British Architecture and Interior Decoration

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Focused on the Georgian Period, this blogs traces developments, inventions, fashions, ideas and influences in architecture, interior decoration and landscape gardening from medieval times to the early 19th century.

Architecture Across Centuries

• A History of British Architecture at BBC
• Country Houses at V&A
• Architectual Style at V&A
• Conservation Journal Articles – Furniture at V&A
• Musical Instruments at V&A
• Buildings in Miniature at V&A
• A Home In London 1600-1800 at Geffrye
• Life in the Living Room 1600-2000 at Geffrye
• English Country Houses at Britain Express

Medieval

• Medieval Treasures at Getty
• Medieval Monasteries at V&A

Buildings

• Haddon Hall

Gothic

• Gothic 1400-1547 exhibition at V&A

1500-1600 Renaissance

Tudor and Elizabethan

• Learn About Style – Renaissance at V&A
• Women and the Renaissance at V&A
• Leonardo da Vinci at V&A
• Raphael Cartoons at V&A

Tudor

Buildings

• Temple Newsam – with many later changes
  • A Tudor Wing

Furniture

• Oak Staircase at V&A
• Royal Writing Desk at V&A

Elizabethan

• Elizabethan Architecture at Wiki
• Elizabethan Architecture at elizabethan-era.org
• Elizabethan Life at Britain Express
• Elizabethan Room Virtual Tour at the Geffrye Museum in London

Buildings

• A Townhouse Garden at Geffrye
• Burghley House
• Burton Constable Hall (with 18th and 19th century furniture)
• Haddon Hall
  • Long Gallery

  Hardwick Hall

  • Floor plan (second floor with Long Gallery)
  • Hardwick Hall at BBC Four documentaries

Objects

• The Great Bed of Ware vid at V&A
• Queen Elizabeth’s Virginal at V&A
• Mazarin Chest at V&A

1600-1625 Jacobean

• Jacobean Architecture at Wiki
• Learn about style – Jacobean at V&A

Buildings

• A merchant’s hall at Geffrye
• Audley End (remodelled in the 18th and 19th century) (pdf)
• Hatfield House
• Knole House
• Sir Paul Pindar’s House
  • The Front at V&A

  Temple Newsam – with many later changes

  • Two Wings

Objects

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1660-1685 Restoration

• Learn about style – Restoration at V&A

People

• Charles II
• John Evelyn
• Sir Christopher Wren

Buildings

• A Merchant’s Parlour at Geffrye
• Ham House
• Squerryes Court
• Windsor Castle – interiors

Furniture

• Juxon Chair at V&A

1685-1725 Baroque

• Learn about style – Baroque at V&A
• The Making of Furniture in France at Getty
• Baroque Architecture at Wiki
• English Baroque at Wiki

People

• Grinling Gibbons
• Queen Mary II
• Daniel Marot
  • State Bed at Melville House at V&A
  • Melville Bed film at V&A
• John Vanbrugh
• Nicholas Hawksmoor
• Sir Christopher Wren

Buildings

• Bramham Park (baroque with Palladian wings)
• Burghley House (interior)
• Calke Abbey – with later alterations
  • Explore the Abbey at the National Trust
  • Description at Images of England
• Castle Howard – with one Palladian wing
• Chatsworth House – the eastern facade and state rooms
• Kensington Palace by Christopher Wren
• Seaton Delaval Hall
  • films at National Trust
• St Paul’s Cathedral

Gardens

• Parterre at Wiki

Objects

• Lawson Cabinet at V&A

1713-1754 James Gibbs

• James Gibbs at Wiki
  • Works
    • Book of Architecture, 1728
• The Henrietta Street Room at V&A

Georgian

• Georgian architecture at Wiki

1715-1760 Palladianism

• Learn about style – Palladianism at V&A
• Piano nobile at Wiki
• Palladian architecture at Wiki
• Country Houses at Britain Express
• London 1753 at the British Museum

People

• Andrea Palladio
• Matthew Brettingham at Wiki
• Lord Burlington
  • The Designs of Inigo Jones… with some additional designs in the Palladian/Jonesian taste by Burlington and Kent, 1727
• Colen Campbell
  • Vitruvius Britannicus
• William Kent
  • Sculpture of Sir Isaac Newton at V&A
  • Design for the memorial to Sir Isaac Newton at V&A
  • Console Table for Chiswick House at V&A
  • King’s Mews at V&A
• James Paine
  • Works
    • Plans, elevations and sections of Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Houses, 1767 and 1783
• John Vardy
• Horace Walpole
  • The Walpole Cabinet and here at V&A

Buildings

• A Merchant’s Parlour at Geffrye
• 10 Downing Street – remodellation by William Kent
  • Pillared Room – furniture by William Kent
  • Grand Staircase
• Burlington House
  • The John Madejski Fine Rooms
• Chiswick House
• Holkham Hall (with a dedicated Statue Gallery)
  • Holkham Hall at Wiki
• Houghton Hall
  • plan of piano nobile
  • Stone Hall
  • Marble Parlour
  • Tapestry Dressing Room
  • Green-Velvet Bedchamber
  • Saloon
  • Great Staircase
  • Common Parlour
  • furniture (Kentian beds) conservation at V&A
  • textiles conseravtion at V&A
• Kensington Palace – William Kent’s interiors
• Newby Park (exterior, but with extensive changes to the floor plans in the neo-classical style and 19C refenestration)
  • detailed record at English Heritage
    • amendments at English Heritage
  • Stables at English Heritage
  • Obelisk at English Heritage
  • Pavillon and Wall with ballustrade at English Heritage
• Norfolk House (late Palladian by Brettingham with a circuit floor plan)
  • Music Room at V&A
• Spencer House
  • External elevations
  • Morning Room
  • The Entrance Hall
  • Ante Room
  • Palm Room
• Vauxhall Gardens at V&A
• Wanstead House
• Woburn Abbey

Gardens

• Serpentine – one of the earliest artificial lakes designed to appear natural (1830s)

Furniture

• Is This a Chippendale Chair? – an early project from 1754 at V&A
• Water Gilding at V&A

1730-1770 Rococo

• Learn about style – Rococo at V&A

People

• Hubert Gravelot
• Thomas Johnson
• Paul de Lamerie

Furniture

• Writing Table at V&A

1745-1765 Chinoiserie

• Learn about style – Chinoiserie at V&A
• China on Paper at Getty

People

• Sir William Chambers
  • Designs of Chinese Buildings, 1757
• Luke Lightfoot
• William and John Linnell (father & son)
• Jean Pillement
  • A New Book of Chinese Ornaments, published in 1755
  • One Hundred and Thirty Figures, Ornaments and Some Flowers in the Chinese Style of 1767

Buildings

• Badminton House
  • Chinese Bedroom
• Claydon House
  • Chinese Room
• Houghton Hall
  • Embroidered Room
  • Cabinet
• Fairfax House, York (elements of interior decoration)
• Kew Gardens

Objects

• A Chinese Painted Silk Dress at V&A

1760-1790 Neoclassicism

• Learn about style – Neo-Classicism at V&A
• State rooms – the term refers to 17th and 18th century houses, but read the article to see the change in the custom
• Classical revival at Wiki
• Greek revival at Wiki
• The Society of Dilettanti at Getty
• The Society of Dilettanti at Wiki
• Reflecting Antiquity: Glass at Getty
• Ground Tour at Getty
• The Geometry of Seeing at Getty

People

• Robert Adam
  • Works
    • Works in Architecture, 1773
    • Office of Robert Adam, design of dining room at Mamhead, ceiling films at V&A
  • Robert Adam and William Chambers at V&A
  • The Adam Interior for Saltram House film at V&A
  • Armchair at V&A
  • Sauce Boat at V&A
• William Belwood
• John Carr
• William Chambers
  • Design for a London church at V&A
  • Works
    • Treatise on the Decorative Part of Civil Architecture
• Thomas Chippendale at Wiki
• Angelica Kauffmann
• William Pain
  • The Practical House Carpenter, 1789
• Biagio Rebecca
• James “Athenian” Stuart
  • James “Athenian” Stuart at V&A
  • The Architect as Landscape Painter at V&A
  • About his exhibition at V&A (pdf)
  • Works
    • Antiquities of Athens, 1762
      • Some drawings from the above
• Josiah Wedgwood
• James Wyatt

Buildings

• A Merchant’s Parlour at Geffrye
• A Townhouse Garden at Geffrye
• An Almshouse at Geffrye
• 10 Downing Street
  • black and white floor in the Entrance Hall
• Castle Coole designed by Wyatt
  • The Saloon at RIBA
  • Saloon and Library – virtual tour
  • Lake – BBC report
• Fairfax House, York (created by John Carr in 1762)
• Harewood House
• Newby Park (Palladian exterior, but with extensive changes to the floor plans in the neo-classical style and 19C refenestration)
  • detailed record at English Heritage
    • amendments at English Heritage
  • Lodges at English Heritage
  • Watering trough in centre of stable yard at English Heritage
  • Kitchen Garden at English Heritage
  • Orangery and Gateway at English Heritage
  • Garden Ornament at English Heritage
  • Gate Piers at English Heritage
• Spencer House
  • Film about Stuart’s work at V&A
  • Staircase Hall
  • Music Room
  • Lady Spencer’s Room
  • Great Room
  • Painted Room
• Wardour Castle
  • James Paine’s drawing film at V&A

Gardens

• William Gilpin
  • Picturesque

1790 (1800)-1830 Regency Classicism

Regency Classicism was more eclectic than Neoclassicism. Italian influences remained important, but Greek motives were now better explored and became the fashion. Egyptian ones were popularized following Napoleon’s campaign (1798).  This era also brought the revival of the French Rococo style, and Gothic. Naturalism emerged in the 1830s.

• Learn about style – Regency Classicism at V&A
• Art, Design and Empire – Indian and African influences at V&A
• Learn about style – Chinese and Indian (1800-1830) at V&A
• Learn about style – Medieval Revivals Style (1780-1830) at V&A
• Italianate – basic elements
• Italianate at Wiki

People

• Prince Regent
• Thomas Barrett
• William Beckford
• Thomas Hope
  • Regency Designer exhibition at V&A
  • Works
    • Household Furniture and Decoration
• John Nash at Wiki
• Rundell, Bridge and Rundell
• Sir John Soane
• Horace Walpole
• William Wilkins

Buildings

• A Merchant’s Parlour at Geffrye
• 10 Downing Street
  • Cabinet Room
  • State Dining Room by Soane
  • Small Dining Room by Soane
• Bentley Priory
  • architectural drawing film at V&A
• Carlton House
• Castle Coole
  • State Bedroom – virtual tour
• Belsay Castle
• Belvoir Castle
  • Virtual Tour
• Blaise Castle at Wiki
• Blaise Hamlet at Wiki
• Dulwich Picture Gallery by Soane
• Goodwood House (The Egyptian Dining Room)
• The Holme
  • picture
• Houghton Hall
  • White Drawing Room

  Northington Grange (a late 17th century house remodelled by Wilkins in the Greek Revival style)

• Number Twenty One, Dublin
• The Royal Pavilion, Brighton
• Spencer House (interiors)
  • ground floor circuit
  • Library
  • Dining Room
  • Garden
• Strawbery Hill
• Lee Priory
  • a room at V&A

Gardens

• John Claudius Loudon
  • Gardenesque
• Humphry Repton

Objects

• Bashaw at V&A
• Ivory Chair at V&A
• Taking Tea at V&A
• The Three Graces at V&A

Victorian

Styles that bloomed throughout the Victorian Era, but their origins can be traced to Austen’s times.

• Learn about style – Gothic Revival at V&A
• Learn about style – Influence of India at V&A
• Learn about style – Influence of China at V&A
• Learn about style – French Style at V&A
• Learn about style – Classical and Renaissance Revival at V&A

Austen’s Houses

• Chawton
  • Virtual Tour
• Goodnestone Park Gardens, Kent
  • Goodnestone at Destinations UK
  • Goodnestone at English Heritage
• Godmersham Park at English Heritage

Miscellaneous

• GreatBuildings
• Images of England
• Looking at Buildings
• World Architectural History Survey Examples
• Dictionary of Architecture and Construction (pdf)
• Devices of Wonder at Getty
• Culture 24
• Architecture and Buildings at The National Trust

Quizes and Games

• A Quiz for Young People at V&A
• Design Your Coat of Arms at V&A
• Architecture Quiz at V&A
• Games at Geffrye
• Victorian House Tour at Geffrye