British Architecture. An Overview of History and Styles. Урок-лекция

Елисеева Алевтина Ивановна

British Architecture. An Overview of History and Styles.

Урок-лекция

Introduction

British architecture has evolved hugely over the centuries, with movements and styles having vast appeal today. Let’s take a look at some of Britain’s major, most prominent and most iconic architectural styles from the late 15th century onwards. The architecture of the United Kingdom, or British architecture, consists of an eclectic combination of architectural styles, ranging from those that predate the creation of the United Kingdom, such as Roman, to 21st century contemporary. England has seen the most influential developments, though Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have each fostered unique styles and played leading roles in the international history of architecture. Although there are prehistoric and classical structures in the United Kingdom, British architectural history effectively begins with the first Anglo-Saxon Christian churches built soon after Augustine of Canterbury arrived in Great Britain in 597. Norman architecture was built on a vast scale throughout Great Britain and Ireland from the 11th century onwards in the form of castles and churches to help impose Norman authority upon their dominions. English Gothic architecture, which flourished between 1180 until around 1520, was initially imported from France, but quickly developed its own unique qualities.

Norman Architecture in England

Norman architecture is a style of medieval architecture built in England following the Norman conquest in 1066. It followed the Anglo-Saxon style and later developed into the Gothic style.

Norman architecture is a type of Romanesque, used for the grand buildings erected in England after the Norman conquest. Romanesque is used to describe medieval European buildings built between the 10th and 12th centuries in a style inspired by the Romans.

The larger buildings have an extremely massive appearance. The Norman arch is a defining point of Norman architecture. Grand archways are designed to evoke feelings of awe and are very commonly seen as the entrance to large religious buildings such as cathedrals.Norman arches are sometimes decorated with a ‘zig-zag’ chevron pattern. The arches are supported on massive columns, generally plain and cylindrical, sometimes with spiral decoration. Castles feature square towers (keep) set on earth mounds (motte) and sometimes an area called the bailey enclosed by earthworks or stone walls.

William the Conqueror seized control of London in time for his coronation on 25 December 1066. He quickly created a temporary fortification between the ancient Roman wall and the River Thames, but this was replaced by the mid-1090s bythe White Tower.The White Tower, still standing today at the heart of the Tower of London, is one of the first significant Norman buildings in England.

Winchester Cathedral is one of the first new Norman cathedrals to be constructed after the conquest at Winchester in 1079.

Westminster Abbey, an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, was founded in 960. It had been known as St Peter’s Abbey when Edward the Confessor built a new church in the Romanesque style on its site. It was consecrated on December 28, 1065. In 1245 Henry III pulled down the whole of Edward’s church (except the nave) and replaced it with the present abbey church in the pointed Gothic style. Construction of the modern church began in 1245 and stopped in about 1269. A consecration ceremony was held on 13 October 1269. But reconstructions and additions have not stopped until as far as 21^st century.

Since William the Conqueror, almost every British sovereign has been crowned in the abbey. Many kings and queens are buried there. The abbey is crowded with the tombs of famous British subjects, such as Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, actor Laurence Olivier.

Part of the south transept is well known as Poets’ Corner and includes the tombs of Geoffrey Chaucer,Ben Jonson, Rudyard Kipling, composer Georg Frideric Handel, memorials to Jane Austen, William Blake, Robert Burns, Lord Byron and many others.

Early English Gothic Architecture

The Early English period (1180-1275) marks the first flowering of English Gothic. The Gothic style evolved in France, it was first called "The French Style", beginning in the middle of the 12th century.

The major distinction between the Early English Gothic and the Norman, or Romanesque period, which preceded it, is the use of the pointed arch. The pointed arch allowed a whole range of new building expression to take place; arches could span greater distances, allowing vaults to be taller and wider. The arch could support greater weight, allowing walls to be thinner and pierced by wider window openings. This, in turn, encouraged the use of stained glass. Towers were topped with steeply pitched roofs, often surmounted with very slender towers emerging from a broach, or pyramidal base.

Tudor Architecture

The Tudor architectural style is the final development of Medieval architecture in England and Wales, during the Tudor period (1485–1603) and even beyond.

Typical features of a Tudor building may include masonry chimneys, grouped windows, half-timbering and gable roofs. The low Arch and some fantastic Oriel Windows are also considered classic ‘Tudor’.

The use of brick became widespread, and by the end of the period, even half-timbering became common in working-class abodes. This stately and curious workmanship showed itself in various ways. A greater sense of security led to more outward-looking buildings, as opposed to the medieval arrangement where the need for defense created houses that faced inward onto a courtyard or series of courtyards. This allowed for much more in the way of exterior ornament. The rooms themselves tended to be bigger and lighter - as an expensive commodity, the use of great expanses of glass was in itself a statement of wealth. There was also a general move towards balanced and symmetrical exteriors with central entrances.

Elizabethan Architecture

As Elizabeth I came to the Throne of England, the architectural style was defined by the Prodigy houses. These were showy, ostentatious country piles built by the gentry that benefitted from the dissolution of the monasteries.

No new palaces were built during Elizabeth’s reign, but many new houses of the wealthy were built. These houses were ‘more glass than wall’ as the design style moved away from protective requirements to make use of glasses ability to flood houses with natural light instead.

Queen Elizabeth would travel from London as far west as Bristol to stay in some of these opulent new buildings and these houses would also need to accommodate 150 of her closest travelling companions as well.

Baroque Style

Italian designers had been moving to and influencing English architectural styles by book and in person from Medieval times.

Baroque architecture was popularized during the late 17th century and was regarded as a highly elaborate take on Classicism. 

It infused Renaissance foundations with highly ornate overtures that were designed to be ostentatious, showy and theatrical. The late 1690s saw the appearance of the first Grand Baroque country houses; the most iconic figures of the movement included Sir Christopher Wren, Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. Nicholas Hawksmoor designed Blenheim Palace, the only non-royal building to hold the name of Palace. It is where Sir Winston Churchill grew up.

The Baroque style has its roots in church architecture, especially Catholic Church one, but it’s influence spread across Europe and influenced the architects of the quintessentially English country estates.

The Baroque influence was very short-lived and contemporary English Baroque houses are not abundant. There are more Baroque churches, as the style became popular after the Great Fire of London in 1666 and many Churches had to be re-built, with Sir Christopher Wren rebuilding over 30 churches in the Baroque style.

Georgian Architecture

The Georgian era of architecture lasted between around 1714 and 1830. It was influenced by Roman architecture, and usually involved classical exteriors and elaborate interiors.

The Georgian style is highly variable, but marked by symmetry and proportion based on the classical architecture of Greece and Rome. Ornament is also normally in the classical tradition, but typically restrained, and sometimes almost completely absent on the exterior. Georgian architecture is characterized by its proportion and balance. In towns, rows of identical terraced houses became the norm.

Houses were increasingly placed in grand landscaped settings, and large houses were generally made wide and relatively shallow, largely to look more impressive from a distance. The height was usually highest in the centre. Windows in all types of buildings were large and regularly placed on a grid. The roof was typically invisible from the ground, though domes were sometimes visible in grander buildings. Theroofline was generally clear of ornament except for a balustrade or the top of a pediment.

Smaller houses in the country were simple regular blocks with visible raked roofs and a central doorway, often the only ornamented area. In towns even most better-off people lived in terraced houses, which typically opened straight onto the street, often with a few steps up to the door.

Town terraced houses for all social classes remained resolutely tall and narrow, each dwelling occupying the whole height of the building. The late Georgian period saw the birth of the semi-detached house, planned systematically.

Public buildings generally varied between the extremes of plain boxes with grid windows and Italian Late Renaissance palaces, depending on budget. Somerset House in London, designed by Sir William Chambers in 1776 for government offices, was as magnificent as any country house, though never quite finished, as funds ran out. Barracks and other less prestigious buildings could be as functional as the mills and factories that were growing increasingly large by the end of the period.

Victorian Style

Victorian architecture is a series ofarchitectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many elements of what is typically termed "Victorian" architecture did not become popular until later in Victoria's reign, roughly from 1850 and later.

The Victorian era consisted of various British architectural styles, including Medieval and Renaissance. During the early 19th century, the romantic medievalGothic Revival style was developed as a reaction to the symmetry of Palladian style.

By the middle of the 19th century, as a result of new technology, construction was able to incorporate metal materials as building components. Structures were erected with cast iron and wrought iron frames. However, due to being weak in tension, these materials were effectively phased out in place for more structurally sound steel.

The Industrial Revolution enabled architects to make use of glass and iron. Victorian roofs often had steep pitches, which made them ideal for loft conversions. The era is synonymous with terracotta tiles, bay sash windows, multi-coloured brickwork, sizeable mantelpieces for ornaments, white-painted woodwork and cast-iron gates.

Edwardian Period

The Edwardian period covers 1901-1918 in terms of architectural trends. It took influence for the Georgian and medieval eras and was synonymous with ‘Neo-Baroque.’

Typical details of Edwardian Baroque architecture include extensive rustication, usually more extreme at ground level, often running into and exaggerating the voussoirs of arched openings (derived from French models); domed corner rooftop pavilions and a central taller tower-like element creating a lively rooftop silhouette; revived Italian Baroque elements such as exaggerated keystones, segmental arched pediments, columns with engaged blocks, attached block-like rustication to window surrounds; colonnades of (sometimes paired) columns in the Ionic order and domed towers.

Edwardian middle class homes tend to be shorter than equivalent Victorian residences. They are often characterized by Mock-Tudor cladding, roughcast walls, six over two panel sash windows, larger glass panels, simple designs influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and framed wooden porches. Colours became lighter. Patterns became less elaborate and complex.

Art Deco

The Art Deco period lasted between around 1925 and 1939, and was synonymous with modernity, innovation, harmony and simplicity. Features included small round windows, curved corner walls, flat roofs, metal railings, zigzags and chevrons. This is defined by round windows, clean lines, curved corner walls, geometric patterns, flat roofs and bold colour.

Post-War Modernism, Brutalism and High-Tech.

Buildings went up and became blocks of flats, which had clean, sharp, lines. new buildings being built in the modernist (international) style based upon new and innovate technologies, particularly the use of glass, steel and reinforced concrete. Concrete became a popular choice for building public buildings, becoming what is known as Brutalism.

Brutalist buildings are characterised byminimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials andstructural elements over decorative design.

High-tech architecture makes extensive use of aluminium,steel,glass, and to a lesser extent concrete.

Contemporary High-Rise.

The postwar period saw the first commercial skyscrapers in London. These were typically built in the modernist (international) style.. TheNatWest Tower (now calledTower 42) was completed in 1980. It was considered the first "skyscraper" in the City of London. Lots of high-rise buildings (tower blocks, office towers, apartment towers) have been built since then. The most famous among them are the iconic skyscraper 30 St Mary Axe, also known as 'The Gherkin' (2003),The Shard (2012), 309.6 metres tall, which remains London's tallest building, and 20 Fenchurch Street, a commercial skyscraper built in the avant-garde style of neo-futurism (2014). It has been nicknamed "TheWalkie-Talkie" because of its distinctive shape resembling a two-way radio handset.

Conclusion.

The United Kingdom is quite popular for the amazing architectural styles it hosts. The all-embracing styles date back to the creation of the region itself and stretch to the present day. England is one of the few countries that encountered all the possible developments in terms of architecture.

Resourses:

1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_the_United_Kingdom

2)https://www.bohaglass.co.uk/british-architectural-styles/

3)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Gothic_architecture

4)https://heritagecalling.com/2022/03/31/what-is-norman-architecture/

5)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_London

6) traditional architectural styles of Great Britain photos – Google Поиск

7) Charles Phillips. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Royal Britain. Anness Publishing Limited, London, United Kingdom.

8) James O’Driscoll. Britain. The Country and People: an Introduction for Learners of English. OUP, 2009.

Адрес публикации: https://www.prodlenka.org/metodicheskie-razrabotki/532686-british-architecture-an-overview-of-history-a