Museum Without Walls

Museum Without Walls collects essays, articles and TV scripts by Jonathan Meades. And it is an immensely enjoyable read. Meades' obsession is with Place and how it shapes and influences us.

Meades is a brilliant writer, skewering his targets with deadpan, razor wit. His special ire is reserved for Architects and the insipid buildings they inflict upon us. A great architect can inspire and transform the people who live in their buildings. A poor one can inflict bland mediocrity upon us.

The writing here ranges from examinations of the buildings of Hitler and Stalin to the strange charm of shacks in the Severn Valley; from suburban Britain to our fascination with all things Victorian.

Meades is opinionated to be sure, but its hard to disagree with him when he makes his arguments with such persuasive prose. And it is always backed up by the wealth of knowledge he has gathered over the years.

The only part of the book that didn't work for me is the inclusion of some of his TV scripts. Meades is brilliant in front of the camera, subverting the conventions of the usual TV talking heads with his deadpan delivery. You really need to see the TV programmes to see these scripts come to life. A judicious search on YouTube show you what I mean. All his TV programmes are there.

Otherwise, a brilliant, informative, funny, opinionated (in the best sense) book. Go read.