The Power of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott
Jane Parker
- Organisation:
- https://www.janeslondonwalks.com/
- Regions:
- Surrey, Kent, East Sussex, London, Essex, Hertfordshire
- Notice Period:
- Emergency (maybe less than one week's notice)
- Type:
- Independent professional
- Fee:
- Paid: £120.00
- Category:
- History
- Updated:
- 8th January 2026
- Tagged:
- Architecture | Art Deco | Telecommunications | Battersea
One of the 20th century's master architects, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott is responsible for many buildings in London, some of which have achieved iconic status. This presentation takes you on a chronological journey to looking mainly at his London creations including Battersea and Bankside power stations, and the red phone boxes on a our streets.
Battersea Power station, now reinvented as a go-to destination, is here pictured when it was in a forlorn state in February 2009. After decades of debate, it finally opened to the public after a major facelift and regeneration scheme. Millions of Instagram-able photos have been taken but how many of the people who visit the complex are actually aware of the man behind the bricks?
Further down the Thames, another of his large-scale designs, today home to the Tate Modern art gallery, is said to be the most visited attraction in the country. Visitors marvel at the art and the vast interior spaces, yet rarely do they stop to admire the elegant exterior.
These ideas are explored and highlighted in this presentation which takes us through Giles's life. We look at his prize-winning early ideas and clever use of repetitive motifs, clean lines, geometrics and simple shapes and, of course, bricks. Millions of them!
See how his understated and elegant design style echoes across his work, on temples to religion, communication, theatre, housing and industry.
More than 80 annotated slides
Other Art Deco-themed talks available (London-centric): Art Deco Living / Demolished Deco / Alternative Art Deco / Theatreland / East End to West End / Artists on the Adelphi (sculptors) / Carreras (Black Cat Factory, Camden)
Views: 15 | Enquiries: 0About Jane Parker
I have been leading guided walks and hosting/presenting talks for almost ten years.
My walks and talks are about subjects that intrigue me personally, such as architecture, art deco, gas lamps, department stores, the changing face of our high streets, street markets, coal hole covers and other interesting ironmongery, cultural changes (such as French Soho), ghostsigns of many types, bygone businesses, artists, architects and sculptors, and specific people including Daniel Defoe, Agatha Christie, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Oscar Wilde and Daniel Defoe (all in relation to London).
I am fascinated by London's rich history and unusual details, constantly finding new and interesting subjects to investigate. As a child, I was often seeking out the hidden corners and quirky embellishments, keen to find out more about the things that I had discovered. This obviously continued into adult life(!). After starting work in the Covent Garden area in 1980 I became fascinated with the patchwork of history all around me. My thirst for more information about old pub signs, the river, the squares and gardens, boot scrapers, tiled façades and hand-painted signs, gradually evolved to become a website/blog called Jane's London and this in turn became Jane's London Walks (and talks).
Each of my presentations contains c.50 slides, mostly of my own photos shown at large format with clear annotation. I do not read from a pre-prepared script, nor do I read aloud bulleted text from the screen, preferring to talk to the audience as if I am simply sharing my observations and findings with a group of friends.
A list of pre-prepared presentations can be found here: https://www.janeslondonwalks.com/2023/10/overviews-of-talkspresentations.html
Other subjects can be easily pulled together from this list: https://www.janeslondonwalks.com/p/a-z-of-walks-and-talks.html Please note that these will likely incur extra costs to cover admin and design.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Jane Amelia Parker – designer, photographer, typographer and, with my recycling hat on, a Thames foreshore creative mudlarker. I am an accredited badge-wearing Islington Guide at Canonbury Tower and St Mary's, Upper Street. I also a volunteer as a tour guide for The Royal Parks, leading tours in St James's Park and Kensington Gardens.
Please also see my blog www.janeslondon.com which is where this all began. I also share my thoughts and images on Substack and Instagram as @janeslondonwalks and @janeslondon
Other Talks on SpeakerNet by Jane Parker
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