English (Middle Renaissance)

There were tons of things that make the middle section of the English period unique of the others.One of these things is one of the most influential people in English times, Sir Christopher Wren. He was one of the most renowned architects ever. His most important piece his "masterpiece" was St. Paul's Cathedral, but he also put his little piece in 52 other churches. There is not many churches made during this period that you could go into that was not directly influenced by Sir Christopher Wren. Another important thing Wren had a part in was making up standards, before this there were none. Wren made these standards up after the great fire of 1666 which destroyed a huge chunk of London, which could have been avoided slightly if the houses were built in a different way. Sir Christopher Wren uses the Baroque urban design and the influences from Bernini and Mansart building palaces and chateaux. The standards he set up was everything from wall thicknesses, floor heights, and the materials that were to be used. He specified using brick more often instead of all wood to avoid another wild fire. This is also when he started setting up zoning and construction regulations. These standards and regulations put the architecture and building in a much more defined place and I feel really helps England excel.


St. Pauls Cathedral



Sir Christopher Wren


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Extra Credit Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYV8D007qRc

English Reviews

Angie: Angie's blog on Neoclassical was very insightful because I didn't focus on that section so I am glad she did to help me review

Holli: I really enjoy the current applications that Holli chose!

English

There are a few main periods divided up from the English period. This includes everything from the Early, Middle, and Late Renaissance. Also it includes the Elizabethan, Jacobean and Cromwellian periods. One of the most important was the Elizabethan, which was where one of the most important builders came though. This is Indigo Jones, the man who introduced renaissance architecture to England. His work heavily relied on the architect Palladio, who was a very important and influential architect from the Italian Renaissance period. This is how the Tulips Staircase was created, it was Palladian style. Also one of the big projects that Indigo Jones worked with was Queen Anne's home, which was probably one of the most important buildings done in that time period.

 


The interiors in this time period usually included a number of things. A few of the things included were the Great hall, and the long gallery. The Great Hall was usually two stories high to make it seem, well, great. It also incorporated oak paneling that was about 8'- 10' high, plus they often had walls lined with armor, portraits, and tropheys.As for the long galleries those tended to have 10' high fireplaces, which the more elaborate they were, the wealthier they were. The ceilings were heavily ornamented plaster, and they were pretty light. Both of these interior spaces were in direct contrast to previous periods due to its masculinity versus the past feminine interior




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Extra Credit Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glPPNmwiIkw