Alec Clifton-Taylor

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Alec Clifton-Taylor (2 August 1907- April 1985) was an English architectural historian, writer and broadcaster. He was educated at Bishops Stortford College and The Queen's College, Oxford, and went on to the Courtauld Institute. His best known book is "The Pattern of English Building" (1962) which approachs its subject through the materials used in buildings. Two of his other books are about ecclesiastical buildings: "The Cathedrals of England" and "English Parish Churches as Works of Art". Late in his life he presented three series of half-hour television programmes for the BBC, “Six English Towns” (1977) “Six More English Towns”, and “Another Six English Towns” (1984) in which he visited Chichester, Richmond, Tewkesbury, Stamford, Totnes, Ludlow, Warwick, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Saffron Walden, Lewes, Bradford-on-Avon, Beverley, Cirencester, Whitby, Bury St. Edmunds, Devizes, Sandwich and Durham, discussing their architectural character and evolution. He believed that local materials had to be used if building was to look right, and he was therefore critical of much Victorian (and subsequent) building erected after the railways had facilitated the transport of cheaper materials alien to a particular locale.