The Friends organised a very fulfilling walking tour on Sunday 26th April to view the work of Czech émigré architects in London.
We started in South Kensington and saw Eva Jiřičná's high-tech staircases: the Bollinger Jewellery Gallery gallery in the V&A dates from 2008, and nearby the Joseph Shop opened specially for the tour so that we could view her glass staircase of 1988. Eugene Rosenberg's/ YRM Architects' tiled façades form part of the Wellington Hospital (1974) and St Thomas' Hospital (1976) .
We were shown around Lord's Cricket Ground and toured Jan Kaplický's/ Future Systems' bold science-fiction design of the Media Centre (1999). We set off to Canary Wharf for Kaplický's West India Quay Bridge (1994), finishing in the City at YRM's Britton Street Office (1976). Although this was London Marathon day, the capital had a positive atmosphere and we were still able to travel around with our architectural focus.
Images from top: the group outside Eugene Rosenberg's/ YRM Architects' tiled façade of St Thomas' Hospital (1976); image © Ivan Margolius. Lord's Cricket ground: inside Jan Kaplický's/ Future Systems' bold science-fiction design of the Media Centre (1999); image © Dave Chick. The view from the pitch, image © Robert Dowden
