A stirring celebration of cooling towers, the monumental British, brutalist structures that are relics of twentieth-century industrial history—and are about to disappear for good.

Bringing together some of the country’s most distinguished architectural photographers and writers, Cooling Towers is an elegiac exploration of these imposing buildings, forming a definitive visual record of Britain’s coal-fired power stations at the moment that they disappear into history, being slated for demolition very soon. The book’s focus is on the unique and sculptural presence of cooling towers within the landscape, always an unforgettable sight. Essays include Hugh Pearman on Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, still standing but not for long; Otto Saumaurez Smith on the recently demolished, particularly beautiful set of cooling towers that formed part of Ironbridge B Power Station; and Jonathan Clarke on the historical, technological, and engineering context of post-war power stations.

With a celebratory foreword by Turner Prize–winning British artist Antony Gormley, who has long expressed admiration for these immense constructions, and photography from renowned architectural photographers Luke O’Donovan, Michael Collins, and James O. Davis of Historic England, this book is a visually exciting and historically significant record of Britain’s twentieth-century industrial legacy.

About The Author

The Twentieth Century Society is a British charity that campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onward. They provide support and advice to architects and planning authorities to protect the best twentieth-century architecture and design, whether through listing or sympathetic development and management. In 2023, they launched a campaign to protect Britain’s few remaining cooling towers.