30 APRIL 1977, Page 15

No diehard

Sir: I find it a little surprising to see myself described by Mr Conrad Jameson (23 April) as a 'diehard' and 'last ditch defender' of the modern movement in architecture, if only because — as my record in print clearly shows — I have regularly and consis tently criticised some of the lamentable consequences of this movement for at least ten years. My point was only that it is mistaken to try to pin the sole, or even the main, responsibility for these developments . upon Le Corbusier. It is surely unfair to blame a major architect for all the failures of his self-appointed followers, or to allow these to obscure the merits — in my view, unquestionable — of his individual achievements. Nor, of course, was I wishing to deny that some of his early contributions to the theory of architecture may appear wrong-headed in the light of subsequent history; the object of my original letter was only to draw attention to the fact that these should be viewed in the wider perspective of what he later wrote and did.

Stephen Gardiner 203 King's Road, London SW3