Architecture: A Very Short Introduction

Mock Tudor: a very popular English style that involves the notional evocation of the decorative effects of the timberwork that could be found in traditional timber-framed houses.

Modernism: 1. architecture inspired by the CIAM, characterized especially by its use of planar forms, non-traditional materials, avoidance of historical associations; often referred to as the Modern Movement, or in the USA as the International Style; 2. any architecture, especially of the mid-20th-century, that worked by experimental rather than traditional means; 3. architecture of the later 20th century and after that makes use of Modern Movement buildings as historical reference points.

naos: the Greek name for a cella; used as an English word when referring specifically to Greek temples.

Neoclassical: This is a version of classicism from the later 18th century that made use of specifically Greek and not Roman ideals of beauty. ‘Neoclassical’ is a 20th-century term. At the time the people involved called the style ‘Grecian’.

Norman: This can refer to anything coming from Normandy, but in architecture it can be used as an alternative to ‘Romanesque’ when it is found in England: so called because the Romanesque spread rapidly through the kingdom after the Norman invasion of 1066.

order: In classical architecture the ‘order’ is the name given to the different types of columns, which bring with them a set of proportions not only for the column-type but also for the frieze and entablature, which varied from one order to another. See Doric.

pattern book: an illustrated book, designed to give architects and builders ideas to copy.

pediment: 1. the low sloping gable at the front of a classical temple; 2. a low sloping triangular form often placed to mark entrances or windows in classical buildings.

peristyle: a row of columns round the outside of a building, especially if the building is a classical temple.

portico: a porch with columns that takes the form of the end of a classical temple.

postmodernism: in architecture this term usually means a building from the 1980s that makes eccentric and unconventional use of historical ornamental features such as columns and keystones.

Regency: Properly this refers to the time between 1810 and 1820 when George III was King of England, but insane, so his son acted as the ruler (the regent). The son had an influence on fashionable taste over a longer period, from when he was Prince of Wales until he was George IV, and the ‘Regency Style’ would normally refer to this longer period. It is marked by simplicity and elegance of form (which is remarkable, given that the Prince Regent had built the Brighton Pavilion). In contemporary popular usage with reference to architecture it suggests a rather notional indication of classicism.

Rococo: This was a late variant of the Baroque, which is different in mood, having a lighter touch. Its characteristic swirling plasterwork often used abstract or shell-like forms (rocaille) and delicate colour schemes.

Romanesque: This was medieval architecture, especially churches, built in imitation of Roman models, particularly architecture from the 12th century and before. It made use of round-headed arches and in the more ambitious work favoured stone-vaulted ceilings.

stoa: This was an ancient Greek building type with a long narrow rectangular plan. One of the long sides would have a wall along it, while the other would have a row of columns, leaving that side open to the outside. The arrangements made a pleasantly sheltered verandahlike space which was put to use in a multiplicity of ways. The most famous example was the stoa poikile, or painted stoa, in Athens, from which Zeno operated a school of philosophy (the Stoics).

vernacular: traditional buildings erected by craftsmen without the guidance of an architect.

Further reading

There are many different ways to look at architecture. The best way is to visit buildings and experience them. Reading about buildings makes sense most straightforwardly when one has visited them. Travel to the places illustrated in this very short introduction would give viable holiday destinations for years. Alternatively, take an interest in things close at hand, encouraged by a book such as Thom Gorst, The Buildings Around Us (Spon, 1995).

The following three volumes are concerned with architectural history, and order the material chronologically: