Dan Cruickshank is an architectural historian and television presenter. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, a member of the Executive Committee of the Georgian Group, and on the Architectural Panel of the National Trust. His recent work includes the BBC television programmes Civilisation Under Attack (2015) and At Home with the British (2016), and the books A History of Architecture in 100 Buildings (2015) and Spitalfields (2016). He lives in London.
Genial, erudite and companionable ... this heroic and heartfelt book caps a career devoted to [Spitalfields'] heritage. Spectator Dan Cruickshank bores into the rich history of Spitalfields, the area of east London where he has lived for decades. -- Rowan Moore, Best Books of 2016 Observer With beguiling erudition, TV historian and local resident Cruickshank tells the story of Spitalfields from Roman times to today ... This is people's history at its tastiest. Sunday Express Cruickshank's history laments the City's encroachment on Spitalfields and the attendant growth there of estate agents, internet companies, fashion outlets and beardy hipster capitalists bent on having their slice of East End exotica. -- Best Books About London Evening Standard This is an elegy to a place changing beyond recognition ... Cruickshank is an appealing, sympathetic writer who clearly loves his home. The Times