Brutal Outer London
'I love this book' Robert Elms, BBC Radio London
The first photographic exploration of the post-war modernist architecture of Greater London, from Barking and Brent to Sutton and Waltham Forest.
Simon Phipps' photographs of the modernist architecture of Greater London explores the form and beauty of these post-war buildings. Following on from his iconic first book Brutal London, this sequel expands his survey beyond London's inner zones through to the outer perimeters of London, encircled by the M25. From Croydon to Thamesmead, Wood Green to Willesden, the modernist ambition, scale and structure of these buildings are starkly rendered in his acclaimed photographs. Simon offers us a chance to look at these everyday buildings in residential, retail and leisure hubs again and appreciate the civic optimism and bold architecture of the 1960s and 70s.
Brutal Outer London is a design-led book with maps and detailed listings of all architecture photographed that enables readers to explore Brutalism on foot, by train or bus.
Simon Phipps, born in Leeds, is an artist based in London. He is a graduate in sculpture from the Royal College of Art and a renowned photographer of post-war modernist architecture. He is the author of the books: Brutal London, Finding Brutalism, Concrete Poetry: Post-War Modernist Public Art, Brutal North, Brutal Outer London and Brutal Wales/Cymru Friwtalaidd. Finding Brutalism was a winner of the 2018 DAM Architectural Book Award and Brutal London was a finalist for the British Book and Production Awards 2017. @new_brutalism