Battle of the styles : society, culture and the design of the new Foreign Office, 1855-1861 / Bernard Porter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Porter, Bernard, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Foreign Office (London, England : Building).

London (England)--Buildings, structures, etc.

London (England).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London, [England] : Continuum, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The present-day Foreign Office in Whitehall is an imposing building whose genesis is bizarre. In 1857 a competition was held to pick an architect, which provoked a huge row between the rival 'Classical' and 'Gothic' schools, which a 'Goth' (George Gilbert Scott) won - but was then forced to re-design in Classical. The circumstances surrounding this fiasco furnish the starting-point for this book; which then goes on to analyse the debate that preceded this decision, for the light it sheds on the complex nature of British culture and society then. Among issues raise were contemporary and conflic

Contents:

CONTENTS; Illustrations; Preface; 1 The Battle Joined; 2 A Hybrid Society; 3 Early Skirmishes; 4 A Grand and National Work; 5 Worthy of our Imperial City; 6 The Lamp of Morality; 7 An Architecture for our Age; 8 Not the Most Interesting Public Question of the Day; 9 A Change for the Worse

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-283-27209-1

9786613272096

1-4411-6872-9

OCLC:

710974928