Edward Prior

Edward Prior was a seminal figure of the late 19th century British Arts and Crafts Movement and the author of highly original works of architecture. His aim was to obtain the highest quality both in the design of his buildings, and in the use of materials. This work provides a biographical and architectural monograph of this architect.

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This is the first comprehensive study of Edward S. Prior's work, set within the social, economic and political context of his life. Edward Prior was a seminal figure of the late 19th century British Arts and Crafts Movement and the author of highly original works of architecture. His aim was to obtain the highest quality both in the design of his buildings, and in the use of materials. Unfairly considered to a footnote of architectural history, Prior's wider body of work is very little known and a comprehensive study is long overdue. This extensively researched work finally provides a biographical and architectural monograph of this architect, educator and scholar, who founded the Cambridge School of Architecture.Martin Cook suggests a new point of view on Edward Prior's contributions, as he is possibly the only practitioner who succeeded in transforming the artistic theories of Ruskin and Morris into architectural reality.
Furthermore, by bringing the history of architecture into its social, economic and political context, the author offers a full perspective of the interrelations of architecture and other arts, and introduces the reader to some complex architectural concerns, such as nepotism and patronage. This book will be welcomed by a wide academic community, architectural and artistic practitioners, and will certainly appeal to the general reader, due to the extensive number of illustrations and the photogenic nature of Prior's works.