Prince Charles driven 'insane' by classicist label
Prince Charles at the RIBA Annual Lecture in 2009.
Source: Robert Leslie/RIBAWork with the Foundation for the Built Environment not about style, HRH insists
The Prince of Wales has taken a sideswipe at those criticising his involvement in architecture and has suggested that the advent of localism will see his foundation’s work copied.
Speaking at the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment today, he said he was riled by the suggestion that he had established it to promote classical architecture.
“I think a lot of people think the only reason I set up the foundation is because I have an obsession with classical architecture,” he said. “That drives me insane. It is very easy to accuse people of that but at the end of the day, architecture matters.”
He added that one of the more notable merits of his Poundbury housing development in Dorset was its mixed-tenure nature, with visitors unable to tell where the wealthy and less wealthy lived within it.
The prince repeated his claim that recent decades had witnessed humankind embarking on a “gigantic experiment” with nature and society, arguing that nature and timeless ways of living should be respected.
He said the foundation’s “enquiry by design” system of collaborative planning allowed people to “vote with their feet” and choose types of development they were instinctively comfortable with.
The prince said he said he was “enormously proud” of the foundation and its chief executive Hank Dittmar and concluded by predicting that localism would see organisations springing up which would ape its work.
“Just beware,” he said. “They will be trying to give you a cheapo version of what we have been trying to develop for 20 years to a chorus of abuse.”
The prince was speaking at the Shoreditch-based headquarters of the foundation at the launch of a new framework on consulting communities over planning matters.
This aims to see experts working more closely with local people to ensure development is appropriate and sustainable.
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Readers' comments (8)
how about 'backward looking' or 'elitist' instead of classicist?
“Just beware,” he said. “They will be trying to give you a cheapo version of what we have been trying to develop for 20 years.”
As opposed to a cheapo version of what the Victorians were doing a hundred and fifty years ago?
a chip version of that has already been made. Most suburbs in scotland represent how dull "traditional" architecture can be. Lovely proper pitched roofs, gray render, front and rear garden as the tradition demands. lovely!
Fascinating how architecture has split into those who love single material boxes with those who love workmanship, formal reference, proportion and a variety of materials.
No wonder architecture has gotten such a bad name when the style police find no means of including all tastes but seek to impose their own first-principle logic.
Arguing from first principles has been shown to fail time and time again - you'd think they'd learn that for certain types of development, human scale and reference matters more than others.
No one would argue that you need endless pediments adhering to a wall of glass and steel 40 storeys high to give it scale.
Equally the adherents of the glass box single storey approach to housing must concede that its pretty soulless stuff for most people to come home to.
I think the prince is less interested in architectural style per se, ie 'Classical', than in maintaining what he calls "timeless ways of living". That is with a Prince at the top giving orders and with no back-chat please.
This is why he always tries to subvert the democratic planning process by behind the scenes lobbying.
Sadly, the prince is not Prince - otherwise one might have some sympathy.
'Classicism' is too narrow a description, 'pastiche' is surely nearer the mark - and perhaps it's time he followed his wife into the 'Archers', which would surely be the ideal environment for him, and not a million miles from Highgrove.
yes pastiche is more suitable. if all designers stayed in one design era even this type of pastiche would not exist. its ok for charles to have a bias for this type of architecture but not for anyone else to prefer another style. why is his foundation only producing one style or architecture if he doesn't want to be labelled?
Poor old Charlie. He gets a unfair rap. If the profession had any sense they'd embrace the debates that he provokes. Most of the issues he raises are entirely legitimate, but are ignored due to a myopic obsession (on the part of his critics) with style over substance.