Daniel Gordon Raffan Cruickshank (born 26 August 1949) is a British
art historian
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
presenter, with a special interest in the history of
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
.
Professional career
Cruickshank holds a BA in Art, Design and Architecture
and was formerly a Visiting Professor in the Department of Architecture at the
University of Sheffield
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
and a member of the London faculty of the
University of Delaware
The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...
. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Artists, a member of the Executive Committee of the
Georgian Group and on the Architectural Panel of the
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
, and is an Honorary Fellow of
RIBA.
He has served as Historic Buildings Consultant for
ADAM Architecture
ADAM Architecture is a UK based, international architecture and urban design practice with offices in Winchester and London. It specialises in contemporary traditional and classical design, commonly known as New Classical Architecture.
Work inc ...
since 1999 and has been involved in the repair and restoration of many historical buildings including
Spencer House Spencer House may refer to:
* Spencer House, Westminster, Greater London, England
United States
* Spencer House (Hartford, Connecticut), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in Hartford County
* Spencer House in Columbus, ...
in St James's,
Heveningham Hall
Heveningham Hall is a Grade I listed building in Heveningham, Suffolk. The first house on the site was built for the politician and regicide William Heveningham in 1658. The present house, dating from 1778 to 1780, was designed by Sir Robert Ta ...
in
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
and numerous early 18th-century houses in
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a district in the East End of London and within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area is formed around Commercial Street (on the A1202 London Inner Ring Road) and includes the locale around Brick Lane, Christ Church, ...
and other parts of London.
In 2014 he was appointed President of Subterranea Britannica, a UK-based society for all those interested in man-made and man-used underground structures and space.
His professional publications include ''London: the Art of Georgian Building'' (1975), ''The National Trust and Irish Georgian Society Guide to the Georgian Buildings of Britain and Ireland'' (1985) and ''Life in the Georgian City'' (1990). He edited the 20th edition of ''
Sir Banister Fletcher's History of Architecture'' and ''Timeless Architecture: a study of key buildings in architectural history'' and is a contributing editor to ''Architects' Journal'', ''The Architectural Review'' and ''Perspectives on Architecture''.
Television work
Cruickshank began his career with the BBC as consultant, writer and presenter on the architectural programmes ''
One Foot in the Past
''One Foot in the Past'' is a British television series on BBC 2 that ran from 1993 to 2000. It considered the cultural heritage and history of Britain. Each programme ran for 30 minutes.
Presenters included Kirsty Wark and also:
* Joan Bakewell ...
'' and ''The House Detectives''. He also contributed films to the ''
Timewatch'' and ''
Omnibus
Omnibus may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Omnibus'' (film)
* Omnibus (broadcast), a compilation of Radio or TV episodes
* ''Omnibus'' (UK TV series), an arts-based documentary programme
* ''Omnibus'' (U.S. TV series), an educational progr ...
'' strands.
In 2001 he wrote and presented the series ''
Invasion
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
'' in which he examined attempts and plans to invade
Britain and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
over the years by exploring coastal
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
es and
defensive
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
structures around the coast of the country to discover their military heritage.
Further series included ''
Britain's Best Buildings
''Britain's Best Buildings'' was a BBC documentary series in which the TV presenter and architectural historian Dan Cruickshank discussed his selection of the finest examples of British architecture. It was first broadcast on BBC Two from 2 to 2 ...
'' examining architecturally – or culturally-significant buildings in Great Britain, ''
Under Fire
Under Fire may refer to:
Books
* ''Under Fire'' (Barbusse novel) (French: ''Le Feu''), a novel by Henri Barbusse
* ''Under Fire'' (Blackwood novel), by Grant Blackwood in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Jr. franchise series
* ''Under Fire'' (North book ...
'' visiting museums and buildings in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
to see how recent warfare has affected the country's historic artefacts, and ''
What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us
''What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us'' is a BBC documentary series produced in conjunction with the Open University that examines the impact of the Industrial Revolution on modern society. It was originally broadcast on BBC Two from 7 Oc ...
'' focusing on the scientific, technological and political changes of the 19th century.
In 2003, Cruickshank presented a documentary entitled ''
Towering Ambitions: Dan Cruickshank at Ground Zero'' following the debate and discussion that led to the selection of
Daniel Libeskind's design for the
World Trade Center site in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
; while in 2005 he presented a documentary on the
Mitchell and Kenyon collection – rolls of
nitrate film shot in the early 20th century, depicting everyday life in
Britain, which were discovered in 1994 in
Blackburn.
In 2004, Cruickshank was at the centre of a controversy when historian
Marc Morris said that a documentary about
Harlech Castle shown on BBC4 and billed as "written and presented by Dan Cruickshank" contained obvious borrowings from Morris's earlier
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
series, ''Castle''. The BBC subsequently stated that Cruickshank was not responsible and that it was an error by researchers. Channel 4's head of history programming, Hamish Mykura, commented that "When a programme claims to have an author's voice, it should be that author's voice and no one else's". The BBC subsequently made a "goodwill payment" to Morris in recognition of the error.
In 2005, Cruickshank presented ''
Around the World in 80 Treasures
Around may refer to:
* "Around" (song), by Julia van Bergen
* ''Around'', 2006 album by Tom Verlaine
* ''Around'', 2013 EP by Whirr
* ''Around'', 2006 Palestinian film
See also
* Round (disambiguation)
Round or rounds may refer to:
Mathem ...
'', charting his five-month trip around the world to visit eighty man-made artefacts or buildings that he had selected, in order to chart the history of mankind's
civilisation
A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of State (polity), a state, social stratification, urban area, urbanization, and Symbol, symbolic systems of communication beyond natural language, natur ...
.
In 2006, Cruickshank presented ''
Marvels of the Modern Age
''Dan Cruickshank's Marvels of the Modern Age'' is a BBC documentary series in which Dan Cruickshank traces the roots of Modernism and focuses on the movement's leading lights, such as Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, and the century's most ...
'', a series focusing on the development of
modernism
Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
in
design
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...
, from
Greek and
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered on ...
, to
Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
and the present.
''
Dan Cruickshank's Adventures in Architecture'', a 2008 series in which he travelled around the world visiting what he considered to be the world's most unusual and interesting buildings.
In 2010, he embarked on a 3 part series on the history of the railways in Britain for
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
TV channel, including visits to
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
to examine the events surrounding the
Dee bridge disaster of 1847, and
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
for the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway which opened in 1830. The series was entitled "Great Railway Adventures" and first appeared on UK television in the spring of 2010. In 2014, he appeared in ''
The Life of Rock with Brian Pern'' as himself.
Personal life
Cruickshank lives in a Georgian house in
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a district in the East End of London and within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area is formed around Commercial Street (on the A1202 London Inner Ring Road) and includes the locale around Brick Lane, Christ Church, ...
, London, which he shares with his partner, the painter Marenka Gabeler, their son, and his daughter from a previous marriage.
The house was among those he featured when presenting the BBC television programme ''Ours to Keep – Incomers'' in 1985, when he discussed the role of the
Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust The Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, also known as the Spitalfields Trust, is a British architectural conservation charity. It originated in the Spitalfields area of London, although it also operates elsewhere in England and Wales. The trust's ...
, a charity of which he was a co-founder in the 1970s.
Cruickshank had previously lived in a Victorian house in Bloomsbury when he was a student in the 1970s.
Filmography
*1985 ''Ours to Keep - Incomers'' guest presenter
*1993 ''
One Foot in the Past
''One Foot in the Past'' is a British television series on BBC 2 that ran from 1993 to 2000. It considered the cultural heritage and history of Britain. Each programme ran for 30 minutes.
Presenters included Kirsty Wark and also:
* Joan Bakewell ...
'' guest presenter
*1997–2002 ''The House Detectives'' presenter
*1997 ''
Travels with Pevsner'': ''Norfolk with Dan Cruickshank'' writer and presenter
*2001 ''
Timewatch'' writer and presenter
*2001 ''
Invasion
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
'' writer and presenter
*2002 ''Omnibus'': ''Dan Cruickshank and the Lost Treasure of Kabul'' writer and presenter
*2002 ''The Lost World of
Tyntesfield'' writer and presenter
*2002 ''
Britain's Best Buildings
''Britain's Best Buildings'' was a BBC documentary series in which the TV presenter and architectural historian Dan Cruickshank discussed his selection of the finest examples of British architecture. It was first broadcast on BBC Two from 2 to 2 ...
'' writer and presenter
*2003 ''
Under Fire
Under Fire may refer to:
Books
* ''Under Fire'' (Barbusse novel) (French: ''Le Feu''), a novel by Henri Barbusse
* ''Under Fire'' (Blackwood novel), by Grant Blackwood in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Jr. franchise series
* ''Under Fire'' (North book ...
'' writer and presenter
*2003 ''
Towering Ambitions: Dan Cruickshank at Ground Zero'' writer and presenter
*2003 ''
What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us
''What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us'' is a BBC documentary series produced in conjunction with the Open University that examines the impact of the Industrial Revolution on modern society. It was originally broadcast on BBC Two from 7 Oc ...
'' writer and presenter
*2005 ''
Around the World in 80 Treasures
Around may refer to:
* "Around" (song), by Julia van Bergen
* ''Around'', 2006 album by Tom Verlaine
* ''Around'', 2013 EP by Whirr
* ''Around'', 2006 Palestinian film
See also
* Round (disambiguation)
Round or rounds may refer to:
Mathem ...
'' writer and presenter
*2005 ''
The Lost World of Mitchell & Kenyon
''The Lost World of Mitchell & Kenyon'' is a BBC documentary series produced in conjunction with the British Film Institute. Three one-hour episodes were broadcast on BBC One in January 2005 and released on Region 2 DVD soon after.
The episodes ...
'' presenter
*2005 ''
Egyptian Journeys with Dan Cruickshank
''Egyptian Journeys with Dan Cruickshank'' is a BBC Television documentary series in which Dan Cruickshank explores the mysteries of Ancient Egypt.
Production
The series was commissioned to accompany the docudrama series ''Egypt'' which ran con ...
'' writer and presenter
*2006 ''
The Lost World of Friese-Greene
''The Lost World of Friese-Greene'' is a BBC documentary series produced in conjunction with the British Film Institute. Three one-hour episodes were broadcast on BBC Two in spring 2006.
The series, presented by Dan Cruickshank, retraces a roa ...
''
*2006 ''Betjeman & Me'' presenter
*2006 ''
Marvels of the Modern Age
''Dan Cruickshank's Marvels of the Modern Age'' is a BBC documentary series in which Dan Cruickshank traces the roots of Modernism and focuses on the movement's leading lights, such as Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, and the century's most ...
'' writer and presenter
*2006 ''
The Lost World of Tibet
''The Lost World of Tibet'' is a BBC documentary film produced in conjunction with the British Film Institute. The 90-minute film was broadcast on BBC Two in November 2006.
The film is presented by Dan Cruickshank and features footage shot in T ...
'' presenter
*2006 ''
Britain's Best Buildings
''Britain's Best Buildings'' was a BBC documentary series in which the TV presenter and architectural historian Dan Cruickshank discussed his selection of the finest examples of British architecture. It was first broadcast on BBC Two from 2 to 2 ...
'' writer and presenter
*2008 ''
Dan Cruickshank's Adventures in Architecture'' writer and presenter
*2009 ''Cruickshank on Kew The Garden That Changed The World'' writer and presenter
*2009 ''
The Art of Dying'' writer and presenter
*2010 ''Great Railway Adventures'' writer and presenter
*2010 ''Britain's Park Story'' writer and presenter
*2011 ''
The Country House Revealed
''The Country House Revealed'' is a six-part BBC series first aired on BBC Two in May 2011, in which British architectural historian Dan Cruickshank visits six houses never before open to public view, and examines the lives of the families who li ...
'' writer and presenter
*2012 ''Brick by Brick: Rebuilding Our Past'' presenter along with
Charlie Luxton
*2012 ''The Bridges That Built London''
*2012 ''London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank''
*2013 ''The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank'' writer and presenter
*2014 ''
The Life of Rock with Brian Pern'' as himself
*2014 ''
Majesty and Mortar: Britain's Great Palaces'' writer and presenter
*2014 ''Dan Cruickshank and the Family That Built Gothic Britain''
*2015 ''Dan Cruickshank's Civilisation Under Attack''
*2015 ''Dan Cruickshank: Resurrecting History – Warsaw''
*2016 ''Dan Cruickshank: At Home with the British''
*2018 ''The Road To Palmyra'' (with
Don McCullin)
*2018 ''Dan Cruickshank's Monuments of Remembrance''
Bibliography
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* (Also released under the title ''London's Sinful Secret'' by St. Martin's Press in New York in the same year)
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References
External links
*
Cruickshank's comments on visiting Iraq, post-U.S. invasion (BBC)*
ttps://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/bbb.shtml Britain's Best Buildings (BBC)What The Industrial Revolution Did For Us (Open University)The Lost World of Friese-Greene on the BBC*
Dan Cruickshank reflects on his student flat in Bloomsbury
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruickshank, Dan
British art historians
British television presenters
Academics of the University of Sheffield
1949 births
Place of birth missing (living people)
Living people
British architectural historians
Architects from London
New Classical architects