This is the first in a series of jottings to give you a “blagger’s guide” to the ages of architecture in the UK. We have started in the 19th Century with a style Archer Hoblin has great experience in renovating and refurbishing, using traditional craftsmanship.
The Regency has been defined as “The period 1811-1820 during which the Prince of Wales (later George IV) acted as regent during his father’s periods of insanity”. However, most historians would allow the period from 1795 to 1830 as being the true Regency period. The Prince was not yet fifty but he was grossly obese, dressed in garish uniforms, often of his own design, allegedly sacking housemaids if he caught them looking at his immense belly and weeping at the feet of the disinterested beauties he diligently pursued. But all hail to the man who sponsored the building of Regent Street and Cumberland Terrace and who loved the novels of Jane Austen. A true playboy of his day he spent money like water. In three years he is reported to have spent £160,000 on furniture alone, in those days a staggering sum.
The Prince presided over the rebuilding of much of central London, with possibly his most impressive achievement being Carlton House given to the Prince of Wales when he came of age in 1783. With the help of the 3 architects Henry Holland (1745-1806), James Wyatt (1746-1813) and John Nash (1752-1835), he transformed a relatively modest two-storied house into a veritable palace worthy of comparison to European royal retreats. Regency high style at its most sumptuous was embodied here. Until it was found unsafe and demolished in 1827, Carlton House was a showpiece of Regency high society’s taste.
Brighton House (eventually renamed Brighton Pavilion), was partially rebuilt between 1815 and 1822 when the Prince became interested by the taste for Chinoiserie, then fashionable again. He commissioned designs for a new building in the Oriental style with several eminent architects submitted drawings. The final result was the work of John Nash. The Prince was ecstatic with the results and was to furnish and decorate his pride and joy in exuberant style.
It has to be borne in mind that the Prince was not the only influence to be felt in the early years of that century. The previously mentioned trendsetters and architects James Wyatt, and John Nash were busy designing castellated mansions and gothic ornamental cottages. In fact all over England style conscious landowners were commissioning carefully constructed ruins and follies to adorn their country estates Another important Regency personality was of course Nelson (1758-1805). His death in the hour of victory at the Battle of Trafalgar created a “Nelson Cult” which touched virtually every aspect of Regency life.
Although it is, of course, impossible to generalize about popular styles, we’ll do it anyway. There were two major streams of architectural styles popular in the Regency period. The first, which lived on far into the Victorian period, was one of medieval revival. This is often termed Victorian Gothic, or more accurately, Gothic Revival.
This style was based on medieval architecture, in particular the Gothic churches of the late 13th and early 14th century. Architects like James Watt, emulated the Gothic tracery and other decorative elements of the Gothic period, but used more modern methods of construction and substituted cheaper materials. Thus, many Gothic Revival buildings used stucco in place of medieval stone, and braced fanciful Gothic curves with hidden iron struts.
The second, and more popular style of Regency architecture, was classical in nature. That is, it used the philosophy and traditional designs of Greek and Roman architecture. The typical Regency upper or middle-class house was built in brick and covered in stucco or painted plaster. Fluted Greek columns, painted and carefully moulded cornices and other decorative touches, were all reproduced in stucco. The key words to describe the overall effect are “refined elegance”.
Regency Terraces. First a mundane definition: a terrace is a fanciful term for row housing, that is, a string of houses, each sharing a wall with the house beside it. The most characteristic Regency designs survive today in terrace housing.
Many of the more upper class terraces, such as those designed by John Nash surrounding Regents Park in London, are entered through triumphal arches reminiscent of ancient Rome, These arches, generally in stucco, lead to grand rows of houses, with carefully balanced pediments fronted by massive pilaster columns. The best remaining terraces built in this grand style are in London, Cheltenham and Brighton.
Characteristics. Windows are tall and thin, with very small glazing bars separating the panes of glass. Balconies are of extremely fine ironwork, made of such delicate curves as to seem almost too frail to support the structure. Proportions are kept simple, relying on clean, classical lines for effect rather than decorative touches.
Windows and doors, particularly those on the ground floors, are often round-headed. Curved bow windows are popular, and detached villas often featured garden windows extending right down to the ground.