ART HISTORY ABROAD
SHORTISH NOTES
LONDON SEMESTER SEPTEMBER 2012
Kings, Queens and dynasties
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Royal Palaces and the Abbey
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Hampton Court Palace
Buckingham Palace
Windsor Castle
Westminster Abbey
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Medieval London
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St Bartholomew’s the Great
Temple Church
Shakespeare’s London
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Synopsis of ‘Taming of the Shrew’
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Restoration London
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The City churches of Christopher Wren
St Paul’s Cathedral
Georgian London
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Handel House Museum
The Soane Museum
20th Century London
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Contemporary city architecture
Lloyd’s of London
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King, queens, dynasties from 1066
The Norman monarchs
William Conqueror in the Bayeux Tapestry
Monarch
William I (the Conqueror)
 Building of the White Tower of London, Windsor Castle
William II (Rufus; his son)
Henry I (his brother)
 St Bartholomew’s the Great build during his reign
Stephen (his nephew)
Matilda; daughter of Henry I
Reigned
1066 - 1087
1087 - 1100
1100 - 1135
1135 – 1154
1141
The Plantagenet monarchs
Richard II in the Wilton Diptych
Monarch
Henry II (son of Matilda)
 Murder of Thomas Becket
 Temple Church built during his reign
Richard I (Lion-Heart; his son)
John (his brother)
 Signing of the Magna Carta
Henry III (his son)
 Building of Westminster Abbey
Edward I (his son)
Edward II (his son)
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Reigned
1154 – 1189
1189 - 1199
1199-1216
1216 – 1272
1372 – 1307
1307 – 1327
Edward III (his son)
 Formed the Order of the Garter (Windsor Castle)
Richard II (his grandson and son of the Black Prince)
 Building of Westminster Abbey
 The Wilton Diptych
Henry IV (grandson of Edward III)
Henry V (his son)
Henry VI (his son)
 Building of Eton College
Edward IV (his distance cousin)
 The first York King
Edward V (his son; never crowned; king briefly in 1483.
Murdered in the Tower of London with his younger brother)
Richard II (his uncle; brother of Edward IV)
1327 – 1377
1377 – 1399
1399 – 1413
1413 – 1422
1422 – 1461 and
1470 – 1471
1461-1470 and
1471 – 1483
The Tudor monarchs
Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII
Monarch
Henry VII (defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth)
Henry VIII (his son)
 Rebuilding of Hampton Court
 Patronage of Hans Holbein
Edward VI (his son)
Lady Jane Grey
Mary I (Edward’s half-sister)
Elizabeth I (her half-sister)
 Patronage of William Shakespeare
Reigned
1485 – 1509
1509 - 1547
1547 – 1553
1553
1553 – 1558
1558 - 1603
The Stuart monarchs
Van Dyck’s Charles I in the Royal Collection
Monarch
James I
Reigned
1603 - 1625
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Building of the Banqueting House, Whitehall
 Patronage of William Shakespeare
Charles I (his son; executed in 1649)
Patronage of Rubens (including the Banqueting House canvases)
 Patronage of Van Dyck
 Collector of Italian Renaissance paintings including the
Triumphs of Caesar by Mantegna in Hampton Court
Parliament (Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard Cromwell)
Charles II (son of Charles I)
 Saw the Great Fire of London, 1666
 State apartments at Windsor Castle
James II (his brother)
William III and Mary II (jointly, Mary was James II’s daughter)
 State apartments at Hampton Court
William (alone, after Mary’s death)
Anne (Mary’s sister)
 St Paul’s Cathedral finished in her reign
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1625 - 1649
1649 – 1660
1660 - 1685
1685 – 1689
1689 – 1694
1694 – 1702
1702 – 1714
The Hanoverian monarchs
Thomas Lawrence’s George IV
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Monarch
George I (great-grandson of James I)
 Patronage of G.F Handel
George II (his son)
 Patronage of G.F Handel
George III (his grandson)
 Re-decorated state apartments at Windsor
 Bought Buckingham House for the Queen
George IV (his son)
Patronage of Wyattville at Windsor Castle, State apartments
 Patronage of John Nash at Buckingham Palace
 Important collector of art
William IV (his brother)
Victoria (his niece and granddaughter of George III)
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Reigned
1714 – 1727
1727 – 1760
1760 – 1820
1820 – 1830
1830 – 1837
1837 - 1901
The Saxe-Coburg-Gotha monarchs
Early photograph of George V
Monarch
Edward VII (Victoria’s son)
George V (his son)
 The west façade of Buckingham Palace built
 Queen Mary’s Doll’s House at Windsor
Reigned
1901 – 1910
1910 - 1936
The House of Windsor
Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton
Monarch
George V (adopting a new name in 1917)
Edward VIII (his son; not crowned but reigned Jan.-Dec. 1936)
George VI (his brother)
Elizabeth II (his daughter)
Reigned
1910 – 1936
1936 – 1952
1952
Willy, Willy, Harry, Steve, Harry, Dick, John, Harry Three,
One, Two, Three Neds, Richard Two
Henry Four, Five, Six - then who?
Edward Four, Five, Dick the Bad, Harries twain and Ned the Lad.
Mary, Bessie, James the Vain, Charlie, Charlie, James again.
William and Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William, and Victoria.
Edward Seven till 1910, George, Ned and George again
and now it's Lizzie until when? and when Liz goes it's Charles again!
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Hampton Court Palace
There has been a Manor on this lovely site, 13 miles from Westminster, since Saxon times. Under Henry VIII,
Cardinal Wolsey reached stardom and took a lease that ran for 99 years (with a provision for a further 99 years after
that). The King and Cardinal wanted to rival the great building schemes in France and the greatest Palace Britain had
ever seen was built.
Wolsey’s meteoric rise to fame lasted only until 1527. Unable to secure a divorce for the king and his first wife
Katherine of Aragon, Henry took the palace back from him. Henry went on to spend a whopping £62,000 on the
palace (roughly £20 million in today’s money). The Great Hall is very much a testament to this building scheme and
is the last major medieval hall built in Britain.
We can also see the work of later monarchs: the exceptional Mantegna Triumphs of Caesar cycle bought back to
England by Charles I; paintings of the many mistresses of Charles II, and the private apartments of William III.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is not a museum – it is still the working headquarters of the monarch, where the Queen carries
out her official and ceremonial duties as Head of State. The state rooms, which form the setting for The Queen’s
official entertaining, occupy the main (west) block of the Palace, facing the gardens. In all, the Palace has 19 state
rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.
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Buckingham House had been purchased in 1762 by George III as a private residence for his wife Queen Charlotte.
Under George IV the building was re-designed by John Nash under George IV. The famous east front of the Palace is
in fact less than 100 year old, and replaced the Nash façade in 1913.
Inside the State apartments there are an astonishing array of Old Master paintings, exquisite furniture and porcelain,
and sumptuous silks, fabulously gilded ceilings and walls.
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle was first built by William the Conqueror upon his entry into London in the 11 th century. Building a
series of castles ringing around London, he was asserting his dominance and permanence over any Anglo-Saxon
freedom fighter.
In essence the castle that we see today is a late Georgian / early Victorian design built on medieval foundations. The
glorious state apartments reveal well this sumptuous period of architecture and design. Here we will also find a few
Baroque Rooms built by Hugh May under Charles II, and the astonishing Doll’s House, made for Queen Mary, wife
of George V. Complete with hot and cold running water, lifts, silver plate and crown jewels with real diamonds, this
is a doll’s house unlike any other in the world.
At Windsor Castle you will also find St George’s Chapel – the spiritual home of the Order of the Garter and one of
the best examples of the late medieval perpendicular gothic style.
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey from the West, by Canaletto
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Since the mid 11th century Westminster Abbey has been the sight of monarchic coronations. All but two monarchs
have been crowned here – two that weren’t crowned at all (Edward V and Edward VIII). It is also the burial site of
most of the monarchs, many of them vying for a spot near Edward the Confessor, the first English king to be buried
here in 1066. Throughout the building you will find tombs and memorials to countless other British men and women
– including famous poets, scientists, composers and writers. Perhaps the most poignant memorial is to the ‘unknown
warrior’ at the west end of the church – an unknown English man who fell in the First World War.
The fabric of the building was mainly constructed under Henry III and Richard II, but the Abbey has since been
adorned by countless other monarchs. Of particular note is the ravishing Henry VII chapel at the east end of the
Abbey.
Medieval London
A map of London in 1300
St Bartholomew’s the Great
In 1066, 10,000 men headed by William of Normandy (the Conqueror) took control of a country of 2 million.
Under the Normans the City of London expanded beyond its Roman walls. Churches built with Caen stone sprung up
on every corner and, by the end of the 12th century, there were no fewer than 126 parish churches in the square mile.
The population of London in 1100 was 15,000 – by 1300 there were about 80,000 people living there.
‘Smooth field’ (Smithfield) was an open space north of the city that was originally a trading area for cloth in one part,
and cattle in another. In the 14th century it became a centre of entertainment, a place of duels, jousts, football
matches, prostitution and executions – perhaps most famously that of William Wallace in 1305. Many of the streets
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in this district remind us of their former purpose: Cowcross Street, Chick Lane, Giltspur Street (jousting), Cock
Street, Cloth Fair Lane, Barley Mow Lane etc.
From the 13th century, monasteries, priories and abbeys were built on the edges of cities – orders including the
Augustinians, Franciscans, Carmelites, Benedictines and Dominicans all came to the cities to preach and to help the
poor. Monasteries were considered mediators between the living and the dead, as well as power-houses to avert the
wrath of God and protect the people from the devil. The Medieval church owned 1/5 of the country and received
1/10 (‘tithes’) of a person’s income in return for spiritual protection.
St Bartholomew’s the Great was founded in 1123 by Rahere, originally a jester at the court of King Henry I. During
a pilgrimage to Rome Rahere is said to have seen St Bartholomew in a vision, and was instructed to build a church in
the saint’s honour back in London. St Bart’s was the third Augustinian house in London (after St Mary Overie built in
1106 and Holy Trinity Aldgate built in 1107). Rahere lived to see the completion of the church and served as prior
to the church and to the hospital that he also founded.
Temple Church
In 1095 Muslims conquered the Holy Land, prompting Pope Urban II to make a sermon that changed the face of
history. He urged Christian knights to march towards Jerusalem to free it from Muslim rule - thousands met his call.
This was different from other wars; the knights were authorized by the pope and if you died on a crusade then all
your sins would be forgiven.
The Order of the Knights of the Templar was founded in 1119 by two French knights, Hugh de Payens and Godfrey
de Saint Omer. They took it upon themselves to protect pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem and in order to generate
wealth and men for the mission they travelled around Europe promoting themselves. They were bought to England
by Henry I and there they were showered with property, gifts and financial aid.
The Temple Church of St Mary was the second Templar church in London and was consecrated in 1185 by Heraclius,
the Patriarch of Jerusalem. It was part of a much larger complex that housed the needs of the knights. In the early
14th century the Templars were criticised for becoming less mindful of the needs of pilgrims and more concerned
with the administration of their estates. In 1307 Phililp IV of France wanted to seize Templar property and arrested
every Templar in France. After a long period of inquisition, hundreds confessed under torture and many died on the
stake. In the rest of Europe, the Templars were suppressed following a decree at the Council of Vienne in 1312.
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Some say that before the Grand Master’s death in 1314, he secretly appointed someone to succeed him and the line
remains unbroken to this day.
Shakespeare’s London
Though not a native Londoner, William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) made himself in London. We think that 1587
was the year that he came to the capital, having attached himself to a group of players when they performed near
Stratford-upon-Avon. London was then a teeming place. Today the City from Tower to Fleet Street houses some
9,000 people. In 1600 the population of the area comprised some 200,000 souls. London was a magnet for ambitious
young men, it was a city where careers could be made and fortunes won.
William Shakespeare
South of the City was Bankside, the playground of the early 1600s. Outside the jurisdiction of the Lord Mayor and
Corporate, it was a notorious place, frequented by the young rogues of town seeking pleasure in the alehouses,
theatres, bull-baiting pits and the ‘stews’ (brothels). Four theatres were established here: the Globe, the Rose, the
Hope and the Swan. The very first theatre in London took the original title ‘The Theatre’. Built in Shoreditch in 1576
by James Burbage, a carpenter and travelling player, it stood until 1598, when the freeholder decided to capitalise on
the theatre’s success by tripling the rent. On the day the lease expired, the company dismantled The Theatre and slid
the timbers across the frozen river, where they were used for the Globe, which was to be the venue for the greatest
of Shakespeare’s plays.
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The Globe Theatre was in Maiden Lane, a polygonal 22-sided building with a thatched roof. Playgoers would queue
up at the entrance and drop their pennies into a box, one penny paid for the Pit, or Yard, two for the gallery, three
for cushion. All the boxes were taken to the ‘box office’, where the cash was counted. Today the Globe seat 1,500;
the original catered for an estimated 3,000. Although on average people were smaller in stature than today, it was
still a very crowded auditorium.
With an audience made up of merchants, artisans, apprentices, courtiers, country bumpkins and foreign tourists, it
would have taken great skill from the actors to hold attention. Actors had to have a variety of talents; a good loud
speaking voice, and be adept at music, dancing, tumbling and stage fighting. Sometimes 10 different plays were put
on in as many weeks.
The Modern Globe Theatre, Bankside
These theatres were all demolished in the 1640s when the Puritans banned all forms of public pleasure, and the
original site of the Globe is now marked with a plaque. Archaeologists discovered trade-tokens on the site – coins that
could only be exchanged in the alehouses. The new Globe stands not on the original site but in a prime position on
the Bankside, opposite St Paul’s Cathedral.
The theatre has proved a huge success, thanks to Sam Wanamaker and all those around the world who raised money
for the project. Above the new theatre’s entrance is displayed a huge portrait of Shakespeare, in tribute to his legacy.
His plays express for us the range of the human condition. He took the twigs and branches of language and storyline
and made these flower as no one had done before, or has done since.
Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ – a synopsis
Prior to the first act, an induction frames the play as a "kind of history" played in front of a befuddled drunkard
named Christopher Sly who is tricked into believing that he is a lord.
In the play performed for Sly, the "Shrew" is Katherina Minola, the eldest daughter of Baptista Minola, a Lord in
Padua. Katherina's temper is notorious and it is thought no man would ever wish to marry her. On the other hand,
two men – Hortensio and Gremio – are eager to marry her younger sister Bianca. However, Baptista has sworn not
to allow his younger daughter to marry before Katherina is wed, much to the despair of her suitors, who agree that
they will work together to marry off Katherina so that they will be free to compete for Bianca.
The plot becomes more complex when Lucentio, who has recently come to Padua to attend university, sees Bianca
and instantly falls in love with her. Lucentio overhears Baptista announce that he is on the lookout for tutors for his
daughters, so he has his servant Tranio pretend to be him while he disguises himself as a Latin tutor named Cambio,
so that he can woo Bianca behind Baptista's back.
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Act 4, Scene 3 of the Shrew by CR Leslie
In the meantime, Petruchio arrives in Padua, accompanied by his witty servant, Grumio. Petruchio tells his old friend
Hortensio that he has set out to seek his fortune "farther than at home/Where small experience grows" (1.2.50–51)
and that his main business "happily to wive and thrive as best I may" (1.2.55). Hearing this, Hortensio seizes the
opportunity to recruit Petruchio as a suitor for Katherina. He also has Petruchio present to Baptista a music tutor
named Litio (Hortensio himself in disguise). Thus, Lucentio and Hortensio, pretending to be the teachers Cambio
and Litio, attempt to woo Bianca unbeknownst to her father, and to one another.
Petruchio, to counter Katherina's shrewish nature, woos her with reverse psychology, pretending that every harsh
thing she says or does is kind and gentle. Katherina allows herself to become engaged to Petruchio, and they are
married in a farcical ceremony during which (amongst other things) he strikes the priest and drinks the communion
wine, and then takes her home against her will. Once they are gone, Gremio and Tranio (disguised as Lucentio)
formally bid for Bianca, with Tranio easily promising Baptista that he can make Bianca richer. However, in his zeal to
win, he promises much more than the real Lucentio actually possesses, and Baptista determines that once Lucentio's
father confirms the dowry Bianca is his. Tranio thus decides that they will need someone to pretend to be Vincentio,
Lucentio's father, at some point in the near future. Elsewhere, as part of their scheme, Tranio persuades Hortensio
that Bianca is not worthy of his attentions, thus removing any problems he may cause.
Elizabeth Taylor as Katherina
Meanwhile, in Petruchio's house, he begins the "taming" of his new wife, using more reverse psychology. She is
refused food and clothing because nothing – according to Petruchio – is good enough for her; he claims perfectly
cooked meat is overcooked, a beautiful dress doesn't fit right, and a stylish hat is not fashionable. Finally, Katherina
comes to understand Petruchio's methods of taming, and when they are on the way back to Padua to attend Bianca's
wedding, she willingly agrees with Petruchio that the sun is the moon, and proclaims that "if you please to call it a
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rush-candle,/Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me" (4.5.14–15). They also meet Vincentio who is also on his way
to Padua, and Katherina eagerly agrees with Petruchio when he declares that Vincentio is a woman.
Meanwhile, back in Padua, Lucentio and Tranio convince a passing pedant to pretend to be Vincentio and confirm the
dowry for Bianca. The man does so, and Baptista is happy for Bianca to wed Lucentio (actually Tranio in disguise).
Bianca then secretly elopes with the real Lucentio. However, Vincentio then arrives in Padua, and encounters the
Pedant, who claims to be Lucentio's father. Tranio (disguised as Lucentio) appears, and the Pedant acknowledges him
to be his son Lucentio. There is much confusion about identities, and the real Vincentio is about to be arrested when
the real Lucentio appears with his newly betrothed Bianca, and reveals all to a bewildered Baptista and Vincentio.
Lucentio explains everything that has happened and all is forgiven by the two fathers.
Meanwhile, Hortensio has married a rich widow, and so in the final scene of the play there are three newly married
couples at Baptista's banquet; Bianca and Lucentio, the widow and Hortensio, and Katherina and Petruchio. Because
of the general opinion that Petruchio is married to a shrew, a quarrel breaks out about whose wife is the most
obedient. Petruchio proposes a wager whereby each will send a servant to call for their wives, and whichever comes
most obediently will have won the wager for her husband. Katherina is the only one of the three who comes, winning
the wager for Petruchio. At the end of the play, after the other two wives have been hauled into the room by
Katherina, she gives a speech on the subject of why wives should always obey their husbands, and tells them that their
husbands ask only "love, fair looks and true obedience" (5.2.153). The play ends with Baptista, Hortensio and
Lucentio marvelling at Petruchio's taming of the shrew.
The Fire of London and the rebuilding of the City Churches
The pink area, shows the part of the London burnt by the Great Fire
The Great Fire began on Sunday 2 September, 1666 at Pudding Lane in the City of London. The fire raged for
almost 5 days, leaving 436 acres lost, 12,000 homes destroyed, 65,000 inhabitants homeless, and 85 of the 107 City
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parish churches gutted. The old St Paul’s Cathedral burnt for two days and two nights leaving only a skeleton. In
order to stop the blaze, fire breaks were created by blowing up houses at both the east and west ends of the spread.
After the fire, King Charles II, who returned to the English throne in 1660, ceaselessly promoted ‘Restoration
London’. This was to be a new, modern world capital suitable to glorify the Stuart Kingdom. He wanted London to
be the greatest Baroque capital city in the world and employed Christopher Wren to help realise this vision.
Christopher Wren, 1632 – 1723, was born to a high Anglican family. Both his uncle and father had been deans of
Windsor and thus were closely linked to the Crown. Wren was England’s answer to Leonardo, and with his highly
inquisitive and modern mind he found himself Professor of Geometry and Astronomy at Gresham College at the age
of 25. In 1662 he helped form the Royal Society and though his career looked set to be that of an astronomer, the
Great Fire crafted an architect out of him.
With the aid of the coal tax funds, Wren was commissioned to built 51 new churches in the City as well as build a
new St Paul’s, the first ever Anglican Cathedral.
St Paul’s Cathedral
The first building on this site was thought to be a temple to Diana, crowning Ludgate Hill in the heart of Roman
Londinium. In 604AD St Mellitus founded a Christian Cathedral on these ruins. After the conquest a vast Norman
cathedral, exemplifying the strength and power of the invaders, was built in Caen stone. This was even bigger than
the St Paul’s we know today. In 1285 the precincts of the Cathedral were enclosed with walls that now roughly mark
out Creed Lane, Ave Maria Lane, Paternoster Square and Carter Lane.
Old St Paul’s
‘Architecture has its political Use; publick Building being the Ornament of a Country; it establishes a Nation, draws People and
Commerce; makes the People love their native Country…The Emulation of the Cities of Greece was the true Cause of their
Greatness. The obstinate Valour of the Jews, occasioned by the Love of their Temple, was a Cement that held together that People,
for many Ages, through infinite Changes…Architecture aims at Eternity’. Christopher Wren on the importance of
architecture.
It took Wren 3 attempts to satisfy the commission for the design of the new St Paul’s Cathedral – his previous two
attempts were considered to be too ‘papist’. It was only with the persuasion of Charles II that he was able to create
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the all-important dome that the Cathedral has today. The Warrant Design was passed in 1675 and the building was
finished in 1711.
At 64,000 tons, and with three skins, the pinnacle of the dome stands 365 from the ground, 1 foot for every day of
the year. The weight is distributed onto 8 massive open arched piers that give a light and weightless feel to this
colossal structure. Directly beneath the dome is the famous epitaph reading ‘Reader, if you seek his monument, look
around you’. This also is written on Wren’s tomb in the crypt.
Wren scaled Europe to find the most exceptional craftsmen to work in the Cathedral. William Kempster carved
much of the stone, Grinling Gibbons worked on the wood (see the choir stalls) and Jean Tijou worked on the gates
and other metal work.
Other art in the Cathedral includes the pre-fire monument of John Donne, Dean of St Paul’s from 1621-31; James
Thornhill’s grisailles from the life of St Paul in the dome, painted 1716-19; choir mosaics by William Blake
Richmond, crafted in the Art Deco style in response to Queen Victoria’s proclamation that this ‘chilly cathedral’
needed livening up; and the baldocchino of SE Dykes Bower, made to Wren’s original designs.
The façade of the Cathedral epitomises Wren’s Baroque architecture with the original double portico and twin
baroque tower. On the south façade you will find the Phoenix rising above the words RESURGAM – ‘I will rise
again’.
In the Beginning of the new Works of St Paul’s, an Incident was taken notice of by some People as a memorable Omen, when the
Surveyor in Person had set out, upon the Place, the Dimensions of the great Dome, and fixed upon the Centre, a common Labourer
was ordered to bring a flat Stone from the Heaps of Rubbish (such as should first come to Hand) to be laid for a Mark and Direction
to the Masons; the Stone which was immediately brought down for that Purpose, happened to be a Piece of a Grave-Stone, with
nothing remaining of the Inscription but this single work in large capitals RESURGAM. John Evelyn.
Georgian London
A map of London from 1700
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London changed dramatically over the 18th century. During this time the population increased from 500,000 in 1700
to more than 1,000,000 in 1811. It also expanded out of the square mile city surrounded by small villages, to a
rapidly growing urban and residential centre, encompassing Tyburn and Westminster.
At the beginning of the 18th century London was abominably unclean and very dangerous. There was no welfare
system to support the increasing poor who were stacking themselves up in tenements in the east. By the end of the
century the west end had become a sophisticated and fashionable part of town, though the east remained miserably
impoverished and dominated by manufacturing districts.
Hogarth’s Gin Lane
The 18th century was a time of intense ambition; everywhere one looked there was an extraordinary energy and
drive, a feeling of possibility. This century witnessed the work of Wren, Newton, Pope, Burlington, Coram,
Hogarth, Handel, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Goldsmith, Garrick, Johnson, Fox, Pitt, Austen, Paine, Soane, Turner
and many, many more.
Handel House
Handel, born in 1685, travelled to Italy in 1704 to study music. In 1710 he was made ‘Kapellmeister’ to George,
Elector of Hanover. The same year he moved to London to work for Queen Anne. In 1713 the Queen gave him an
annual salary after the success of his Te Deum and Jubilate for the Peace of Utrecht. In 1723 Handel bought 25 Brook
Street in London, where he lived for 36 years until his death in 1759. In the 1990’s the Handel House trust was set
up and the building put back to its mid 18th century state. Only the stair and upstairs doorway is original.
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The Soane Museum
The sculpture court in the Soane Museum
Sir John Soane, 1753-1837, was England’s first professional architect. He trained under George Dance the Younger
and Henry Holland. After studying at the Royal Academy Schools he received the prestigious Kings Travelling
Scholarship in 1778. After extensive travels in Italy he returned to England and succeeded Sir Robert Taylor as
architect and surveyor to the Bank of England. The bank became his life project. Soane married the wealthy Eliza
Smith and together they had two sons John and George.
In 1792 Soane bought 13 Lincoln’s Inn to house his growing collection of paintings, sculpture and natural curiosities.
He later bought numbers 12 and 14 in order to accommodate his acquisitions and architectural ambitions. At his
death in 1837, Soane bequeathed the house to the nation under the condition that it would not be changed. It is
therefore a veritable time capsule back into the mind of this extraordinary man.
The collection highlights include Hogarth’s The Rakes Progress and Election series and the vast alabaster tomb of Seti I.
Yet most impressive of all is the immensity of the collection, the harmony that the whole retains and the fascinating
way in which it has been laid out. Soane personally placed thousands of objects in rooms that clearly illustrate his
fascination in atmosphere, the effects of light and intriguing space. He used mirrors, concealed lamps, clear and
coloured glass, grilles and moving walls to stimulate the senses and unsettle the mind.
20th Century London
Modern and Contemporary architecture in City
One New Change – Jean Nouvel. This building is a deliberate attempt to bring shoppers and possibly even residents
into the city. After 1840 the population of the City decreased dramatically from 123,000 people in 1841 to only
27,000 in 1901. Now the figures lie closer to 10,000. The building, with its use of the new ‘prown’ colour has
opened up hitherto unseen views of the Cathedral. Opened in October 2010, it has become a thoroughly
controversial building created on one of the most sensitive sites in the whole of Great Britain – directly in front of St
Paul’s.
The Shard – Renzo Piano. When completed later on in 2012 it will be the tallest building in the EU at 1,016 feet and
the first major skyscraper south of the river.
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Lloyd’s of London
The awe-inspiring Lloyd’s Building
Pre 1652 no-one in London had ever tasted coffee. Whilst travelling around the Eastern Mediterranean Daniel
Edwards came across the drink and bought it home, claiming that it ‘closes the Orifices of the Stomach, helpeth Digestion
and quickeneth the Spiris, and maketh the Heart lightsome’. The people of London flocked to try it and soon coffee houses
were springing up all over the City.
In the 1680’s Edward Lloyd’s coffee house was established in Pope’s Head Alley. It became a meeting place for ship’s
captains, owners and merchants and by 1769 a new, larger coffee house was built that catering only for customers
concerned with shipping insurance.
Due to continued growth, in the 20th century alone Lloyd’s have traded in a ‘’28 Building’ designed by Sir Edwin
Cooper, a ‘’58 Building’ designed by Terence Heysham and now the ‘’86 Building’ designed by Lord Rogers.
Richard Rogers was born in Florence in 1933. One of his earliest architectural partnerships was called Team 4 that
included Norman Foster and the Cheeseman sisters. T4 split in 1967 and it was around this time that Rogers met
Renzo Piano, with whom he started work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris.
Rogers won the competition to design a new Lloyd’s building in 1986. His post-modern model was approved largely
due to its flexibility, allowing the building to expand and contract depending on the size of the market.
Right from its birth the building has been controversial, loathed and loved in equal measure. Rogers’ use of concrete
and steel as the main materials, and the positioning of the services on the outside of the building have led to phrases
being coined such as ‘the building on a life-support machine’, ‘the coffee house turned coffee machine’ and ‘the
inside-out building’.
Central to Rogers’ design approach is the balance between the public and private domain. He believes that external
spaces should function as rooms without roofs, thus encouraging a people friendly environment and public activity.
Being able to walk underneath the Lloyd’s building (as well as providing some fascinating vistas) perhaps achieves this
aim.
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