Cabin Crew – ADC

The Modernist Society has published Cabin Crew, drawing on an extensive archive of correspondence and interviews to offer a fresh perspective on the work of  Welsh architecture firm Hird & Brooks. Based in Penarth on the outskirts of Cardiff, Hird & Brooks were arguably the  most celebrated modernist architects operating in post-war Wales best known for a series of Danish-influenced private houses and exclusive residential developments, designed during the 1960s and 1970s, and scattered across South Wales. Cabin Crew charts the firm’s architectural journey, the origins of their obsession with Danish design, and how they shifted their focus from luxurious houses to discrete holiday cabins – the work the firm was most proud of was its designs for holiday cabins, more than 230 of which were built in secluded woodland settings across the UK.

Co-authored by writer and photographer Peter Halliday, graphic designer Lizzie Biggs, art historian Jessica Halliday and Bethan Dalton, proud owner of two Hird & Brooks cabins, the book draws on interviews, original correspondence, photographs, brochures, and newspaper clippings to reveal the full extent of the firm’s enduring obsession with crafting the perfect holiday home.  

First for private developers, and then in partnership with the Forestry Commission, Hird & Brooks produced a range of designs for prefabricated timber cabins. To perfect them, they drew on a deep interest in Denmark’s functionalist architecture, went on several study tours to the country, and borrowed extensively from its summerhouse culture. With a love of craftsmanship and a preoccupation with materials and structure, they obsessed over every detail, from the woodland settings, to the colour schemes, to the fitted furniture, to the custom-designed wood burners.

“Today, holiday cabins, tiny houses, and eco-friendly lodges are very much in vogue.” Says Peter Halliday. “Back in the 1970s, Hird & Brooks were very unusual in their insistence on all-timber construction, secluded woodland settings, decked seating areas, and finely detailed fittings and furniture. What’s great is that so many of their cabins survive, some of which are available as holiday lets for anyone to enjoy.”