Hugh Casson’s Oxford

Description

Oxford for Sir Hugh Casson, the artist, writer and award-winning architect, remained, despite its well-documented fame, a city of secret places and continual surprise. In this charming book Sir Hugh records, in words and pictures, his very personal impressions of Oxford. Here you will find not only the famous secluded quadrangles, silent libraries and pinnacled chapels that compose each college but also their less familiar architectural features. So evocative and keenly observed are these watercolours and so enjoyable the witty and informative texts accompanying them that every visitor (even those who believe they know Oxford well) will be prompted to look at this city afresh and find new pleasure in so doing.

His analogous architectural analysis of the city of Cambridge, rivalling Oxford in its architectural diversity and evocative atmosphere, is portrayed with equally astounding erudition and humanism by Sir Hugh Casson, in a companion volume, also available from Phaidon.

The fluid and absorbing nature of Casson’s text, together with the seductive and astonishingly accurate illustrations, makes this two-volume series an elegant and eloquent overview of two cities that are perhaps the most architecturally momentous in Britain.

Sir Hugh Casson (1910-99) was educated at St John’s College, Cambridge, and had a long and distinguished career as an architect. He was Director of Architecture for the Festival of Britain in 1951, and President of the Royal Academy 1976-84.’Two enchanting books celebrating the cities, their secluded quadrangles and glorious chapels. Sir Hugh’s engaging text and evocative watercolours bring the cities to life.’ (Heritage Today)