Georgian Architecture

Examining the period's remarkable stylistic diversity, this is an illustrated guide to the architecture of the reigns of the first four Georges (1714-1830). To many people the term "Georgian" suggests a dignified, often symmetrical facade of brick, with elegant sash-windows, a doorcase (usually with a fanlight) and a well-mannered and reticent appearance. However, there was far more to the Georgian period than that, and the book sets out to show the great diversity of architecture created during the era, from the grander classicism influenced by the architecture of Italy, notably that of Palladio, to the exotic tastes for chinoiserie, rococo, Gothic and even Indian styles. The author discusses all these aspects and also sets the scene in respect of notions concerned with the beautiful, the picturesque and the sublime, drawing attention especially to the importance of the picturesque.