Britain's Built Legacy: From "Carbuncles" to the Cutting-Edge

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Photo of Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee Celebrations. Photo © LEON NEAL/AFP/GettyImages

‘What is proposed is like a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much loved and elegant friend.”

It’s easy to see why British Architects get their hackles raised when it comes to Prince Charles. The oft-quoted gem above, said in reference to a proposed extension to the National Gallery in 1984, is one of hundreds of such Architectural criticisms Prince Charles has made over the years. Which wouldn’t matter of course, if, like any average Architectural layman’s opinions, his words didn’t have much weight.

His do. They’ve resulted in the intervention, squelching, and/or redesign of at least 5 major plans over the last twenty years. But let’s not write off Charles just yet.

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Cite: Vanessa Quirk. "Britain's Built Legacy: From "Carbuncles" to the Cutting-Edge" 06 Jun 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/241580/britains-built-legacy-from-carbuncles-to-the-cutting-edge> ISSN 0719-8884

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