June 2006 - Modern Architecture

In honour of this year's National Architecture Week, Royal Mail will issue a second stamp series in June 2006.  To mark the occasion, the Modern Architecture stamp set will be issued on 20 June 2006 showcasing some of the best examples of contemporary architectural design.

In keeping with the theme, we have found stamps from the BPMA archive that illustrate architecture at its best.

Thank you to one of our readers who suggested we use the British Architecture: Cathedrals stamp issue from May 1969. Here we show three very different styles of building from the original set of six stamps: Liverpool's 20th century cathedral, London's St Paul's, and the great medieval cathedral of Durham.

Although today we are more likely to think of such buildings as being 'classic' pieces of architecture, at the time of construction each would have been considered the height of modernity. Which of today's structures will future generations will look back on and consider classics? Could Lord Foster's Swiss Re skyscraper - affectionately known as 'the Gherkin' - be a contender?

The following set of stamps, from the Europa: British Architects in Europe issue from May 1987, have a more contemporary feel. The series was released in celebration of the achievements that British architects have made throughout Europe, with buildings from Ipswich to Stuttgart.

Why not visit our current Stamp of the Month exhibition for 2007?