The practice of history : the Smithsons, Colin St John Wilson,and the writing of architectural history

The purpose of this paper is to explore the type, form, and methodology of history written by practicing architects following the arrival of kunstgeschichte in Britain. Through an analysis of historical writings by Alison and Peter Smithson, and Colin St John Wilson a series of topics are explored including the relationship between history and practice, the use of different narrative structures, and the qualities that a practicing architect can bring to the study of the past. The paper concludes by emphasising that whilst all history is contemporary history, the association between history and its architect-author was not simplistic but a complex interrelationship of position and intention.