Foreword______________Patch Rogers

At every 50 year juncture there is a ground swell for change, a reaction to the past and an excitement for the future.

1850 -1914 was a time of immense change, a time to celebrate the great achievements that Britain and its Empire had brought. New machinery and materials not only led to experimentation in design, but also to a lack of integrity. The exploitation of the worker and a disregard for materials led to the seeds of change being sewn for a new way of thinking. William Morris's important speech
The Decorative Arts (cat no.1) in 1878 was the turning point and is now heralded as one of the most influential works which changed man’s perceptions on how design was addressed. It led to a practice more in tune with nature, a yearning for the simpler life, away from the smog filled streets of the industrial cities, to a greener countryside where the air was clean, the craftsman was championed and honest materials were used in harmony.

1915 - 1950 saw the need for functionalism, escapism, opulence and the need for healing. It was a time to reject the past and look to the future, a future where the machine was no longer the enemy of the worker as Morris had earlier preached, but the saviour. Modernism; a slick, clean, hard new look that brought with it freedom for the worker and the designer. With the Art Deco period of the 20’s and 30’s came ocean liner design and lavish interiors, a reaction to the depression and hardships of the First World War. It was all short lived however, as with the outbreak of the Second World War, the need for design was refocused.

1950’s onwards, people were once again able to re-consider design. It took the hard work and dedication of men and women such as Gordon Russell and Robin and Lucienne Day to inspire and excite us with colour and new ideas.