About the Society

Introduction

The Twentieth Century Society was founded as the Thirties Society in 1979 – the year the Thirties exhibition was shown at the Hayward Gallery. The need for a specialised conservation society covering the period after 1914 (the limit of the scope of the Victorian Society, founded twenty years earlier) was increasingly appreciated in the 1970s as understanding and awareness of twentieth century design was developing. Read more about our history here.

The Twentieth Century Society exists to safeguard the heritage of architecture and design in Britain from 1914 onwards. One of the Society’s prime objectives is education, with education comes appreciation. With conservation, another prime objective, comes the continued opportunity for extending our knowledge about those buildings or artifacts, whether important or humble, rare or commonplace as the red telephone kiosk, that characterise the Twentieth Century in Britain. Read more about our aims here.

Initially set up entirely by volunteers, the Society now has one full time and four part-time staff members based at our London offices as well as other people working on a voluntary basis. Read more about our people here.