English Renaissance Elizabethan Jacobean and Georgian architecture styles during the 15th to 18th Century

1. Prof. Amal Shah, Faculty of Design, CEPT University
HISTORY OF DESIGN
A JOU RNEY INTO T H E H ISTORY OF A RC H IT EC T U RE A ND INT ERIOR D ES IG N
ENGLISH RENAISSANCE
E l i z a b e t h a n – J a c o b e a n - G e o r g i a n

2. English Renaissance
Factors governing the Era
Geology:
In the increase of population and cultivation of the land, the
forests were reduced, and wood had been gradually disused as
an external building material, so that the timber architecture of
the mediaeval period had died out.
Climate:
A great increase of warmth was found necessary
as greater comfort was demanded, and the opening out of the
great coal industry, by cheapening fuel, led to each room having
a fireplace.
Religion:
In the early part of the sixteenth century a stir in religious
matters took place in Western Europe, partly on account of
abuses having crept into the Church, which the Popes failed to
rectify, and also because the authority of the Pope was
increasingly felt to be irritating.
The suppression of the monasteries (1536-1540) caused the
diffusion of vast sums of money and land, which Henry VIII
distributed freely among his courtiers.
Social and Political:
The Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) caused a terrible
destruction of life, while the ancient nobility was almost
entirely annihilated. This resulted in period of architectural
depression, from which there was a reaction at the end of the
fifteenth century.
The new nobility and rich merchants were naturally more
inclined to any fresh undertaking; they desired, moreover,
important country houses, being anxious to provide themselves
with the stuff suited to their rank, or newly acquired wealth.

3. English Renaissance
Social and Political:
The extended use of gunpowder rendered ancient castles
with thick walls obsolete, and newer fortresses tended to
become merely military posts, no longer habitable as
palaces by a king, or as seats by the nobility.
The introduction of printing by Caxton (1476) aided the
new movement, as the hoarded knowledge of the world
could then be disseminated, causing the growth of men's
ideas and the increased spread of knowledge throughout
the country.
The reign of Elizabeth (A.D. 1558-1603) inaugurated the
era of the building of the great domestic mansions.
Flemish and German workers and weavers came to
England in large numbers, settling in the eastern counties
especially, thereby influencing the architecture of certain
districts. In literature the writings of Shakespeare had
considerable influence.
Historical:
Henry VIII. had undisputed possession of the English
crown. Henry declared the Pope to have no jurisdiction in
England, and Edward VI (His son) continued the
Reformation.
The defeat of the Spanish Naval fleet in 1588, marked the
decline of Spanish power in Europe.
English Art declined in the following years. However it
was revived in 1851.

4. English Renaissance
English Renaissance architecture may be divided into
the following periods:
1. Elizabethan (A.D. 1558-1603)
2. Jacobean (A.D. 1603-1625)
3. Anglo- Classic (17th Century)
4. Georgian (18th Century)
5. Early Victorian (Nineteenth Century) (A.D. 1800-1851)
6. Late Victorian (Nineteenth Century) (1851-1901)
Social and Political:
The extended use of gunpowder rendered ancient castles with
thick walls obsolete, and newer fortresses tended to become
merely military posts, no longer habitable as palaces by a king,
or as seats by the nobility.
The introduction of printing by Caxton (1476) aided the new
movement, as the hoarded knowledge of the world could then
be disseminated, causing the growth of men's ideas and the
increased spread of knowledge throughout the country.
The reign of Elizabeth (A.D. 1558-1603) inaugurated the era of
the building of the great domestic mansions. Flemish and
German workers and weavers came to England in large
numbers, settling in the eastern counties especially, thereby
influencing the architecture of certain districts. In literature the
writings of Shakespeare had considerable influence.
Historical:
Henry VIII. had undisputed possession of the English crown.
Henry declared the Pope to have no jurisdiction in England, and
Edward VI (His son) continued the Reformation.
The defeat of the Spanish Naval fleet in 1588, marked the
decline of Spanish power in Europe. English Art declined in the
following years. However it was revived in 1851.

5. The Tudor
architectural
style is the final
development of
Medieval
architecture in
England, during
the Tudor period
(1485–1603)
and even beyond,
and also the
tentative
introduction of
Renaissance
architecture to
England.

6. The four-centered arch, now known as the Tudor
arch, was a defining feature. During the reigns of
Henry VIII and Edward VI, many Italian artists
arrived in England; their decorative features can
be seen at Hampton Court Palace, Layer Marney
Tower, Sutton Place, and elsewhere.
Typical Character of a wealthy home:
• An 'E' or 'H' shaped floor plan
• Brick and stone masonry, sometimes with half
timbers on upper floors in grand houses earlier in the
period
• Large displays of glass in very large windows several
feet long; glass was expensive so only the rich could
afford numerous large windows
• Depressed arches
• Hammer beam roofs still in use for great halls Most
windows, except large ones, are rectangular,
• Classical accents such as round-headed arches over
doors and alcoves
• Enormous ironwork for spit roasting located inside
cooking fireplaces. In the homes of the upper class
and nobility it was fashionable to show off wealth by
being able to roast all manner of animals.
• Long galleries
• Tapestries serving a triple purpose of keeping out
chill, decorating the interior, and displaying wealth. In
the wealthiest homes these may contain gold or silver
thread.
• Old houses more pleasant
to live in by the addition of
brick fireplaces and
chimneys, replacing an
open hearth.
• Long galleries
• Tapestries serving a triple
purpose of keeping out
chill, decorating the interior,
and displaying wealth.

7. The actual
architecture of
Middle class houses
was similar to
traditional medieval
styles. But
Elizabethan Houses
were framed with
massive upright,
vertical timbers.
These vertical
timbers were often
supported by
diagonal timbers.
The wattle walls
were daubed with
mortar and
whitewash was
then applied. This
process resulted in
the highly
distinctive black
and white half-
timbered
Elizabethan Houses.

8. Typical Character of a home:
Architecture Features of Half
Timbered Tudor / Elizabethan
Houses
Elizabethan houses included the
following features:
• Vertical and diagonal timbers
• High chimneys
• Overhanging first floors -
galleries
• Pillared porches
• Dormer windows
• Thatched roofs
• Leaded windows
In the Elizabethan houses of the
Upper and Middle classes panes of
glass were added, replacing horn or
wooden shutters, and the interior of
homes became lighter and airier. The
design was a casement windows.
Casement windows were attached to
a hinge which opened outwards.
Middle or Lower Class Elizabethan
houses had thatched roofs. The
materials used to make a thatched
roof was either straw or reeds.
In the Elizabethan houses of the
Lower classes an important feature,
specially in towns and cities, were
the overhanging windows in the
upper storeys of the houses. The
building of such overhangs enabled
additional floor and living space
which was not subject to ground
rent. This led to the houses in cities,
such as London, where land was
expensive to be built in close
proximity to each other forming
streets where the overhang windows
almost met. This resulted in
extremely dark streets where little
sunlight was allowed through.

9. Typical Interior Environment of a wealthy home:
• multi-paned, lattice work and casement windows
• stained glass with heraldic and ecclesiastical motifs
• rich oak panelling
• plasterwork and stone hearth surrounds
• walls adorned with tapestries and embroideries
• colours of dark brown, gold, red and green
• walls adorned with tapestries and embroideries
• velvet, damask and brocade fabrics for bed hangings and drapes
• decorative symbols of Tudor rose, thistle and fleur de lys
• trestle tables, benches, heavy chests and carved four-poster beds
• and wooden floors, encaustic tiles and plaited rush matting.

10. Elizabethan period
The Elizabethan era (1558–1603) is generally recognized
as a time of English greatness.
in 1588 English was established as the lone sea power and
opened up possibilities for economic development that
came from international trade and, eventually,
colonialism. As power and wealth flowed into England,
interest in the arts expanded: not only the poetry and
drama of Shakespeare, and the music of William Byrd, but
also the developing arts of Italy, France, and the Low
Countries.
The transition from Tudor to Elizabethan design is
gradual, with increasing emphasis on symmetry and
classical concepts of planning, along with a more frequent
introduction of Italianate classical detail.
Some well- preserved rooms in the house in Conwy called
Plas Mawr seem medieval in their irregular shapes, low
ceilings, stone or planked floors, and leaded glass
windows; but details of cornices and carved stone trim
around fi replaces have a classical basis. Ceilings of strap
work plaster reflect the continuing contact with Holland
and Flanders.
This modest, low- ceilinged room has been carefully
preserved because it was once used by Queen Elizabeth I
when she visited Wales. The leaded glass windows, stone
fireplace, elaborate plasterwork, and simple furniture are
all typical of the Elizabethan interior.

11. Elizabethan style in architecture and the decorative arts, a transitional style
of the English renaissance, which took its name from queen Elizabeth's reign
(1558–1603). During this period many large manor houses were erected by
the court nobility. The plans and facades tended more toward symmetry.
The great hall of medieval manors was retained, and features were added
that increased the occupants' comfort—a broad staircase, a long gallery
connecting the wings of the house on the upper floors, withdrawing rooms,
and bedrooms of greater size and importance. Examples of the great manors
of the period are Longleat, Wiltshire; wollaton hall, Nottinghamshire;
Kirby hall, Northamptonshire; montacute house, Somerset; and
Hardwick hall, Derbyshire. The houses were often designed by the owners
themselves, who furnished ideas that were amplified by their mason or
carpenter.
Longleat Manor
The first fully Elizabethan “great house” (as the mansions, comparable to the French châteaux,
are called in Europe) is Longleat (begun 1568), a virtual palace designed, it is thought, by Robert
Smythson.

12. The house is a near-
square rectangle,
symmetrical on all
sides, with two inner
courtyards. The
exterior is divided
into three stories by
entablature bands
and projecting
window bays are
trimmed with
classical pilasters.
Windows are many
and large.

13. Wollaton hall
Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan country house of
the 1580s. Wollaton is a classic prodigy house,
"the architectural sensation of its age", though its
builder was not a leading courtier and its
construction stretched the resources he mainly
obtained from coalmining; the original family
home was at the bottom of the hill. Though much
re-modelled inside, the "startlingly bold" exterior
remains largely intact.
Prodigy House: Prodigy house is a term for large
and showy English Tudor and Jacobean houses
built by courtiers and other wealthy families,
either "noble palaces of an awesome scale" or
"proud, ambitious heaps".
In many respects the style of the houses varies
greatly, but consistent features are a love of glass,
a high elevation, symmetrical exteriors,
consistency between all sides of the building, a
rather square plan, often with tower pavilions at
the corners that rise above the main roofline, and
a decorated skyline.
The outer exteriors of the house are more
decorated than internal exteriors such as
courtyards.

14. Inside, most houses still
had a large hall in the
medieval style, often with a
stone or wood screen at
one end. But this was only
used for eating in by the
servants, except on special
occasions. The main room
for the family to eat and live
in was the great chamber,
usually on the first floor, a
continuation of late
medieval developments.
In the 16th century a
withdrawing room was
usually added between the
great chamber and the
principal bedroom, as well
as the long gallery.
Although the first modern corridor in England was probably built in
this period, in 1579, they remained rare, and houses continued to
have most rooms only accessible through other rooms, with the
most intimate spaces of the family at the end of a suite.

15. Montacute house
Montacute is a masterpiece of Elizabethan Renaissance
architecture and design. With its towering walls of glass,
glow of ham stone, and its surrounding gardens it is a place
of beauty and wonder.
In 1601, when the Phelips family built the Elizabethan
house, they used local Ham Hill stone, as the quarry was
only a few miles away. Ham Hill stone is golden-red, and
almost glows in the sunlight, giving Montacute House a
welcoming, warm appearance.
Crimson Bedroom
This room is dominated by a large four-posted bed made
around 1612. Among the portraits hung on the walls is
one of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, painted
around 1623. Elizabeth is often known as The Winter
queen, for the brief period of her reign.
Long Gallery
The longest gallery in England, stretching 176 feet along
the top floor of the house. In theory the gallery was
intended as a place to exercise on rainy days, but in
practice many houses used it as a place to showcase family
portraits and fine furnishings.

17. Hardwick hall
Hardwick is witness to a woman who had the vision, the
wealth and the sheer audacity to construct a house that
still takes people’s breath away centuries later. The golden
stonework and the sparkling expanses of costly, but oh so
fragile glass, look down on the ruins of an earlier attempt
at building a house fit for a dynasty, but one quickly
surpassed by a totally new building.
‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall’, is a well-known
local saying that actually characterises one of the key
features of Hardwick, namely the exuberant use of an
expensive and rare material for houses in 1590s England,
namely glass. Begun in 1590 and completed only seven
years later Hardwick is a house that shouted innovation
from the same rooftops that proclaimed the builder of the
house, Elizabeth Shrewsbury, the Countess of Shrewsbury,
with her initials ‘ES’ proudly sitting atop the turrets of the
house.
This time, she hired Robert Smythson (1530-1614) to
help execute her ideas. Smythson, a freemason noted for
his work on such distinguished manors as Longleat,
Wiltshire and Wollaton Hall, Nottinghamshire, is widely
regarded as the greatest house designer of the Elizabethan
era.
The sandstone building has a rigorous symmetry; its
squareness, generous gazing, and overall austenty
combine to create a curiously modern effect. At the same
time, Hardwick is decidedly eclectic, owing to its builder,
its owner, and most of all, its era.

18. The Long Gallery runs
the entire 162-foot
(54m) width of the
second floor and is lined
with portraits and
tapestries.
Hardwick still contains
most of its original
furniture and fittings
which thoroughly reflect
its owner’s taste and
temperament.

19. Inside, the house is spatially dramatic. The rooms becomes vaster and brighter as one ascends from the service area on the ground
floor through the family and formal entertaining quarters on the first and second floors, respectively, to the third level, where the
roof and upper towers begin.

20. Elizabethan Era Furniture
• Renaissance ideas were entering Britain
during this period. Oak was still the main
timber used. Strap work carving was
popular and cut directly into solid
timber furniture.
• Furniture legs were mainly bulbous –
carved at the top and a gadroon at the
bottom with an acanthus leaf.
• Chairs were either turned or wainscoted.
• Pewter was displayed in buffets or court
cupboards.
• Beds were very large with carved posts,
a canopy and long velvet hangings often
with bulbous decoration.
• Wealth was reflected in the furniture
• Solid top refectory tables replaced the
Tudor trestle tables.
Elizabethan Furniture Characteristics
• Heavy bulbous tables – bulbous turning
often with much carved ornament such
as gadrooning, nulling and acanthus
leaves.
• Tables with 4 or 6 bulbous legs with
stretcher rails at the bottom as a footrest
to keep feet of the floor rushes.
• Melon bulb turning.
• Inlaid fruitwood.
• Elaborate four poster beds with solid or
draped testers to protect from drafts.
• Turning was produced using a foot lathe,
producing asymmetrical objects.
• Court Cupboard – the court cupboard
was developed for holding plates and
eating utensils. Cupboard space and flat
top for serving food. Hardware was
handmade and rather conspicuous.
• Bible box – the bible box appeared, these
were small side chests designed to hold
the family bible. They were later
made with a sloping top to facilitate
writing and reading. It was the
forerunner to the writing desk. They
were oak, left natural or finished with
oils or beeswax.

21. THE JACOBEAN STYLE
The Jacobean style was an evolution of the
Elizabethan, gradually deviating from
Gothic aesthetic as classic literature and
models became better known. The use of
the columns with their entablatures
became more general.
The buildings of this style were most
suitable to the wants of the people in
whose era they were built. Some of the
detail and ornamentation may be
questionable, but they were at least the
outcome of the social conditions of that age.
Jacobean furniture design continued on the
same lines as the architecture.
Characteristic features:
Layout:
• The great hall,
• the broad staircase
• the long gallery,
• Broad terraces, with balustrades, raised
above the garden level
• wide flights of steps
• Gardens were often laid out in a formal
manner
Enclosures:
• Elevations have the character of visually
charm,
• the Classic orders being used in a very
free manner, often placed one above the
other in the facades, as at Hatfield House
• The gables are often of scroll-work,
following in a general way the slope of
the roof
• The chimney stacks are special and
characteristic features being often
treated in a prominent manner with
orders, but sometimes they are of cut
brickwork, the shafts being carried up
boldly, so that they play an important
part in the composition and outline of
the house.
• Parapets are pierced with various
characteristic embellishment.
Openings:
• Bay windows were largely used and
form important features of the style
• Large heavily-mullioned windows filled
in with leaded glass, and crossed by
horizontal transoms, are special features
adopted from the late Gothic period, and
• oriel windows are common
• Dormers were largely used, and turrets
were in common use
• Arcades were often introduced
• Doorways are often elaborate in design

22. THE JACOBEAN STYLE
Roofs:
• High, flat, or low roofs with balustrades,
occur both separately and in the same
design.
• Lead and tiles were both used, and also
stone slabs in certain districts.
• The balustrade, arcaded, pierced, or
battlemented, is a constant feature
Columns:
• The orders were employed rarely with
purity, a characteristic treatment being
the reduction downwards, more
especially in pilasters, accompanied by
bulbous swellings.
• Square columns were used, banded with
strap ornamentation, and pilasters were
similarly treated or panelled.
• the topmost order is the smallest,
corresponding to the comparative
unimportance of the upper rooms.
• Arcades were much employed.
Mouldings:
• These are local and coarse in many
instances, but founded on Classic
originals. A typical cornice consists of a
large cyma and small ogee moulding
above a corona of little depth, and the
use of convex mouldings, often banded
or carved at intervals. Plaster work,
seems to have influenced in many ways
the sections employed.
Ornament:
• ornamentation was formed by raised
bands, of about the width and thickness
of a leather strap, interlaced in
grotesque patterns, and attached as if by
• nails or rivets, as in the ceilings.
• by some to have been derived from the
East, through France and Italy, in
imitation of the damascened work which
was at that period so common. This type
of detail is also found in pilasters.
• Grotesquely carved figures as terminals
occur (No. 250 c), and in carving
generally, ribbons, scrolls, and festoons
were preferred to Gothic foliage types.

23. Jacobean period
The Jacobean period (1603–49) takes its name
from James I, but also includes the reign of
Charles I. Hatfield House (from 1608) is an
irregular although symmetrical block, U- shape
in plan.
The main architectural features that define
Jacobean architecture include:
• Gables
• Turrets
• Flat roofs
• Window bays with mullioned windows
• Extruded corners
• The transverse entrance hall
• The long gallery
• The grand staircase
• And the use of the orders in non-
traditional ways
The traditional entrance hall was parallel to the
entrance facade of the building, but in many
Jacobean houses, it was made perpendicular.
This allowed it to give access to many different
rooms in the building.
The long gallery is a rather peculiar architectural
feature distinct to the Early Modern time period.
It was usually located just above the loggia
meaning it was on the second floor facing the
entrance facade. It was very narrow (often less
than 25ft) and very long, in a way recreating the
spatial grandeur sought by towering Gothic
cathedrals.
The wooden, open well staircase was also a
central feature of many houses. These grand and
often elaborately sculpted staircases dramatized
the process of moving between floors.
One feature that distinguishes Elizabethan and
Jacobean buildings from all of the architecture
before and after it was the use of classical orders
but not as structural framework. They became a
kind of imposed ornamentation.

24. Hatfield House
The Jacobean period (1603–49) takes its name from
James I, but also includes the reign of Charles I. Hatfield
House (from 1608) is an irregular although symmetrical
block, U- shape in plan.
The present Jacobean house, a leading example of the
prodigy house, was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, First
Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I and
has been the home of the Cecil family ever since.
Superb examples of Jacobean craftsmanship can be seen
throughout Hatfield House such as the Grand Staircase
with its fine carving and the rare stained glass window in
the private chapel.

26. Inigo Jones
In London, the introduction by Inigo Jones of Portland
stone, a material very similar in weathering and effect to
that used in the Renaissance palaces of Venice, had its
influence.
The use of brick received a great impetus after the Fire of
London, and was again brought into prominence on the
introduction of the Dutch fashion, and thus “Flemish”
bond, as a technical term, has its significance.
was the first significant English architect in the Jacobean era,
and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and
symmetry in his buildings.
As the most notable architect in England, Jones was the first
person who introduced the classical architecture of Rome
and the Italian Renaissance to Britain.
He left his mark on London by single buildings, such as the
Queen's House which is the first building in England
designed in a pure classical style, and the Banqueting House,
and Whitehall palace.

27. Inigo Jones
More than 1000 buildings have been attributed to Jones
but only a very small number of those are certain to be his
work.
Jones first became famous as a designer of costumes and
stage settings. under Queen Anne's patronage, he is
credited with introducing movable scenery.
On a trip to Rome, Jones was exposed to the architecture
of Rome, Padua, Florence, Vicenza, Genoa and Venice
among others.

28. Jacobean period Furniture
The early Jacobean furniture period, which inspired much
of the early American furniture of the pilgrims (in
America Jacobean style furniture is often called Pilgrim
furniture), was similar to Elizabethan furniture in that it
was still largely made of oak, and of a solid, sturdy
construction. Early Jacobean furniture was somewhat
inward looking, not fully embracing exotic influences, and
its ornamentation became less prominent and applied in a
less willy-nilly, more ordered, fashion than previously, as
can be seen in pictures of early carved furniture.
A highlight of the period were Jacobean chairs in
particular the Farthingale, and also the development of its
mule chests and long tables.
The characteristics of Jacobean furniture was that the
furniture was usually large in sizing, was made to be
sturdy and was certainly made to last a long time.
However these practical aspects to furniture design had
one major drawback, in that the furniture was notoriously
uncomfortable. Most of the Jacobean furniture pieces
consisted of trestle tables, some chairs, chests and other
cupboards, and some three legged circular tables as well.
Jacobean furniture was usually constructed from two
distinct types of wood, namely oak and pine, although
other woods were used. Oak and pine were the most
popular wood choices during this period.
The latter period of Jacobean design had more
embellishments on the furniture, with most tables being
adorned with carved panels and other ornamental twists.
Some even had extremely ornate Flemish scrolls which
made the furniture seem stately in a sense.

29. Jacobean period Furniture
Chairs in the Jacobean era were solidly built of oak wood.
Some Jacobean chairs were much like those of the Louis
XIII style, having the short solid wood back covered with
leather, damask, or tapestry, put on with brass or silver
nails and fringe around the edge of the seat.
Farthingale Chairs: An extreme changing in women's
dresses length that had begun during the Elizabethan
period (see Elizabethan dress) and continued under
James I where the farthingales or whalebone hooped
petticoats ballooned in size led to the development of
Elizabethan or Jacobean "farthingale" chairs. These oak
chairs were designed to accommodate and show off
women's farthingales.
Dining tables of the Jacobean furniture era were massive
items, handmade of oak, and sometimes of elm or yew,
with many at an extra long 8 legs.
In their decorating and ornamentation they were
considerably more restrained than Elizabethan tables,
their immediate forebears. Less carving was to be seen
and the bulbous legs of yesteryear had become baluster
turned. Their architectural friezes were often fluted or
carved, sometimes inlaid, with small brackets used at the
joins between frieze and legs.

30. Carolean, William and Mary, Queen
Anne styles
Restoration style, also known as Carolean style (from the
Latin Carolus (Charles), refers to the decorative arts
popular in England from the restoration of the monarchy
in 1660 to the late 1680s after Charles II (reigned 1660–
1685).
“Restoration style” slowly replaced the Puritan severity of
the style with a taste for magnificence and opulence and
to the introduction of Dutch and French artistic influences.
These are evident in furniture in the use of floral
marquetry, walnut instead of oak, twisted turned supports
and legs, exotic veneers, cane seats and backs on chairs,
sumptuous tapestry and velvet upholstery and ornate
carved and gilded scrolling bases for cabinets.
The growing power of English East India Company
resulted in increased imports of exotic commodities from
China and Japan, including tea, porcelain and lacquer, and
chintzes from India.
This led to a craze for chinoiserie, reflected on the
development of imitation lacquer (Japanning), blue and
white decoration on ceramics, flat-chased scenes of
Chinese-style figures and landscapes on silver and new
forms of silver as teapots, as well as colourful Indian-style
crewelwork bed-hangings and curtains.
Chinoiserie: a decorative style in Western art, furniture,
and architecture, especially in the 18th century,
characterized by the use of Chinese motifs and techniques.

32. Georgian Period
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-
speaking countries to the set of architectural styles
current between 1714 and 1830.
In America the term "Georgian" is generally used to
describe all building from the period, regardless of style;
in Britain it is generally restricted to buildings that are
"architectural in intention", and have stylistic
characteristics that are typical of the period, though that
covers a wide range.
The style of Georgian buildings is very variable, but
marked by a taste for symmetry and proportion based on
the classical architecture of Greece and Rome, as revived
in Renaissance architecture. Ornament is also normally in
the classical tradition, but typically rather restrained, and
sometimes almost completely absent on the exterior.
The period brought the vocabulary of classical
architecture to smaller and more modest buildings than
had been the case before, replacing English vernacular
architecture (or becoming the new vernacular style) for
almost all new middle-class homes and public buildings
by the end of the period.
The Georgian style, identified by its symmetrical
composition and formal, classical details, was the most
prevalent style in the English colonies throughout the
18th century. It was the first architect-inspired style in
America, a distinct departure from the more utilitarian,
earlier buildings that followed prevailing folk traditions.
The Georgian style arrived in America via British
architectural building manuals called pattern books
around 1700.

33. Georgian Period
Geographic Range:
Georgian houses are most
commonly found along the
eastern seaboard, where
English influence was
concentrated. Today, most
examples survive in seacoast
communities that did not
continue to grow rapidly
during the nineteenth century
such as Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, and Newport,
Rhode Island.
Typical Features:
• Symmetry, centered façade
entry with windows aligned
horizontally and vertically
• One or two-story box, two
rooms deep
• Commonly side-gabled and
sometimes with a gambrel
or hipped roof
• Raised foundation
• Panelled front doors, capped
with a decorative crown
(entablature); often
supported by decorative
pilasters; and with a
rectangular transom above
(later high-style examples
may have fanlight transoms)
• Cornice emphasized by
decorative mouldings,
commonly dentils
• Double-hung sash windows
with small lights (nine or
twelve panes) separated by
thick wooden muntin
• Five-bay façade (less
commonly three or seven)
• Centre chimneys are found
in examples before 1750
• Wood-frame with shingle or
clapboard walls (upper
windows touch cornice in
most two-story examples)
Interior Features:
• Central hall plan
• High ceilings (10-11 feet)
smoothly plastered, painted
and decorated with moulded
or carved ornament (high-
style)
• Elaborate mantelpieces,
panelling, stairways and
arched openings copied
from pattern books (high-
style)
High-Style Elaborations:
• Pedimented windows and
dormers
• Belt course between stories
(masonry examples)
• Quoins of stone or wood
imitating stone

34. Georgian Period
Planning and Details:
• Symmetrical shape
• Center hall axis plan
• Classical porticos
• Glass fanlights and geometrical patterns
• Large square rooms
• Sash, double-hung windows
• Staircases
• A center hall stairway
• Pediment doorway
• Decorated classical cornice with dentils
• Lintels above rectangular window
• Side-gabled or hipped roof
• Stone or brick walls
• Transom window over paneled front door
• Belt course
• Corner quoins

35. Georgian Period in America
In internal decoration, the elaborate detail of Elizabethan
and Jacobean work gave way to a dignified and formal
treatment. wall panelling oak panelling designs,
commonly of oak, covered the walls from floor to ceiling.
Panels became larger and their arrangement followed
studied principles of proportion. A horizontal moulding,
about three feet from the floor, usually formed a dividing
line between the low wide dado panels and the tall upper
panels which finished at the ceiling with a cornice of wood
or plaster.
The eighteenth century in England was the golden age of
books illustrating architecture and furniture design. The
approximately 250 different architectural titles and 40
furniture titles published were a principal means for the
transmission of London designs throughout the English-
speaking world, and they deserve much of the credit for the
pleasing proportions and quality construction that
characterize Georgian architecture and furniture
, be it from London, Dublin, or Philadelphia.
For Further reading: English Pattern Books in
Eighteenth-Century America by Morrison H. Heckscher
and Peter M. Kenny
The floors were wood, generally pine planks, without
stain or varnish Floor cloths were very common
Sisal and rag rugs were suitable for more casual rooms
The more refined the room the smoother the textures
Smooth, slick, very even textures are hallmark of more
refined Georgian interiors.

36. Georgian Period: Materials

38. Georgian Period Furniture
Designers distinguished themselves in the late Georgian Period,
this is known as the “The Golden Age of Furniture”. The
designers were:
• Thomas Chippendale 1745-1780
• Hepplewhite 1760-1790
• Adam 1760-1792
• Sheraton 1790-1806
Queen Anne furniture is "somewhat smaller, lighter, and more
comfortable than its predecessors," and examples in common
use include "curving shapes, the cabriole leg, cushioned seats,
wing-back chairs, and practical secretary desk-bookcase
pieces."
Other elements characterizing the style include pad feet and
"an emphasis on line and form rather than ornament." The style
of Queen Anne's reign is sometimes described as late Baroque
rather than "Queen Anne.“
THOMAS CHIPPENDALE IS arguably the most famous
furniture designer of all time. The description “Chippendale”
has become a generic term applied to furniture made in London
between about 1750 and 1765, and has come to represent
timeless design excellence.
As well as his impact on English furniture, Chippendale was
hugely influential around the world, especially in the American
colonies, where his designs were widely copied. Chippendale is
most famous today for his chairs. The typical Chippendale chair
had a carved and pierced back splat, a serpentine top rail,
carved knees, cabriole legs, and claw-and-ball feet.
The elegance of Chippendale’s furniture challenged
the French claim to be the greatest furniture designers
of the age.

39. • Built in furniture became more popular
and was prestigious
• The cupboard (which housed the valuables
such as silver, tea, and cloth) was
prominent
• A more decorative carved glass front
corner cabinet visually showcased coveted
items of wealth
• The improvements to and inventions of
furniture really proliferated with the
emerging social class
• Chairs were no longer simply pushed
against the wall but were designed for
greater seating comfort and lounging
• Small tables for dining were replaced with
larger, many-leaved octagonal for sharing
meals
• Cupboards were no longer just for storing
precious items, they were needed to
display trinkets, dishes, food, and libations
• Armoires were created to handle the
increase in clothing needed for all the
refined activities
• In early Georgian times, heavy carved and
gilded pieces were upholstered in velvet
and damask.
• Fabrics were luxurious: brocade, damask
and tapestry, with colors and patterns kept
subtle.
• A royal style extended into common
houses with cabriole legs and claw feet on
chairs and baths creating an almost
throne-like feel.
• Mahogany slowly replaced walnut as the
wood of choice.
• The furniture was delicate, and the
fireplace was the heart of the room. It was
often fully outfitted with cast iron, carved
pillars and medallions, and an opulent fire
screen.