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From The Times

May 23, 2008

The best buildings in Britain?

(. . . and one in Ireland). DK Guides publishes its top 20, our writers disagree - join the debate

Edinburgh Castle made the list, what would you choose?

Damian Whitworth

Add your comments using the form at the end of the article and download a free Dorling Kindersley guide on page 3

Four more Times writers' reactions and favourites

Great buildings loom large in the personal landscape sketched by memory. On my fifth birthday a family friend whisked me round Westminster Abbey, the Cutty Sark and St Paul's Cathedral.

The memory that endures is of her explaining that if I whispered against the wall of the whispering gallery in the dome of Wren's masterwork, she would be able to hear me on the opposite side. There were a lot of people around and I wasn't sure if we could really hear each other. But I found the idea of the gallery thrilling and have never forgotten this magical first visit to what is probably Britain's most iconic building.

I have earlier memories of being overwhelmed by buildings. From shouting at Peel Tower on Holcombe Hill outside Ramsbottom in Lancashire, I learnt what an echo was. A visit to Caernarfon Castle triggered a lifelong fascination with castles. Why isn't Caernarfon on the list we publish today of Britain's must-see buildings?

Ah, well that's the thing about lists. Someone compiles them. And the rest of us pore over them, tick off those we have seen, make mental notes of those we want to visit, then take issue with the rest. That's the fun.

Dorling Kindersley has sold its 50 millionth travel guide as it reaches 15 years of publishing bestsellers filled with trademark cut-away illustrations and lavish photographs. To mark the occasion, its team of editors compiled lists of the Top 20 buildings to visit in Britain and the Top 20 worldwide.

No polls were conducted, says Douglas Amrine, publisher of DK Eyewitness Travel Guides. The editors just sat down and, after long discussion, came up with a list that “just about everyone could live with”.

Today more people can see more of the world than ever before, but sometimes, Amrine says, it is easy to lose track of what travel is all about. “People get weighed down with how the pound is doing against the euro, and airport delays, and lose sight of what people travel for. They travel for a great experience, and buildings often sum up a culture or a period incredibly well. When you see St Mark's Basilica, there is the whole story of the Venetian republic.”

His own favourite building is the Taj Mahal, because of the unforgettable experience he had there.

“It sounds a bit corny but going to the Taj Mahal at dawn was one of the greatest moments of my life. You think it is going to be mobbed with people but not that many make it there at dawn. You turn up and there is this amazing palace. The colour of the stone as it changes is just breathtaking.”

Our critics have taken issue with the UK list. And that is exactly what it is there for. It is a starting point for a Bank Holiday weekend discussion. Or, better still, a day trip.

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As the youngest guide at the oldest building, Ely Cathedral, on the list I am pleased to see as there is so much there, more than just a single building or a snapshot of time, a building evolving through history. How many of the 19th and 20th centuary buildings will make a list in 900 years time?

Tom Martindale, Ely, England

I enjoyed the article on the top 20 buildings but felt sad that my favourite edifice wasnt included. However I was so pleased to find this feature. Ive lived in Cambridge for 4 years and when I first viewed Kings from The Backs I was stunned - I still get a lump in my throat. Mr Parris says it all!

John Hasty, Mildenhall, UK

What about Coventry Cathedral or the National Theatre or Bedford Square, Bloomsbury (OK, its not a single building. but..)

Steve, London, London

Nice to see that what your trying to say with this article is that people shouldnt bother going north of Oxford unless its on their private jet or with their 1st class rail ticket to Scotland. No mention of the dozens of magnificent buildings in York or the crooked spire in Chesterfield then?

Chris, Worcestershire,

Damian has memories of an echo, as I have, in the tunnel of London Regents Park Zoo. So that puts the idea in my mind that The Mappin Terraces there must be in the top 20 buildings in Uk. If we go world wide, the best echo is at the Queen Isabel II bath house at the Fortress of La Mola in Minorca.

Robin E Wild, Weston-super-Mare, UK

Personally I'd say Oxford alone has nicer buildings than the Radcliffe camera.

Andy, London,

I'm with you James - Liverpool Cathedral for me - spectacular, stunning and uplifting.

Lisa, Skipton, UK

I always thought County Cork was in Ireland. How Ireland is part of the British Isles is beyond me. As France is closer than Cork why not put in some French buildings.

At, Durham,

For me, it has to be Liverpool Cathedral, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's masterpiece. Built of local sandstone, it is Britain's largest cathedral, and it is truly stupendous in every respect; the heaviest and highest peal of bells on earth, the tallest and widest Gothic arches ever constructed. Stunning!

James, London, England

I would go for St John the Baptist Church, which dates back to the 14th century, in Coventry as one of the best buildings in Britain. Having earlier been deconsecrated and given to the corporation, during the English Civil War royalist prisoners were 'sent to Coventry' to be incarcerated therein.

Paul, Coventry,

Richie old love, you're correct that Ireland minus Northern Ireland (or Eire) is not part of the UK, but it is part of the British Isles I'm afraid. The British Isles is a purely geographic term. You might be getting it mixed up with Great Britain, which is a political entity.

Vic, York,

No York Minster or Durham Cathedral! What about the medieval city walls in York. Mind you I don't suppose many foppish literary Londoners bother to get off the train on their way to the Edinburgh festival so they have no chance of getting on the list.

Vic, York,

I agree with Libby Purves, it has to be Broadcasting House in London. If there was one building left standing after a nuclear war it should be this one. Elegance, history and functional too.

Nick Spekes, Maidstone, England

Well, Richie - if Ireland was a part of the British Isles before 1922 but not afterwards, how was that achieved? Maybe someone towed it out into the Atlantic in the middle of the night...

Martin, Newmarket, Suffolk

I think King's College Chapel Cambridge certainly deserves a mention. In my opinion it's Britain's most beautiful.

Michael , Belfast,

Ireland is not part of the UK or the British Isles. Since 1922.

Richie, Dublin, IRELAND

what about the old naval hospital/college at greenwhich? any of the buildings at oxford... and while theyre not buildings, the HMS Victory and the HMS Warrior should be on the list or at least one of them, because of their historical influence on british history... especially the victory

jason, lake jackson, texas

Why no Blackpool tower in this list, the ballroom alone is one of the finest examples of Victorian design going, add to that the tower, the Aquarium and the Circus, it's just beautiful.

Paul Galley, Manchester, UK