'Provocative, elegant, intriguing - Jenkins is a bold, imaginative writer, brilliant at challenging old assumptions and encouraging you to look at British architecture in a new light' Rory Stewart


The story of Britain is revealed through its buildings, and yet the language of architecture is a mystery to all but a few. In this enlightening history, spanning castles and cathedrals to factories and railway stations, Jenkins translates the hidden narratives infused in the facades we walk past every day.

Britain’s history has been formed by its politics, religion and society and these influences can be seen in the architectural styles that have shaped its landscape. From pre-Roman and the Middle Ages, to the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution, Classical and Gothic styles surged and retreated from favour only to then be challenged by a new player: Modernism, a style that reflected the stunning technological advances of the second half of the twentieth century.

In this narrative history, Simon Jenkins – the bestselling champion of our national heritage – introduces us to the singular, eccentric and sometimes rather ordinary characters who shaped Britain. Jenkins teaches readers to see the world anew, demystifying the elitist language of architecture so that we can all appreciate the buildings around us.

Provocative, elegant, intriguing - Jenkins is a bold, imaginative writer, brilliant at challenging old assumptions and encouraging you to look at British architecture in a new light -- Rory Stewart
A brilliant read and the perfect Christmas gift for that certain impossible-to-buy-for person * iNews *
He is at heart an architectural enthusiast...extremely knowledgeable and passionate * Critic *
As Simon Jenkins shows in A Short History of British Architecture, there is no neat and coherent tale to be told of a national style evolving or of the passing of a torch down the eras * Literary Review *
Jenkins's book is full of interesting details and entertaining stories * Literary Review *
Writing good popular history is a learned art, and Simon Jenkins has mastered it -- Nicholas Boys Smith * Building Design *
Jenkins’s punchy book serves as both an overview of the development of our built environment (and in too many instances its obliteration) and a plea for a more profound understanding of its importance * New Statesman *
[Jenkins] is no dry, sticks-and-stones architectural theorist and his entries are always informed by a keen eye and an enthusiast’s interest in buildings as they are used, not as they appear in plan and elevation...clear and admirably concise...a brilliant, blistering polemic against the architectural depredations of the past century -- Laura Freeman * The Times *
[Jenkins] has a lot of strong opinions and, although it's a short history, it's a rich one -- Will Gompertz * Elle *

Simon Jenkins is author of the bestselling A Short History of England, A Short History of Europe, Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations, England's Thousand Best Churches and England's Thousand Best Houses. He is a former Editor of the Evening Standard and The Times, and columnist for the Guardian.