The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, serves as the meeting place for the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Old Palace was a medieval building that was destroyed by fire in 1834. After the fire, a competition was held for architects to submit plans for the new building that should be in a Gothic or Elizabethan style hoping to embody the conservative values of England. A Royal commission chose Charles Barry’s designs for a Perpendicular Gothic palace. Barry’s own style was more classical than Gothic which is why Augustus Pugin’s involvement was so crucial in Barry winning the competition. Barry’s plans reflected more of his knowledge of the neo-classical style through its symmetry. Pugin was the leading authority on Gothic architecture at the time. Almost all of the remains of the Old Palace were incorporated into the new design. Their work on the Palace began in 1840 and, while most of the work was finished by 1860, the New Palace of Westminster was not complete until a decade later. One of the most identifiable features of the Palace is the Elizabeth Tower, commonly identified by its main bell, “Big Ben”. The building is also known for two main spaces; the Lord’s Chamber and the Common’s Chamber. It is well identified by its main façade which runs parallel to the River Thames. The Palace, as it stands today, has been conserved very well to best display the designs as Charles Barry and Pugin intended them to be displayed. The Palace was, and remains, the center for political life in the United Kingdom, just as it remains a major iconic landmark of London. Many articles and books have been written discussing and disputing the history and design of the New Palace of Westminster, as well as the...
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...gwood instead focuses on the morphing of the design to include parts of both men’s creative minds.
The variety of articles, books and opinions pertaining to the New Palace of Westminster were quite interesting. While it is well known that there is confusion around the roles and work of Barry and Pugin on this famous piece of architecture, the range of opinions and there supporting resources were intriguing. Robert Dell published an article filled with supporting resources that really supported the fact that A.W.N. Pugin was the “true” architect for the Houses of Parliament while Roland Quinault defended quite the opposite, barely mentioning Pugin in his work. The book titled the The New Palace of Westminster provides a very different description of the building and its history than The History of Parliament organization article on the New Palace of Westminster.
Another inspirational architect in this time was William Kent. His designs using ogee pointed arches with a classical cornice inspired Batty Langley to produce a study in which he analyzed Gothic in terms of classical orders. A comparison with true mediaeval and Gothic architecture at this time shows that at this time all Gothic architecture was a decorative style to be applied as ornament to regular structures and s...
The 1931 Statute of Westminster can be seen as the logical end of the years of negotiations on change between Britain and her Dominions, which include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Newfoundland. The origins of the Statue date back to the Imperial Conference in 1926 where Lord Balfour, Britain’s Foreign Minster, suggested that all Dominions should be given the right to full autonomy in their legislations. This would result in equality amongst Britain and its Dominions It made several key provisions; British parliament could no longer nullify laws in the Dominions, the Dominions were able to make their own extra-territorial laws, and British law no longer had to be applied in the Dominions.
Queen Anne architecture can not be defined easily. It's architectural style has many different characteristics. In this paper, I will show how the Queen Anne style evolved from the architecture that was common during the reign of Queen Anne herself and also show how it evolved in America in the late 1800's during the Industrial Revolution. I will then show how the Queen Anne style is incorporated into today's architectural design.
...nce of this particular castle differs from other Edwardian castles by the wall shape and use of colored stone scattered throughout the walls. Also, differing from most Edwardian castle designs, the outer towers are not round, but polygonal. Two gates allowed entrance into the castle (The King and Queen’s Gates). Each gateway was very secure and contained murder holes and arrow loops at each.
Queen Elizabeth had many different palaces, many workers for the palaces, and the many responsibilities of the workers. All the queen’s palaces were extremely ravishing with many embellishments inside the palaces. Lastly, the queen’s palaces had many interesting activities that took place in form entertainment in the palaces. Queen Elizabeth owned fifty houses and sixty castles in total but, "Elizabeth had 14 palaces in regular use at her disposal as well as numerous "stately homes" throughout England owned by noblemen and gentry.” Elizabeth owned Whitehall, the tower, Greenwich, St. James’s, Somerset house, the charterhouse, and Durham place. The night prior coronation, and Durham place was reserved for the ambassadors and guests (Olsen Para 1). Since Queen Elizabeth had many palaces and the palaces were magnificent and fascinating because the queens palaces were filled with many workers, the inside palace was spectacular, and there were many forms of entertainment.
Architects of the Elizabethan era designed many amazingly beautiful buildings and structures. Elizabethan architecture went further than just what the architects told the builders to do and the builders are given far less credit than they deserve. They carved out amazingly intricate designs into the wood and stone of these buildings, they poured their souls into their work and were still forgotten because what are they but some random members of the lower class. Elizabethan architecture has more to it than just looks, the structures were built to last luxuriously and each has a history going back before the day they laid the foundation. The architecture descends from the Tudor Style while also admiring Greek and Roman architecture and contained many influences from when England invaded India.
"The Tower of London." Tower of London, History of the Tower of London on Britain
When one sees the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral in person or in pictures they are likely to be awestruck. The twin towers of the western façade rise high into the sky, seemingly in an attempt to scrape heaven. Spiky arches seem to grow out of the sides and claw at the ground. Inside it is cavernous with colored light filtering in through the large, intricate stained glass windows. All of these physical qualities make Notre Dame a prime example of Gothic architecture. It does not stand alone in that distinction. One is also likely to see several hundred examples of this style on varying scales throughout Europe. Because, despite its humble origins, Gothic architecture became the standard for religious buildings in the early 11th century thanks to innovative use of new and old design techniques which resulted in majestic buildings that symbolized the builder’s version of heaven.
Being a peasant in the Middle Ages was hard. During the summers, peasants would start as early as 3 am. They would start their day off with breakfast. Then, peasants would work in the fields. They would reap, sow, plough, thresh, and hedge. They would finish at dusk. Working hours during the summer months were longer.
St. Paul’s Cathedral, in London, England, was designed by architect Sir Christopher Wren. Approval of this most significant architectural project took six years just for the plan. Construction, which began in 1675, took thirty-five years until finally complete in 1710. It was built to replace a church that had been leveled by the Great Fire of 1666. St. Paul's is the largest cathedral in England, and said to be Wren's masterpiece. He brought a range of new forms, and architectural combination into English architecture. Masonry, brick, timber, and cut stone were used to form the structure of the cathedral. St. Paul’s Cathedral has been one of the main socially significant buildings in London. Cathedrals all around, have always played a large role in the communities they serve. Their fundamental purpose is to bring people closer to God, but over the centuries they have served as a focal point for trade, as a stronghold and a place of safety in times of war, and as immense status symbols. The functions, of a cathedral, take on an additional significance for St Paul's, because it’s known as the cathedral of the capital city and, of the nation. The present building is also the first cathedral to have been built since the creation of the Church of England in 1534, when religion was brought under the direct control of the monarch. This quote from Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage really shows the significance the Church has made in England. “St Paul's Cathedral is the internationally recognized signature of London and the capital's most important historic and architectural focal point. Only St Paul's and the Palace of Westminster are protected by strategic views but the proposed tower disregards this legal protection and the significance of the Cathedral as the icon of London.” The West Front, which faces the heart of the City of London, is an iconic image with great national significance. It is through the famous West Doors that so many British monarchs and distinguished figures have entered the Cathedral. The nation’s “best-loved” church, St Paul’s has hosted some of the most important commemorative events in British history. In recent years the memorial service for the victims of 9/11, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday. Also, it was where the funeral services of Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and Winston Churchi...
...er is still an economic boost to the city of London as a must see. Because the structure was so impressive, it brought quite a bit of tourism to the city. The designs were extremely important to the people because it showed the greatness of their country and still held the conservative belief that was once lost in the past. It just goes to show just how important it was to the church, the people, and to the commonwealth of the cities and towns that had such amazing structures erected.
Q: Use St Peter’s basilica and Donato Bramante’s Tempietto in Rome, in opposition to John Balthasar Neumann’s Pilgrimage Church of Vierzehnheiligen in Bamburg, Germany, to argue that a rational engagement with architecture is a more effective means to comprehend and understand architectural form.
The Tower was a large construction project enforced by different rulers, building tower after tower (21 in total), “and finally encircling it with a moat whose water was delivered by the Thames River,” (McGillick). Original functions of the Tower included “acting as a royal power base, being a place where an army could be housed and a place that can protect London from invasions, and also is a source of protection for the Royal family during chaos,” (Alchin).
The purpose of this paper is to examine the problems that Pierre L'Enfant encountered in designing and building Washington D.C. What delays did the project have and how might they have been avoided? Why was L'Enfant dismissed from his work in 1792?
Gothic art evolved from Romanesque art and lasted from the mid-12th century AD to the end of the 16th century. It was a particular style of Medieval art and was led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture, established by the Basilica of St Denis. Through the influence of historical design methods, such as Islamic/Romanesque architecture and the impact the spread of Christianity had on Europe, Abbot Suger was able to develop a new style of architecture through his reconstruction of St Denis. This led to the development of taller buildings with thinner walls and bigger rooms on the inside.