TV presenter, honorary member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and author of many respected books on architecture, Dan Cruickshank explores what we like about old places and buildings and asks why we can’t achieve comparable quality and popular appeal now. Pondering the riddle of fine Georgian urban architecture, built as speculations – often by ruthless characters – but now viewed as exemplary of urban art, Dan looks at Bath, London areas such as Bloomsbury, Spitalfields, and Soho, also Edinburgh New Town, Stamford, and Blandford.