Nicholas Grimshaw

Nicholas Grimshaw

Author: BBC Radio 4 December 14, 2003 Duration: 36:00

This week Sue Lawley's castaway is the architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw. An interest in engineering runs in the Grimshaw genes - one great-grandfather was responsible for seeing a proper drainage and sanitation system installed in Dublin, while another built dams in Egypt. Nicholas inherited an enormous Meccano set and showed an early interest in construction - his passions were building tree houses and boats. One of his nicknames is 'Meccano man' because of his designs with exposed steel supports.

In the past 12 years his work has become more widely known and includes the International Terminal at Waterloo, the British Pavilion, for Seville's Expo '92 and, most significantly, the Eden Project. He's just finished the redevelopment of the Roman Baths at Bath and is now working on Battersea Power Station.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Prelude to Cello Suite No.4 by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: The complete works by Patrick O'Brien Luxury: RIBA drawings collection


The Desert Island Discs: Archive 2000-2005 podcast opens a unique window into a pivotal era, drawing from the BBC Radio 4 archives. This isn't just a collection of interviews about music; it's a deeply personal exploration of life, ambition, and memory through the voices of the early 21st century. Each episode presents a guest from this period-be they an artist, a politician, a scientist, or an activist-facing the program's enduring and revealing premise: selecting the eight pieces of music they would take if stranded alone. The conversation that unfolds around these choices is where the magic happens. The host gently guides them from their selections into stories of childhood influences, career-defining moments, personal triumphs, and profound losses. You'll hear the crackle of a vinyl record lead into a confession, or a symphony cue a tale of resilience. Listening to this podcast feels like uncovering a time capsule of cultural and emotional history, where a pop song can explain a political stance and a classical adagio can frame a love story. It’s an intimate study of character and a testament to how the soundtrack of our lives shapes our identity. These archived conversations, preserved in this podcast, remain compelling because they bypass the superficial, using music as the key to unlock genuine human experience.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Desert Island Discs: Archive 2000-2005
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