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The first ever comprehensive account of the outstanding work of Ryder and Yates has been chronicled in this new book by Tyneside
architect Rutter Carroll. Formed by Gordon Ryder and Peter Yates and heavily influenced by Le Corbusier and Berthold Lubetkin, the
practice dominated the development of modern architecture in the North East of England from the early 1950s, where their visually
astounding modernism put them in stark contrast to their contemporaries.
Structured by building type, the book attempts to reveal the principles of design particular to the practice of Ryder and Yates.
It tells how, from its formation in Newcastle in 1953, it quickly established a reputation for innovative and highly individual
buildings situated almost exclusively on Tyneside. Discussing key works in the Ryder and Yates portfolio such as Norgas House and
the Engineering Research Station in Killingworth through to MEA House and the Salvation Army hostel, it reveals the level of influence
this practice had over the region.
Lavishly illustrated by images and plans from the Ryder & Yates private archive, this book is an essential read for architects,
students, architectural historians and modernist enthusiasts interested in learning more about one of the 20th century's most intriguing
British practices.
This book has been commissioned as part of a series of books on 20th Century Architects by RIBA Publishing, English Heritage and The
Twentieth Century Society.
About the author
Rutter Carroll was born and educated in the North East of England studying at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and the University
of York where he completed his masters degree on the work of Ryder and Yates. This led to his meeting Gordon Ryder in 1984 and marked
the beginning of an association that lasted until Gordon's death in 2000. He has continued to promote the importance of the contribution
made by Ryder and Yates to the history of modern architecture both locally and nationally in a series of lectures and seminars to local
and national societies.
Review
Professor David Greenwood, School of the Built Environment, Northumbria University, UK
This book offers a retrospective on two important twentieth century architectural designers, Gordon Ryder and Peter Yates, whose work – ranging from domestic commissions through social housing, to larger public and private sector buildings – has had a major impact on the built environment, particularly in their northern heartland.
An intelligent and informative offering, it can be read at a number of levels: it is a beautifully illustrated commentary on the work of the Ryder & Yates practice; it is a professional biography of the two, charting their careers, influences and professional beliefs; and it is a valuable resource of architectural (and indeed social) modern history.
As an architect and an academic himself, Carroll is clearly impressed by the tenacious and largely uncompromising design philosophies of his subjects, and yet he manages to maintain a measured, unbiased and scholarly ‘distance’ throughout, making this a truly valuable text for students, practitioners and devotees of architecture and architectural history. Taken individually, each project study presents an informative resource for the reader, with the added bonus of a contextualising narrative that reveals their chronological progression.
This is an important contribution to the series and moreover, an enjoyable reading experience.
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