Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau architecture is not something that England is overly familiar with. If I were to ask you to go through the architectural history of the country from the Tudor period onwards, I bet many of you would bypass this form.

This is not overly surprising (I'll admit, I have only even discovered it!!) as the general period only lasts two decades and it was overshadowed by its more popular sister Art Deco a decade later. Originating from the Arts and Craft Movement by William Morries, it’s main hold was over European cities such as Paris and Brussels, with the Winter Garden at Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver.  Where natural and feminie designs were swept up in all forms from fashion to architecture.

Scotland, Glasgow especially, is possibly the only main part of the Uk where Art Nouveau has had a lasting effect.

The Glasgow School of Art, built by Charles Rennie McIntosh, was built between 1897 and 1909 and is the epitome of this architectural design. Although the building itself is rather domineering in its large symmetrical façade, the iron work that flows through both the internal and external front follows organic, natural designs that flow into smooth shapes. The shapes include, flowers, women, birds etc.

Canada House in Manchester (1909) and the Edward Everard Building in Bristol (1900 -01) are other examples throughout the Uk.

Canada House, Cheptsow Street, Manchester - Grade II

The Edward Everard Building, Bristol - Grade II*

Gloucester Blackfriars

I felt rather lucky yesterday, part of my job sometimes is to wander round historic buildings making sure what we think is there, is actually there. Very tedious, I know!!

Well, yesterday just happened to be one of those days. The building in which I was lucky enough to visit was Blackfriars Priory in Gloucester. It is owned by Gloucester City Council and will soon be open to the public, available for weddings, conferences and gatherings or just a jolly old nose around.

Blackfriars was originally a Dominican Priory; a Roman Catholic Religious order whose uniform of black cloaks over their white habits gave them the name "black friars". There are also Greyfriars and Whitefriars. Please don't ask me the diferrence apart from their clocks, as it becomes very confusing.

After the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII from 1536-39, the priory was bought by Thomas Bell in 1542 who turned the northern range (which seems to have been the church!) into his residential dwellings. This is not as uncommon as it sounds. At the time of the dissolution, monastic sites were some of the richest in the country, owning land, titles, and various levels of expensive objects handed over by the aristocracy throughout the centuries. There are other examples of urban monastic conversion in Exeter, Coventry and London. The lack of space compared to the rural monastic conversions meant that owners became original in their use of space.

Within Blackfriars, quite surprisingly, Bell did not use either the prior’s lodgings or the dormitory for his new home, which were the more common areas for conversion as they already hosted comfortable furnishings.

The picture below shows some of the ways in which Bell converted the monastic fabric to fit his needs. He divided the northern range into three floors, through the addition of windows (at the very top) and then fireplaces on the ground and first floors.

The cloister still exists, though the covering has long gone and the western range has been replaced by Georgian terraced housing.

The southern range (yellow building) is the original Scriptorium and is thought to be the country’s oldest library. Inside on the upper floor, many individual cubicles run along the walls where the monks would sit and scribe from manuscripts. The windows are designed specifically for right-handed people with a slight lean right in order to make the most of natural light. If you were left-handed – sorry you just had to cope.

During the 19^th C this part was used a bottling factory and “clutch clinic” for old cars.

It is an absolutely fantastic building hidden away in the centre of Gloucester, whose external and internal fabric is still very much intact. I highly advise a visit to this gem of the site that will transport you back 500 years.

Vernacular Spectacular

As I have not been doing much travelling lately, I thought I would just show you a collection of vernacular housing types throughout the country.

Vernacular basically means "local". Before the industrial era and the invention of steam/railway i.e. the ability to mass produce material and then transport large numbers from one place to another, buildings were made of whatever the builders could get their hands on quickly and easily.

Consequently, houses were built to rules of thumb and were limited by the size and strength of the available materials.

Windows were small, hard to form and glass was very expensive.

Styles were common to regions, each one having it's own distinct style. This can be seen in cottages from:

Devon, to

Norfolk, to the

Highlands.

External colours were also based on local materials. The aggregate of the lime render would be a mixture of various substances particular to that area. Giving them an individual apperance unique to each region. For more information on lime read here.

Here are just a few examples throughout the country, covering various periods of vernacular architecture:

These beauties can be found in Lincoln (though make sure you are prepared to climb Steep Hill, the name is not an exaggeration!!) The one at the top is the old Norman House and the one below is the Jew's House.

Both are perfect examples of palimpsests, buildings that have been added too and changed throughout their life. Both are made of local, course stone and are medieval (12th C) in origin.

The Jew's House is one of the earliest known houses in England. The original romanesque doorway still exists under the chimney, which belongs to the fireplace upstairs. Two windows of the same period also still exist, though these have been filled in with later sash windows. The roof is also a later addition.

Similarly, the Norman House also has the remains of romanesque architecture over the door and window. The protrusion of the upper floor section with the later sash window suggests a change to the facade/internal layout.

If you are a fan of tea/coffee, you will LOVE this shop. it's shelves are filled with the most romantic concoctions that you will ever find, and the aroma is to die for.

This treasure can be found in Litchfield, near the Cathedral quarter. From it's wonky walls and roof lines. I am inclined to say the timber frame is original to the building, but the wattle and daub panelling has been replaced with brick.

It was the windows that attracted my attention.  I love their qurikyness and it looks as though the one on the first floor in the right hand corner is a filled in timber mullion window. Their shape and style make me lean toward later tudor insertions in a medieval framed building, but that is only a very basic guess.

This is again a timber framed, jettyed building that has been got at by the Georgians. If you look closely, the walls and levels are not straight but have a slight lean to them. In addition, the windows are not current to the building and have been inserted. This is possibly again tudor in origin and can be found in Cambridge on a small street running off from King's College.

This rather wonderful turret is also Cambridge, and as you can read, the street sign says it was the old Corn Exchange. This is a fantastic example of an oriel window/turret with a copper roofing. From the brick I would say this is a building belonging to the Victorian/Edwardian period. The use of stain glass in the upper story is stunning and begs the question of what was the room originally used for? Any ideas?