The Insanity of the 20th Century

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Why were so many big mistakes made in the middle part of the 20th century? It's the St. Pancras almost being knocked down, that would have been a huge blunder. There was something about that time that people seemed to have become more interested in ugliness. What's your theory? How do you explain the insanity that took all of Britain for what, 30 years? Well, I think this is such a good question because this is to me what the study of history is all about," he says.

Anna Keay is a historian who specializes in the cultural heritage of Great Britain. As the director of the Landmark Trust, she has overseen the restoration of numerous historical buildings and monuments, while also serving as a prolific author and commentator on the country's architectural and artistic traditions. Her book, The Restless Republic: Britain Without a Crown, was one of Tyler’s top picks for 2022.

Tyler sat down with Anna to discuss the most plausible scenario where England could’ve remained a republic in the 17th century, what Robert Boyle learned from Sir William Petty, why some monarchs build palaces and others don’t, how renting from the Landmark Trust compares to Airbnb, how her job changes her views on wealth taxes, why neighborhood architecture has declined, how she’d handle the UK’s housing shortage, why giving back the Koh-i-Noor would cause more problems than it solves, why British houses have so little storage, the hardest part about living in an 800-year-old house, her favorite John Fowles book, why we should do more to preserve the Scottish Enlightenment, and more.

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Recorded February 23rd, 2023

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