The World in One School: The History and Influence of the Liverpool School of Architecture 1894-2008

The World in One School explores in text and image the global influence of Britain’s oldest University School of Architecture, exploring the history of the School and what its teachers and graduates have achieved internationally in designing and constructing the architecture of the world. Under the leadership of Sir Charles Reilly, architects such as Herbert Rowse and Harold Dod worked in the American Beaux Arts style and this became the house style of the School that is reflected in numerous Liverpool landmarks. Exported worldwide, what became known as the ‘Liverpool Manner’ brought a distinctive style to major buildings across the globe. Students at the School came from all corners of the world and, equally, were sent on international practice placements. In the years between the two world wars, American architectural practices were prominent in this movement - for example, McKim, Mead and White; Corbett, Harrison and McMurray; and Carrer and Hastings. Later, under Lionel Budden, the School moved into the forefront of the Modernist movement, with architects such as Edwin Maxwell Fry and George Checkley drawing inspiration from the works of Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. Other graduates of the School, such as William (Lord) Holford and Gordon Stephenson made major worldwide contributions to the field of city and regional planning. The World in One School is a remarkable story of a School with a long history of honours and awards, including six Royal Gold Medals for Architecture to its graduates and staff: Sir Charles Reilly, Sir Patrick Abercrombie, Lord Holford, Edwin Maxwell Fry, Sir James Stirling and Colin Rowe.