Notable undiscovered architects, like undiscovered composers, are implausible, yet Frances Xavier Velarde OBE, 1897-1960, could be just such a person hiding in plain sight. A stylish architect who took a road less travelled then died as he was getting into his stride. There have been no followers. Yet whenever enthusiasts gather to discuss modern church architecture his name will be mentioned. He was no earnest modernist; instead he loved patterns, bold colour and gold. The Catholic churches he built in Liverpool and London are closer to European Expressionism than International Modernism; many of them have a toy like quality and come with a campanile like a rocket. Today his buildings seem fresh and playful, but also poignant as they evoke the 1950s, brightening the drab parts in which they are to be found and serving to make both spiritually and architecturally aware those who visit. Many are threatened and have been published here for the first time. Dominic Wilkinson and Andrew Crompton have combined Velarde's papers with interviews and archive images, including many by his friend and famous photographer Edward Chambre Hardman. Their book, lavishly illustrated with new photography by Historic England, is a must for architects, students and connoisseurs wanting to discover a different route that modernism could have taken.

About the Author
Dominic Wilkinson is Principal Lecturer in Architecture, Liverpool John Moores University. Andrew Crompton is Reader in Architecture, University of Liverpool.

Reviews
'Wilkinson and Crompton's book is an extremely satisfying and interesting read, balancing details of architectural interest with biographical, and covering substantial ground in giving social, historical and liturgical contexts.'
Laura Moffatt, Art and Christianity
'This affectionate biography, much informed by [Velarde's] family, paints a picture of a dapper figure.'
Ancient Monuments Society

'The authors are to be heartily thanked for bringing this overlooked architect to a wider audience... written with verve, understanding and sensitivity... an essential book for anyone interested in twentieth-century architecture full-stop, and not just church architecture.' Julian Holder, Ecclesiology Today

Book Information
ISBN 9781789628142
Author Dominic Wilkinson
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Historic England
Publisher Liverpool University Press