Isokon and the Bauhaus in Britain by Leyla Daybelge and Magnus Englund
Last updated: 3 October 2026
Isokon and the Bauhaus in Britain tells the story of the Isokon building in Hampstead, the modernist block of flats where Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer and László Moholy-Nagy lived after leaving Nazi Germany in the mid-1930s. Leyla Daybelge and Magnus Englund wrote it for Batsford, using photographs, letters and menus from the archive of the family that built the flats. On 3 October 2026 Amazon UK had the 240-page hardback at £20, down from £25, with 10 in stock.
Buy the book on Amazon UK, £20
The Amazon links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
What the Isokon building is
The Isokon building, also called the Lawn Road Flats, sits on Lawn Road in Belsize Park, north London. Jack and Molly Pritchard commissioned it and Wells Coates designed it. It opened in July 1934 with 36 flats. The publisher calls it England's first modernist apartment building and says it helped pioneer the idea of minimal living.
Jack Pritchard also ran the Isokon furniture company. When the three Bauhaus teachers arrived, he gave them work and somewhere to live. Breuer designed furniture for the company, including the bent plywood Long Chair, while Gropius worked on architecture and Moholy-Nagy on graphics. By 1937 all three had left for the United States.
What the book covers
Daybelge and Englund follow the building from its design to the present day. They also trace the artists, architects and writers who used its flats, bar and dining club in the 1930s and 1940s. According to the publisher, the stories take in war, sex, death, espionage and some notorious dinner parties.
Agatha Christie lived in the building, and she appears in the book. So does Charlotte Perriand, then working for Le Corbusier, whom Pritchard commissioned to design a pavilion in 1930. The photographs include work by Edith Tudor-Hart, a photographer who was also a Soviet spy. Alongside them are plans, sketches, menus, postcards and letters from the Pritchard family archive, much of it previously unpublished.
Why it came out in 2019
The book was published in March 2019, the centenary of the founding of the Bauhaus school in Weimar. A year earlier, in 2018, English Heritage put up a blue plaque on the building for Gropius, Breuer and Moholy-Nagy.
Visiting the Isokon Gallery
You can see the building for yourself. The Isokon Gallery, at the flats, is open 11am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays from March to the end of November. Entry is free and you do not need to book. On some Sundays the gallery also opens a flat between 11am and 1pm, for a £10 donation per visitor. The gallery shop sells this book at its £25 list price.
Key facts
- Authors: Leyla Daybelge and Magnus Englund
- Publisher: Batsford
- Published: 7 March 2019
- Format: hardback, 240 pages, 19.7 x 25.3cm, just under 1kg
- ISBN: 9781849944915
- Price: £20 on Amazon UK on 3 October 2026, list price £25
- Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 from 48 ratings on Amazon UK, checked the same day
Who it suits
- Architecture and design readers: it covers one building in depth, with plans and archive photographs.
- Londoners: the Isokon is a short walk from Belsize Park station, so the book doubles as a guide before a visit to the gallery.
- Fans of British design history: it sits well next to Projecting British Design, a book of 100 Design Council slides of British products.
The limits
The book is about one building and the people connected to it, so it is not a general history of the Bauhaus. Readers who want the school's work in Germany will need a broader book. Also, the three Bauhaus teachers were in Britain only between 1934 and 1937. So much of the text deals with the Pritchards, their tenants and the building's later life.
Where to buy it in the UK
Amazon UK had the Batsford hardback at £20 on 3 October 2026, sold by Amazon with 10 in stock.
Isokon and the Bauhaus in Britain on Amazon UK
FAQs
What is Isokon and the Bauhaus in Britain about?
It is a history of the Isokon building in Hampstead and of the Bauhaus teachers, artists and writers who lived or met there in the 1930s and 1940s.
Who wrote Isokon and the Bauhaus in Britain?
Leyla Daybelge and Magnus Englund. Batsford published it on 7 March 2019.
Which Bauhaus figures lived at the Isokon?
Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer and László Moholy-Nagy all lived there after leaving Nazi Germany. English Heritage marked this with a blue plaque in 2018.
How much does the book cost in the UK?
Amazon UK had the hardback at £20 on 3 October 2026. The list price, which the Isokon Gallery shop charges, is £25.
Can you visit the Isokon building?
Yes. The Isokon Gallery at the flats is free and open 11am to 4pm at weekends from March to the end of November. The flats themselves are private homes.
More from CoolCuration
- Gift guide for designers: presents for people who care how things are made.
- Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work: the designer behind Britain's road signs, in her own book.
- William Nicholson at Pallant House Gallery: our review of the Nicholson show at the Chichester gallery.
- theprintspace discount code: money off your first order of gallery-quality prints.
- Gift guide for new homes: things for someone who has just got the keys.
Prices and availability change. The affiliate links on this page earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and brands do not choose what we feature.
Follow us: Instagram
Copyright 2026 CoolCuration | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Affiliate Disclosure | Cool Factor
-----------
We are proud supporters of a safer more private internet via encouraging people to use Brave browser and are actively taking on Spammers as part of ProjectHoneypot. This site is hosted on servers that run on 100% renewable energy in the UK thanks to GreenWebHosting.
This site contains affiliate links, including to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase or sign up for a service via these links, at no extra cost to you. All offers and promotions are accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change or withdrawal by the businesses featured. We cannot guarantee their continued availability. Read our full affiliate disclosure.
Reviews and opinions on CoolCuration reflect the personal experience of our writers at the time of publication. They are not professional endorsements and your experience may differ. Scores use our Cool Factor rating system and are given independently of any commercial relationship.
All content on CoolCuration is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice, investment recommendations or an endorsement of any product or service. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and do not offer personalised financial guidance. You should always do your own research or consult a qualified financial advisor before making any financial decisions.