English Architecture Style

The early architecture of England starts off with the Carolingian family, who dominated most of Western Europe politics. They tried to emulate the Roman architecture and also

Much of the architecture in the Romanesque era evolved into Gothic architecture. The Gothic era ran from the 12th century into the 16th century. There wasn’t necessarily a clean break from Romanesque to Gothic styles of architecture, but rather a gradual shift in design. The main characteristics of Gothic architecture are the pointed ribbed vaults and arches, flying buttresses and, in place of solid walls, a cluster of columns. Due to the vertical emphasis of the design, the archways could be redesigned and stretched or pointed. Four main Figure 5 – The depressed arch supported by fan vaulting at King’s College Chapel, England.

England has a long history of periodic architecture and aside from recent war damage and the destruction during the Dissolution of the Monasteries Acts in the 16th century by Henry VIII, much of its historic legacy remains intact.

In this essay I am aim to explore Pugin’s dissent from tradition through his ideas, inspiration, and his most important works and their meaning. To dissent from tradition is to defy a stultifying tradition or convention, which leads to new, daring styles (Richardson, McKellar, Woods, 2008, p.109). The ‘traditional’ architectural style in the early 19th Century, in Great Britain was classicism, inspired by ancient Greece and associated with democracy as well as with the French revolution (Richardson, McKellar, Woods, 2008, p. 112). Pugin, called this classical style ‘the new square style’ (Figure 4.7, in Richardson, McKellar, Woods, 2008, p.123) and argued that it lacked authenticity of Great Britain (Richardson, McKellar, Woods, 2008, p.

Early Britain was an era of take overs and violence , overall it was a time of darkness , but despite the darkness this Anglo-Saxon era was a time filled with a new culture and government . Anglo-Saxons came to Britain sometime during AD 425-450 and lasted until 1066 . When the Romans left Britain , new settlement began . With the new population in Britain , there was a need for housing too , the Anglo-Saxon architecture however , did not start until the mid-fifth century . Anglo-Saxon architecture is a different style than modern architecture .

Influence – The Gothic Architectural style was influenced by the Romanesque style (page 280-281). Abbot Suger added flying buttresses, pointed arches, and larger stained glass windows to the Romanesque architecture design. This gave the church a larger inside space and allowed more colorful light, from the large stained glass window, in the church. This new architectural style came to be known as Gothic.

Gothic architecture a new style developing from an old style of architecture with similar characteristics and in a way different. Architects wanted to build bigger buildings with stronger walls something that could not be found elsewhere. The old buildings did not have windows they were dark places that in order to get light they needed many candles. Not even the candles could give the right amount of light the buildings needed. The middle ages architects wanted big windows on the buildings and this new style made their wish come true. Architecture during the Middle Ages became a new style with new problems to solve and a new kind of extraordinary buildings to build.

One of the things that were very popular during the renaissance was art. Art was created to decorate and beautify the walls of many buildings. It entertained people as they walked by at amazement of pictures that are know still famous and valuable. Like Mona Lisa, it is still famous now-a-days. It’s used in movies, shows, and memes around the world. Many other paintings as well have affected the world in artistic ways, mostly decorum.

Influenced by Roman and Greek architecture in the 16th century, Andrea Palladio remains, to this day, one of the most influential architects in history. Although most of his buildings remain in Italy, Andrea Palladio established his place in history by promulgating a set of guidelines in I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura, which could be easily spread. Remnants of Palladio’s legacy can be found all over the world as a result of others utilizing his unique style. One such person was Lord Burlington. During the 18th century, Burlington sparked a Palladian style revival with the construction of the Chiswick house, which remains one of the greatest examples of neo-Palladian style in England.

The Renaissance was a period of great change. After all, Renaissance means the rebirth and/ or revitalization of a society. The new style flourished and slowly but surely would begin to replace the Gothic style of architecture. Living in Florence, Italy you would have experienced firsthand the transition of the architecture. It was presumed that Rome would see the changes first but it simply did not work out that way. One dynamic change to the architectural style would be the use of pillars. The use of pillars was originally used for just show purposes. Italian architects found a way to have them as a support system for their Renaissance projects. This was a new way of building and most definitely was beneficial to the citizens of Europe. In

Another vast improvement that the Renaissance saw was in the form of architecture. This art form went through the peak of its craft during this time and can be seen by looking at these amazing achievements that we still have today. Much like art, the idea of architecture went back towards a classical view of interpretation. It was heavily influenced by the Greeks and Romans and was a huge advancement from building techniques of the

The architects of this period solved the problems of heavy roof with few brilliant innovations such as the flying buttress (a semi-arch), piers, etc. The result was amazing: cathedrals could be higher, thinner, and could have more windows, which led to brighter interiors. In my opinion, this was a good base to start producing something more magnificent, more interesting, and other types of architecture, besides just cathedrals.

One area that captures the Renaissance essence perfectly is the architecture. Before the Renaissance, Gothic architecture was the style that dominated. It focused more on pointed arches, ribbed vaults and buttresses rather than line and proportion. Renaissance architecture is all about digging deep into the history of Greece and Rome for inspiration as well as incorporating innovation and new techniques. For most new architects, a trip to view the grand buildings of Rome was an essential part of the learning process. This learning

The Renaissance period was a time filled with new ideas and developments that changed European society. Many cultural and scientific advances were made during this period, especially in architecture and medicine. As Arthur Ericsson states the period was “studded by the names of architects” such as Filippo Brunelleschi and Donato Bramante, whose “creations are recorded as great historical events.” The Renaissance period is also well known for the new scientific discoveries made through the examination of the human body. The European society changed greatly during the Renaissance period due to the many cultural and scientific advances made particularly in architecture and medicine.

The time of the Renaissance was a period when old ideas and techniques were brought back to the surface. Ancient Rome helped frame architecture in the Early Renaissance, in comparison will be discussing three buildings in Italy that were influenced by classical heritage.