Publications
Earl De La Warr and the Competition for the Bexhill Pavilion, 1933-34, by Russell Stevens and Peter Willis, published January 1990 in Architectural History the journal the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (vol. 33, article, pp.135-166) View Online
Abstract:Among the distinguishing architectural features of the red-brick seaside town of Bexhill, East Sussex, is the startling white form of the De La Warr Pavilion. It is a building of some significance, partly because it represents the aspirations of British proponents of modern architecture in the 1930s in its appearance, its use of advanced constructional techniques (it was one of the first all-welded steel framed buildings in Britain) and its social function as an entertainment centre which aimed to provide amusement and simultaneously improve people's mental and physical fitness. The architects of the Pavilion, Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff, had formed their partnership in 1933 when Mendelsohn had been forced to leave Berlin and emigrate to Britain; subsequently they triumphed in an open competition of 230 entries which provides a fascinating commentary on the ideological debate among British architects of the time, not least because of the architectural range represented by the designs which failed to win an award.