott

So Close!

Hello Everyone,

 

This update is to let you know about our crowdfunding progress, and about three new pledge levels we have introduced. We have now reached 84% towards our total with over 600 supporters. Thank you to everyone who has pledged so far. We know you all eager to get your hands on a copy of the book, and we thank you for your patience. We are getting closer and hopefully it won’t be too long before you’ve got your copies in your hand.

 

To help the final push, we have introduced three new pledge levels, as follows;

 


 Frank Pick


For £20 you will receive a first edition paperback of A Guide to Modernism in Metroland as well as one 8x10 inch digital photographic print from a choice of three of Charles Holden’s “round” stations; Arnos Grove, Chiswick Park or Southgate. If you have already chosen the £15 pledge level you can upgrade for only £5 and receive a print as well as helping push the total towards the magic 100%! This will really help our progress.  To upgrade just click on the green Upgrade/Donate button next to A Guide to Modernism in Metroland on your Unbound account.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="375" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/IMG_0405a.jpg?v=1690910766" width="500">


 


 Piccadilly Circus


For £35 you will receive a first edition paperback of A Guide to Modernism in Metroland and three 8x10 inch digital prints of Charles Holden’s “round” stations; Arnos Grove, Chiswick Park and Southgate.

 


 Hammersmith


Ideal for anyone organising an architectural society or reading group, or just someone who is stocking up on Christmas presents; this pledge level gives you 10 copies of A Guide to Modernism in Metroland for £150.

 

We chose “Frank Pick” and  “Piccadilly Circus” as pledge level names as they both celebrate important anniversaries in the next few weeks. Keep an eye out on our blog for more information <a href="http://www.modernism-in-metroland.co.uk/blog">http://www.modernism-in-metroland.co.uk/blog</a> 

 

As ever, don’t forget you can choose one of our other great pledge levels or simply donate a sum by clicking on the green Upgrade/Donate button on your Unbound account. Every little helps push us closer to 100%. Once again, thank you for your support and patience, and we hope the next update will be when reach 100%.

 

Regards

 

Josh Abbott

November Update

Hi Everyone,

 

Just a quick update on progress for A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land. We are now at over 70% towards our total, with 500+ backers, so we are getting closer and closer! Thanks again to everyone who has pledges and also spread the word on social media.

 

In terms of the putting the book together,I am nearly finished visiting all the extra buildings I wanted to add, recently visiting Richmond, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Next comes the hardest part, deciding which buildings to keep and which to cut. The good news is that there should be around 50 extra buildings in the book, that are not on the website.

 

Apart from the book, I will be holding some tours for Open House London in Stanmore <a href="https://openhouselondon.open-city.org.uk/listings/6547">https://openhouselondon.open-city.org.uk/listings/6547</a> and for the 20th Century Society in Wembley <a href="https://secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=62&amp;EventId=600">https://secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=62&amp;EventId=600</a> Hope to see you there!

 

As I always say in every update, don’t forget you can upgrade your pledge or even add a donation to the fund. To do so, just log in to your Unbound account and next to your pledge for The Guide there will be a green Upgrade/Donate button.

 

Thank you as ever for your overwhelming support and I look forward to sending you A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land once we reach the target.

 

Josh Abbott

August Update

Hello Everyone,

 

I just wanted to give you a brief update on our crowdfunding campaign for A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land. We are currently at 35% towards our total with over 315 backers! So we are over a third of the way there, thank you for your pledges and your support.

 

Once again, if there is anyone you know who might be interested please send them the link for pledging https://unbound.com/books/a-guide-to-modernism-in-metro-land/ Also, if you could let people know about the project on your social media platforms, we would also be very grateful.

 

In terms of putting the book together, those of you who follow us on twitter (@mod_in_metro) will have seen I have been visiting various places, including Hounslow, Hillingdon, Enfield and Ealing, searching for the suburbs modernist jewels. There are more excursions planned, with visits to Harrow, Richmond, Watford and Buckinghamshire to come soon. The project has also been featured in various places, including the White Noise website, the Harrow Times newspaper, and various Local Historical Society newsletters. If you know of any outlet that you think would be interested in our project please let them know.

 

Lastly don’t forget you can upgrade your pledge or even add a donation to the fund. To do so, just log in to your Unbound account and next to your pledge for The Guide there will be a green Upgrade/Donate button.

 

Thank you once again for your support and we look forward to sending you A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land once we reach the target.

 

Josh Abbott

April Update

Hello,

 

I just wanted to send a quick message to everyone who has pledged to support A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land, and say THANK YOU! Your backing for the project at this early stage has been wonderful and I am really grateful for your support.

 

We have now reached 20% and have over 160 supporters, but there is still a long way to go. If there is anyone you know who might be interested please send them the link for pledging <a href="https://unbound.com/books/a-guide-to-modernism-in-metro-land/">https://unbound.com/books/a-guide-to-modernism-in-metro-land/</a> Also, if you could let people know about the project on your social media platforms, we would also be very grateful.

 

Lastly, there are lots of different pledge levels available, offering a range of different rewards; from t-shirts and tote bags to photographic prints and portraits to a specially curated Jewels of Metro-Land tour, so if you feel like upgrading your pledge there are lots of options available. To upgrade, just log in to your Unbound account and next to your pledge for The Guide there will be a green Upgrade/Donate button.

 

Thank you once again for your support and we look forward to sending you A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land once we reach the target.

 

Josh Abbott

March Update- 20% Reached!

From Barnet to Richmond, explore the history of London's Metro-Land
A Guide to Modernism in Metro-Land is your essential pocket guide to the modernist architecture of London's suburbs. Inspired by John Betjeman's 1973 documentary Metro-Land and the writing of Ian Nairn, it examines the growth of the city's suburbs from the 1920s up to the present day – a story that is closely interwoven with the development of innovative architecture in Britain – through its most remarkable modernist buildings.
Featuring work by architects such as Charles Holden, Erno Goldfinger and Norman Foster, the book covers nine London boroughs and two counties: Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Richmond, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It is designed to help you explore Metro-Land's modernist heritage, featuring short descriptions of each building alongside maps of the areas covered, and more than 100 colour photographs. 'An essential vade mecum for those of us whose idea of bliss is pottering about the north-western suburbs' Jonathan Meades

<h2 style="text-align: left;">Metro-Land and Modernism</h2>
The idea of Metro-Land has been around for just over 100 years. In 1915, an employee of the Metropolitan Railway, James Garland, came up with the concept of Metro-Land to help sell some the excess land the Met had acquired in extending its railways out from the capital into the greenery north of London. The expansion of the Metropolitan Railway was driven by the company’s General Manager, Robert Selbie, who wanted an extension to link up the capital to villages such as Wembley, Harrow, Pinner and Ruislip, and towns such as Amersham and Aylesbury. The surplus land was handed over to a newly formed company, the Metropolitan Railway Country Estates Limited (MRCE) which drew up plans to create commuter suburbs at some of the villages along the new railway. The first estates were built at Neasden (Kingsbury Garden Village), Wembley (Wembley Garden Suburb), Pinner (Cecil Park and the Grange Estate) and Rickmansworth (the Cecil Estate). These new garden villages were largely fashioned in the Arts and Crafts style, created by architects such as Oliver Hill who designed Wembley Garden Village.
The idea of Metro-Land, echoed by the tiled cottages of the garden villages, was to create a rural idyll for the commuter to escape to (via the Metropolitan Railway) after a day working in the city. Posters show houses surrounded by gardens and parks where the harassed white collar worker could enjoy his free time and live in harmony with nature (at least until Monday morning). Metro-Land didn't just have the MCRE to publicise it, but also it’s own Poet Laureate. John Betjeman hymned Metro-Land praises in verses such as “Harrow-on-the-Hill” and “Middlesex”, where the poet talked of such obscure places as Perivale, Wealdstone and Ruislip Gardens. Later on screen his Metro-Land documentary, broadcast in 1973, would become a television classic.
The question "what is Metro-Land?" is easier to define than "where is Metro-Land?" As the MRCE produced Metro-Land guide famously said, it is “a country with elastic borders that each visitor can draw for himself as Stevenson drew his map of Treasure Island”, an idea rather than a geographical marking. However we can shade in the map a little. Taking the aforementioned villages moving out in a line north west from Baker Street, we can see Metro-Land moving out of the capital from Neasden, taking in Wembley, Harrow, Ruislip, Pinner and then onto Amersham. Of course, its influence didn't stick to this tidy trajectory, extending right around suburban London, taking in such places as Enfield, Barnet, Watford, Greenford, Ealing, Hillingdon, Hayes and the spreading ribbon developments of the capital.
Being influenced by the Garden Suburb movement and due to its innate Englishness, the default architectural style of Metro-Land was nostalgic; a mixture of Mock Tudor and Elizabethan, nicknamed Tudorbeathen. This hybrid style mixed traditional designs on the exterior, and the comforts of modernity such as electricity and indoor plumbing inside. However outbreaks of Modernism did occur in this realm of wistfulness. Charles Holden’s London Underground stations are the most prominent example. His functional ‘Sudbury Box’ design first appeared at Sudbury Town in 1931, and its pared down brick and glass minimalism set a template for stations throughout suburbia. Another widespread but lesser known example of the Scandinavian modernism being built in Metro-Land were the schools of Curtis and Burchett for Middlesex County Council. The duo designed and built a swathe of schools throughout the county, often with their signature Willem Dudok influenced central staircase tower. The pair also built other municipal facilities such as clinics, libraries, courthouses and police stations.
There was also room among the mock timber for the white walled, flat-roofed house. The short-lived but highly influential partnership of Welch, Lander and Day built large number of Deco influenced ‘Sun Trap’ houses throughout the 1930s, as well as more robust looking brick dwellings in Hendon and on the Hanger Hill estate in Ealing. The darlings of the international style in Britain were of course the partnership of Connell, Ward and Lucas. Their signature house ‘High and Over’ nestles in the green hills of Amersham on the Metropolitan Line, built in a Y-plan for Professor Bernard Ashmole. Perhaps even more cutting edge was their design for a whole estate in Pinner, of which only three houses were completed, 97, 99 &amp; 101 Park Avenue. The art deco cinema was also in its golden age during the rise of Metro-Land, and many great examples still exist such as the Rayners Lane Grosvenor by local architect FE Bromige. 
Much has changed in Metro-Land in the post war period. Just as Metro-Land had itself swallowed up tiny villages, the ever growing metropolis submerged the arcadian ideal sold in those posters from the MCRE. Now the former villages and Garden suburbs of Wembley, Pinner and Harrow have become part of the endless exterior sprawl of London, losing some of their unique character. And of course the growth of modernism in Metro-Land didn't stop either, but became part of the state sanctioned post war redevelopment. The harsher Brutalist style buildings of the the 50s, 60s and 70s did not proliferate as much as in Central and East London, but there are some good examples of buildings by Erno Goldfinger, Owen Luder and the Smithsons in this area. Borough councils emboldened by the 1965 reorganisation went on a building spree creating homes, hospitals and libraries for their growing populations. Much of this municipal building followed the trends and ideas of post war architecture, but some innovative architecture departments like those at Hillingdon or Haringey broke with the high rise orthodoxy and designed buildings on a smaller more intimate scale.
As redevelopment rumbles ever onward, many monuments to modernism in Metro-Land are disappearing. Just in the last few years a number of buildings have been demolished, such as the Palace of Industry at Wembley and the Electricity Showrooms in Willesden.That of course is the impetus behind this book, to document these wonderful and half forgotten buildings before they disappear through accident or design, and to allow the 21st-century visitor to Metro-Land to create their own modernist county with elastic borders.

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