Art Deco in Great Britain

Join The English-Speaking Union and ADSNY for an engaging illustrated talk that will take us on a journey around Great Britain. Author, art historian, and journalist, Genista Davidson, will introduce us to Art Deco structures throughout Great Britain, including some of the more obscure and hidden gems along the way such as the illustrious Burgh Island Hotel––in the County of Devon––which had been the stomping ground of Noel Coward and the 'Bright Young Things' during its heyday and the fully restored Midland Hotel in Northern England, which was a former railway hotel built in 1933. This streamlined Moderne hotel features a beautiful stone mural of Odysseus by Eric Gill, a Triton and Neptune ceiling medallion, and sweeping cantilever stairs along with many impressive minimalist architectural elements. Davidson also discusses the typical, sleepy seaside resort of Frinton-on-Sea, in the East of England, which, in the 1930s was planning to undergo a large development to turn itself into a modern future looking metropolis. In addition, she explores a town built on windows, the famous Savoy Hotel, all the glitz of Claridge's Hotel, and much more.

Genista Davidson is an art historian, journalist, writer, and author––specializing in the Art Deco period––with a BA in Art & Humanities and an MA in Art History. She is the author of guidebooks and compendiums known as the Art Deco Traveler series. These easily formatted and illustrated books, informatively advise the reader of hidden gems and day trips throughout the UK. She also teaches Art Deco courses for the Workers Education Association and is a speaker for the National Federation of Women's Institutes. She has studied fashion and textiles and has been an avid collector of vintage clothing and accessories for most of her life.