The fabric of London is brick.
Financial Times
No truer words have been said. On my first trip to England, I was impressed by the country. Its countrysides were lovely, the towns were even prettier, and all the street signs were in English! Such a relief after living abroad for so long. By the time I got to London, I couldn’t help but wonder why brick is so popular there. Nearly every building, old and new, was fashioned in red brick.
It wasn’t my first encounter with this building material. But seeing it in such quantities and lined throughout this famous city did something to me. I’d imagine it did the same to others too. And with good reason. It’s aesthetically pleasing.
However, I understand there’s more to it than just beauty.
Yes, sometimes in architecture and design, form follows function, and vice versa, but it also follows history and culture.
That’s certainly the case with the popularity of red brick in London. The reasons branch into different fields that may seem distant and unconnected to one another, when in fact, they are.
If you’re intrigued and want to know why brick is a preferred choice in the architecture of London, stay with me.
📌 Disclaimer:
I’m neither British nor a historian. This article isn’t a history paper but merely a collection of my thoughts about London from an architect’s POV. I’ve done some research on this topic and acquired knowledge from better-informed British sources. For more accurate and factual information, please refer to history pages and websites. This article is best suited for those curious about London from an architectural POV.
💡 London Architecture: why brick is popular
Three things that have to do with why brick buildings are so popular in London are:
- wool
- war
- fire
The impact of wool on the popularity of brick architecture
Before the 1800’s timber was a popular construction material choice. Thanks to England’s topography, timber would be easily sourced.
Now, I don’t know too much about British history and what nations influenced England at that time.
One thing that I did find out was that Britain was trying to grow its economy (as every nation does) and it started to pay more to chop down trees and not replant them.
Instead, they created large farms which brought in money through the exportation of goods. They reared animals such as sheep and would export their wool. That is what brought in money quickly.
But it didn’t just end there. Timber had been a source of fuel and heating. It was used domestically and also on large scale. With the ongoing deforestation, there wasn’t enough timber and it had to be imported from the Baltic. As you could imagine, that didn’t help the financial situation but instead, made their transition to another medium—coal. This happened at the height of the industrial revolution. Coal not only replaced timber as fuel but brick replaced timber in construction.
The role war had to play in the popularity of brick
Another thing that was important to the British, was warships. They aimed to have the best. The only problem was, building these wooden walls required a lot of timber. About 3 000 trees for a typical 74-gun warship. Rebuilding or repairing ships also required a lot of timber and this definitely played a role in Britain’s deforestation. Different attempts to make people plant trees were made. Some of which involved getting medals and this was successful for a while.
After all, people wanted to be honored.
However, trees still needed 80-120 years to grow to full maturity and so it was still a long shot.
The effect of fire on the popularity of brick
This had to be the most traumatizing reason.
Around the 1600s, it’s safe to say there was a good mix of brick and timber houses. This obviously varied from city to city. But as you can imagine, the ones of the best quality, belonged to the rich. In 1666, the Great Fire of London happened. Needless to say, many buildings were destroyed. This fire wasn’t the first to have happened.
Apparently, there was one in 1222, but the one in 166 was a huge turning point.
You can find many articles and videos online about the Great Fire of London. Some say the fire was started in the kitchen of a bakery. Some posts say his daughter was the last person awake and had put out the fire. Others say he confessed to setting it ablaze and was later hanged.
Some sources mention that the fire started in a poor part of the city, where houses were attached and this led to the fire sweeping up massively. The buildings weren’t in great shape either so they caught fire very quickly. It’s also reported that there were strong winds that fueled the flames even more.
As the city was rebuilt, authorities ensured that brick was used in the process.
Why brick was and still is a good choice
Given the events, brick was the best choice for reconstructing the city. Clay was easily accessible and the coals made the creation of bricks much easier. But clay wasn’t just good for them, it’s still a good choice for buildings today. Some of the best properties of brick (baked clay) include:
- durability
- low-maintenance
- resistance to fire, wind, and rain
- thermal mass
- being made from natural materials
- being aesthetically pleasing.
Thanks for reading!
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Also happy to hear about other points I may have left out! 😄
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Undoubtedlyhazy
