ABSTRACT
Despite its own antiquity, and the length and extent of its associations with Egypt, London has relatively little Egyptianizing architecture. Whereas the Greco-Roman cultural tradition, sustained by the use of Latin and Greek for religious purposes, helped the neoclassical and Palladian styles to flourish, London has no comparable Egyptian tradition. The birth of package tourism in 1868 made travel to Egypt accessible to more people than ever before, but it was the relatively affluent who benefited; if they were inspired to build as a result, they built mausolea or monuments rather than maisonettes. Egyptomania received a boost in the 1920s and 1930s. Excavation of the city of Amarna had begun in earnest in 1920, and continued until 1936. Ancient Egypt provides them with associations of pharaonic luxury and antiquity, and also with practical utility. Each makes a statement, whether intentionally or not, and several have provoked controversy as a result.
