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Four more Times writers' reactions and favourites

Great buildings loom large in the personal landscape sketched by memory. On my fifth birthday a family friend whisked me round Westminster Abbey, the Cutty Sark and St Paul's Cathedral.

The memory that endures is of her explaining that if I whispered against the wall of the whispering gallery in the dome of Wren's masterwork, she would be able to hear me on the opposite side. There were a lot of people around and I wasn't sure if we could really hear each other. But I found the idea of the gallery thrilling and have never forgotten this magical first visit to what is probably Britain's most iconic building.

Multimedia

• Gallery: the top 20 buildings in the British Isles

Top 20 buildings around the world

Dorling Kindersley's choice omits some notable landmarks, not least the Alhambra and Petra

World’s new seven wonders chosen

History has been rewritten after about 100m people voted to name the seven new wonders of the world

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• Top 20 buildings around the world

I have earlier memories of being overwhelmed by buildings. From shouting at Peel Tower on Holcombe Hill outside Ramsbottom in Lancashire, I learnt what an echo was. A visit to Caernarfon Castle triggered a lifelong fascination with castles. Why isn't Caernarfon on the list we publish today of Britain's must-see buildings?

Ah, well that's the thing about lists. Someone compiles them. And the rest of us pore over them, tick off those we have seen, make mental notes of those we want to visit, then take issue with the rest. That's the fun.

Dorling Kindersley has sold its 50 millionth travel guide as it reaches 15 years of publishing bestsellers filled with trademark cut-away illustrations and lavish photographs. To mark the occasion, its team of editors compiled lists of the Top 20 buildings to visit in Britain and the Top 20 worldwide.

No polls were conducted, says Douglas Amrine, publisher of DK Eyewitness Travel Guides. The editors just sat down and, after long discussion, came up with a list that “just about everyone could live with”.

Today more people can see more of the world than ever before, but sometimes, Amrine says, it is easy to lose track of what travel is all about. “People get weighed down with how the pound is doing against the euro, and airport delays, and lose sight of what people travel for. They travel for a great experience, and buildings often sum up a culture or a period incredibly well. When you see St Mark's Basilica, there is the whole story of the Venetian republic.”

His own favourite building is the Taj Mahal, because of the unforgettable experience he had there.

“It sounds a bit corny but going to the Taj Mahal at dawn was one of the greatest moments of my life. You think it is going to be mobbed with people but not that many make it there at dawn. You turn up and there is this amazing palace. The colour of the stone as it changes is just breathtaking.”

Our critics have taken issue with the UK list. And that is exactly what it is there for. It is a starting point for a Bank Holiday weekend discussion. Or, better still, a day trip.

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