Remembering Andrew Saint
It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Lund Humphries author Andrew Saint in July 2025. Commissioning Editor for Architecture, Valerie Rose, who worked with Andrew on several book projects, has written some personal reflections:
Andrew Saint was so well known and respected amongst the world of British architectural historians and some of those who knew him much longer and better than I did have already written eloquently about him and his illustrious career as author, General Editor of the Survey of London and inspirational educator.
On a more personal note, I first met Andrew relatively recently, in 2016, when I first started as a commissioning editor at Lund Humphries and was tasked with reviving the architecture and design list. It made sense to begin by reissuing Lund Humphries’ very first book, Frank Lloyd Wright’s An Organic Architecture, originally published in 1939. I was keen to include a new introduction which would set this book within its context and make Frank Lloyd Wright and his visionary (sometimes preposterous) ideas appeal to a new generation. I approached Andrew to see whether he would write this. Happily, the brief piqued his interest, and his preface eloquently captures the ebullient Frank Lloyd Wright, his intentions, both conscious and subconscious, in this ‘more or less than a manifesto’, and sets his ‘conversations’ at the RIBA in the context of a London on the verge of war.
After our first meeting ended, Andrew and I wandered along Oxford Street, and I recall this as such a delight and a privilege: every few minutes, Andrew would wave towards a particular building and relate a fascinating story of how it came to be, or what had stood there before. He had clear passion for the city, a contagious intellectual curiosity and an incredible depth of knowledge. To travel with Andrew around London was to have the city and its past brought to life.
This is what he went on to do in both books we worked on with him at Lund Humphries. The first of these was London 1870-1914: A City at its Zenith, in which he seamlessly weaves architecture into its Victorian and Edwardian context, building a vivid portrait of a city constantly changing as a result of various political and cultural trends of the time. It is enlivened with a rich line-up of colourful characters, including Baron Albert Grant; Henry Mayers Hyndman and his connections with Karl Marx, William Morris and George Bernard Shaw; John Burns; Octavia Hill; Aubrey Beardsley and the artistic bohemians; Alfred Harmsworth and the Garrett sisters, and insightful quotes by the likes of Trollope, Henry James and Rudyard Kipling.
As with all of Andrew’s books, while clearly based on extensive and rigorous research over many years, it wears its learning lightly and never feels dry or academic – occasional colloquialisms, such as one character 'bumming around the world' might have raised the odd academic's eyebrow, but revealed the warmth and humour which offset his sharp intellect.
I believe that Andrew sensed that Waterloo Bridge and London River would be his final book and it is a particularly personal one, as Andrew grew up next to this section of the Thames. As with his London book, Andrew delves into a wide range of fascinating stories and introduces the reader to fabulous characters, heroes and villains alike. Andrew’s scrupulous research and expertise on the collaboration between architects and engineers reveal just how precarious bridge building is and just how fragile London’s great bridges are. While the main focus is on Waterloo Bridge, Andrew veered away from the river at times to look at its near neighbourhoods, with enjoyable asides to the origins of the Old Vic as the Royal Coburg Theatre, the unfortunate state of the district of Waterloo in the 19th century, and the creation of the embankments. There are beautifully sensitive analyses of other writers, such as Dickens, and artists, including Watts and Millais and, in particular, on how Whistler, Monet and other artists depicted London River and Waterloo bridge.
The final chapter of Waterloo Bridge and London River feels like a modern-day twist on T.S. Eliot’s iconic description of the bridge crossing in The Wasteland – it is a poetic and accurate description of the contemporary city from the bridge, with insights into what made the South Bank the place of culture, entertainment and tourism that it is today. The views Andrew expressed in this poignant and, at times, nostalgic final chapter provide an honest, hard stare at today’s society and how it is reflected in its contemporary architecture. I especially liked that this was tempered by a note of hope in his final paragraph: ‘The river becomes restless, the tide starts to stir. Dispirited, I start to quit the bridge. Suddenly out of nowhere hope beckons. A launch named Recovery pokes a pert nose through the arches, towing behind it two long barges packed with dirty-yellow containers of refuse bound for the waste management facilities down river at Belvedere. I am stirred by the humble yet honourable sight. London River is of use still after all.’
With his lively, warm intellect, utter professionalism and attention to detail, working with Andrew was always an absolute pleasure. We at Lund Humphries are deeply sad that he has gone, and before we were able to present him with a hard copy of his last book. We will miss him a great deal and send his family and friends our sincerest condolences.
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Image: Waterloo Bridge and the City skyline, 2024. Photo: Chris Redgrave.