Rethinking the History of Architecture in England 1530-1830

This course is an online Zoom event. The recording will be made available to ALL attendees and will be available for 4 weeks.

Architectural history in England and Britain is often presented in terms of architectural style – in particular the development of Classicism from the 16th to the 19th century, with the story of Gothic as a parallel theme. This view certainly has a certain coherence, but it is also a superficial one: the ‘style’ of a building is the icing on the cake. The business of building is eminently social and collaborative: buildings are created by the clients, the craftsmen and the context, both physical and social – not just by individual designers. Steven Brindle takes us through alternative ways of thinking about architecture across these three crucial centuries.

Day 1

1. When is a Building Finished? Lessons from Medieval Building Culture
2. The Impact of the Renaissance
3. The 17th Century Building Revolution, I: Society, Houses and Functions.
4. The 17th Century Building Revolution, II: Craftsmen, Materials, Technology

Day 2

5. Architects and Craftsmen and the Reign of Taste.
6. Roads, Bridges, Canals and Towns: The Georgian Transport Revolution
7. Landscape with Buildings in Georgian England
8. A Whole New World: Architectural Culture in the Late Georgian Age