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Public House: the culture and society of the London pub

A collaboration with the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) these seminars push the expanding boundaries of architectural history, exploring its contacts with other disciplines and featuring the latest research across a wide range of approaches, chronologies and geographies. 

Shaped by social, aesthetic and political movements, the extraordinary story of London’s pubs tells the story of the city itself. Join Cristina Monteiro and David Knight as they explore the history, design and culture of the London public house through histories, stories, anecdote and ephemera.

This is a remote event that will be held on Zoom.

Shaped by social, aesthetic and political movements, the extraordinary story of London’s pubs tells the story of the city itself. Authors and designers Cristina Monteiro and David Knight have been fascinated by the role of the pub in urban life for many years and in 2021 published ‘Public House:  A cultural and social history of the London pub’ (Open City), an edited collection that tells the story of London’s pubs – through 120 examples and a wide variety of different voices: architects, musicians, comedians, historians. Tonight David and Cristina will draw on material from their book to tell a wide variety of stories that emphasise the vital role London’s pubs play in its collective identity and sociability, with a particular emphasis on the relationship between the life of pubs and their design.


Cristina Monteiro is an architect and author, and a founding co-director of DK-CM, an architecture, planning and research practice based in East London. In 2021 she was shortlisted for the Moira Gemmill Prize in recognition of excellence in design for women designers under 45. Cristina’s work explores the complex history and ecology of places and she is a champion of equitable access to nature. She is currently developing a campaign to make cities wilder, more biodiverse places, writes a column for The Architects’ Journal and is working on a TV script exploring spatial equality and representation. 

Dr David Knight is a designer, strategist and author, and a founding co-director of DK-CM, an architecture, planning and research practice based in East London. David holds a PhD from the Royal College of Art concerned with the politics of planning knowledge. Prior to joining DK-CM David worked for General Public Agency and on various research projects including the book ‘SUB-PLAN: A Guide to Permitted Development’ (2009). David teaches postgraduate architectural design at the University of Brighton.


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