Patriarchitecture: Architecture and Sex in St James’s

Have you ever thought about the balconies in London’s shopping arcades or the big bow windows of London’s men’s clubs and wondered why they are there? Join architectural historian Anthony Davis on a walk exploring St James’s to find buildings designed for the exclusive use of men or for women and to look closely at how their features reflect the sex of those who used them, be it for patriarchal behaviour or feminine leisure. This is a walk about the public realm - the part of the city we share in common and how it has been affected by gender issues in use and appearance over the centuries. We hear stories of men’s clubs and lodgings and of how women behaved in the shopping arcades. We look at public spaces and statuary and reflect on the extent to which men dominated London's public space for two centuries. This is a different kind of walk which may change the way you look at London’s public space forever.

Anthony Davis is a prize-winning architectural historian who writes and leads walks on architectural history. He is a graduate of Oxford University and UCL The Bartlett. Anthony is also running another walk for LFA 2023 called 'Between Life and Death'.

Concessions for students, unwaged, children and 65 and over