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A gripping account of the scientists and architects who changed the shape of sound in twentieth-century Britain.
On a winter’s night in 1951, shortly after Evensong, the interior of St Paul’s Cathedral echoed with gunfire. This was no act of violence but a scientific demonstration of new techniques in acoustic measurement. It aimed to address a surprising question: could a building be a musical instrument?
Pistols in St Paul’s tells the fascinating story of the scientists, architects and musicians who set out to answer this question. Beginning at the turn of the century, their innovative experiments, which took place at sites ranging from Herbert Baker’s Assembly Chamber in Delhi to Abbey Road Studios and a disused munitions factory near Perivale, would come to define the field of ‘architectural acoustics’. They culminated in 1951 with the opening of the Royal Festival Hall – the first building to be designed for musical tone.
Deeply researched and richly illustrated, Pistols in St Paul’s brings to light a scientific quest spanning half a century, one that demonstrates the power of international cooperation in the darkest of times.
Shortlisted for the Architectural Book Awards 2025
Shortlisted for the Royal Historical Society First Book Prize 2025
Shortlisted for the SAHGB Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion 2025
Longlisted for the British Society for the History of Science Hughes Prize 2025
Longlisted for the Walpole Society's Berger Prize 2025
Longlisted for The British Society for the History of Science Pickstone Prize 2026
Winner of the Long Form Print category at the Acoustical Society of America's 2025 Science Communication Awards
‘Smyth takes us on an extraordinary journey around the world to tell the story of how a group of determined individuals in the first half of the twentieth century created the science of acoustics, transforming our understanding of the relationship between architecture and music forever.’
James W. P. Campbell, Professor of Architecture and Construction History, University of Cambridge
‘Fiona Smyth’s energetic prose brings to life the gradual emergence of the science of acoustics in Britain between 1901 and 1951. In this pioneering and fascinating book, she combines an engaging sense of humour with absolute seriousness of purpose.’
Deborah Howard, Professor Emerita of Architectural History, University of Cambridge
‘Expertly researched, Fiona Smyth’s Pistols in St Paul’s exudes authority. Exploring the development of the concept of “building as instrument”, Smyth enhances our understanding of how past sonorous encounters have shaped today’s built environment. Her book makes an important contribution to how we should think about the historical formation of the soundscapes of modernity.’
Edward Gillin, editor of Science and Sound in Nineteenth-Century Britain
‘Fiona Smyth’s history of architectural acoustics in modern Britain is a fascinating and vivid journey across the frontiers of scientific research, religious faith, musical expression – and, above all, architecture as a medium of experience and a form of thought. Captivating and deeply researched.’
Joseph L. Clarke, author of Echo’s Chambers: Architecture and the Idea of Acoustic Space
'There is much to enjoy in this book. It is extensively researched and is full of contemporary architectural drawing, photographs and incomprehensible (to me) acoustic maps and data sheets, along with biographical details of the main actors.'
Barry Coidan, London Society
'Pistol’s in St Paul’s is a riveting history of the formation of acoustics as a serious field of science. I find it essential to the context of contemporary concert hall design. And to a casual tourist to architectural acoustics, it is an insightful museum guide.'
Nicole Kirch, SoundGirls.org
'Overall Smyth paints an evocative picture, transporting us into these legendary auditoria. For me at least, listening will never be quite the same again.'
Sharon Ann Holgate, Physics World
'You will never see (or hear) a building in the same way again.'
William Whyte, Church Times
'It is humbling to read about the hard work of those who laid the foundations of modern auditorium acoustics science. This book would be a valuable addition to the library of acoustic specialists, but is also accessible to
a wider audience.'
Chris Middleton, Acoustics Bulletin (November/December 2024)
Introduction
Prologue: pistols in St Paul’s Cathedral
1 1901: music in light of space
2 Science as applied to building
3 Catalysts and controversies
4 Designing for musical tone
5 Leagues apart
6 That little old echo
7 Prelude to reconstruction
Conclusion: 1951: internationalism
Index