Kevin McCloud was warmly welcomed to the Cathedral on Thursday 15th May by an audience of close to 300 people. The iconic local landmark provided a beautiful backdrop for the evening, and, despite a few sound issues, Kevin spoke eloquently about how the Cathedral today is a Brutalist version of its former self, denuded of the colour that would once have dazzled the eyes of worshippers, but allowing us to appreciate the majesty of the design all the more.

Annie Ashworth, Trustee of CBF and Director of the Stratford Literary Festival, joined Kevin on stage and expertly guided the conversation from ‘digging the footings right through to the second fix.’

Growing up in a neurodivergent family made for an interesting start to life, but Kevin found that books fed his curiosity, and were more accessible and reliable than most people. He still has the copy of Engineering Wonders of the World that his dad gave him and the second-hand First Book of Architecture given to him by an elderly neighbour when he was just eight years old, but the young Kevin was as equally enraptured by old comics, Robinson Crusoe and Pookie the Rabbit as he was by nonfiction.

Books that we love and return to again and again throughout our lives often create a sense of security that, if we’re lucky, we associate with the word, ‘home.’ Kevin and Annie discussed the power this sense of connection holds and speculated that it is partly this which sustains those brave souls who decide to risk financial and emotional ruin by bringing their architectural dreams to life.

Kevin especially admires projects where the owners must make the most of every penny, saying that when you have to think your way out of a problem creatively, ‘you often find elegant, lean solutions,’ that are original and entirely bespoke. He firmly believes that good design principles are timeless, and that abiding by them means your project won’t be at the mercy of changing trends; which, when you consider that many self-builds can take more than a decade to complete, is crucial.

As the latest Grand Designs book celebrates 25 years of the programme, the conversation naturally turned to some of Kevin’s favourite projects to date. The ones that stand out for him are the ones with a great story behind them; like Kathryn, who at the age of 82 took on a self-build project next door to the home she shared with her late husband; or Paddy, who designed and built a home on his family’s farm using shipping containers; or Melanie and Graeme, who created the perfect, heart-shaped, love-filled space for their blended family.

Kevin’s love of story and sincere interest in people clearly feeds his social conscience and he uses his knowledge and experience to speak out against what he describes as a two-speed housing model in the UK, and to speak up for local communities who are trying to combat this inherent inequality at a grassroots level. He’s optimistic about individual places where there is both the vision and leadership to make real change, such as Lancaster, Bicester and Eastbourne, and is hopeful that more will follow. He pointed out that the 2008 Climate Act states that local authorities have the power to require development in their area to comply with energy efficiency standards that exceed the energy requirements of Building Regulations; something which, with solutions such as modular housing and plastic homes, is increasingly possible and which benefits individuals and neighbourhoods, as well as the planet.

The evening was rounded off by questions from the audience, the drawing of a raffle with a prize generously donated to CBF by The Water Shed (featured on Series 21 of Channel 4’s Grand Designs) and an extraordinarily long line of people waiting to have their book signed by the man himself.

All the funds raised by the event will go towards buying books for the children taking part in this year’s BookFest, and CBF would like to thank everyone who helped to make this event possible, including every single person in the audience.

Thank you!

With special thanks to:

and of course