Overview
London is one of the world’s greatest cities, and its architecture is a unique heritage. The Tower of London is an urban castle unique in Europe, St Paul’s is one of the world’s greatest domed cathedrals, and the squares and crescents of the West End inspired Haussmann’s Paris.
In London, it is the variety of the streets, buildings, and parks that strikes the visitor. No king or government has ever set its mark here. Private ownership has shaped the city, and architects have served a wide variety of clients. London’s Classical era produced an elegant townscape between 1600 and 1830, but medieval, Tudor, and Victorian London were a potpourri of buildings large and small, each making its own design statement.
In London: An Architectural History Anthony Sutcliffe takes the reader through two thousand years of architecture from the sublime to the mundane. With over 300 color illustrations the book is intended for the general reader and especially those visiting London for the first time.
Synopsis
London is one of the world’s greatest cities, and its architecture is a unique heritage. The Tower of London is an urban castle unique in Europe, St Paul’s is one of the world’s greatest domed cathedrals, and the squares and crescents of the West End inspired Haussmann’s Paris.
In London, it is the variety of the streets, buildings, and parks that strikes the visitor. No king or government has ever set its mark here. Private ownership has shaped the city, and architects have served a wide variety of clients. London’s Classical era produced an elegant townscape between 1600 and 1830, but medieval, Tudor, and Victorian London were a potpourri of buildings large and small, each making its own design statement.
In London: An Architectural History Anthony Sutcliffe takes the reader through two thousand years of architecture from the sublime to the mundane. With over 300 color illustrations the book is intended for the general reader and especially those visiting London for the first time.
Library Journal
Written from a historian's-not an architect's-viewpoint (Sutcliffe is a professor emeritus at the Univ. of Leicester), this book "seeks the distinctive character of a great city's architecture as it has evolved throughout its history." It covers 2000 years, from the work of Roman times to the newest Docklands architecture, with the themes of building materials, squares, courtyards, London architects, fire, and flimsiness running throughout each chapter. Sutcliffe emphasizes exterior architecture easily seen by the casual stroller and avoids interiors that, post-9/11, are difficult to access. As evidenced by the meager two paragraphs devoted to Hampton Court Palace, this is definitely a survey of architecture. Written in easily understandable language and well illustrated with 200 color and 150 black-and-white images, this book will ably serve general readers; in addition, its extensive bibliography, index, and endnotes are useful reference tools for students and scholars. Recommended for all libraries.-Nancy J. Mactague, Aurora Univ. Lib., IL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.