56 C O N T E X T 1 2 8 : M A R C H 2 0 1 3 other topics including churches, industrial and institutional buildings, buildings associated with recreation and leisure, the planning of towns and villages, and (another of the author’s particular interests) the architecture of the after-life. The book is handsomely provided with excellently reproduced colour and black-and-white plates, including plans and contemporary illustrations as well as (mainly modern) photographs of buildings. There are never more than two consecutive pages without an image of some sort. This is a considerable asset in a book that the author himself says ‘is offered with the intention of providing the general reader with a succinct overview of Georgian architecture, written in clear, straightforward, jargon-free English, decently illustrated and informatively captioned’. The only serious criticism is of the select bibliography. Its rejection of ‘any spurious claims to comprehensiveness’ notwithstanding, this has some curious omissions, not least the fact that there is not a single reference to any work published in The Georgian Group Journal, to which, with a little helpful guidance from the author, even the ‘general reader’ might be tempted to refer. All in all, however, Georgian Architecture is a major work of scholarship, written in an always enjoyable, if sometimes provocative, style, from which both the general reader and the specialist alike will most certainly reap rich rewards. Nicholas Doggett, managing director, Asset Heritage Consulting and the associations that were, at least in the earlier part of his study period, a major reason for including a portico. At times, however, one senses that Riddell had difficulties in avoiding discussion of porticoed buildings, and frequently one wishes he would treat the design of the buildings discussed in a more rounded manner. Porticoes were more than symbolic or ornamental, and the finest examples were an integral part of the overall architectural composition. The text of the book runs to fewer than 150 pages. Appendices occupy 50, and then there are 240 pages of illustrations, mostly coloured and printed to a large scale. Although suitably chosen to support the arguments set out in the book, the quality of reproduction of the images is in most cases so poor that little pleasure is to be gained by perusing them. It is also unfortunate that the index only includes buildings, and not architects or patrons. Peter de Figueiredo, historic buildings consultant Classical and romantic Georgian Architecture in the British Isles, 1714–1830 James Stevens Curl, English Heritage, 2011, 452pp, 465 colour and black & white illustrations, ISBN 978 1 848020 86 3 (hardback) £50 As the author himself reveals in the preface and acknowledgements, this is not a completely new book but rather a major rewriting and expansion of his earlier Georgian Architecture (1993, re-printed in 2002).We are told that David Watkin has described that book as ‘The best... available on its subject and, as such, should be on the shelves of every member of the (Georgian) Group: Professor Curl is at once authoritative and lively, qualities not always found in conjunction... His approach... is challenging... and charming... His elegant book... cannot be recommended too highly’. Much the same can be said about the present volume. It is notable not only for the lucidity of its writing but also for the spread of its coverage, both thematically and geographically, the prominent consideration it gives to Scotland and Ireland (if not to Wales), a useful reminder of how architectural developments in both countries often influenced what was occurring in England. Indeed, the careful attention given to Ireland (which is often largely ignored in general works on Georgian architecture) is central to the book, placing Dublin in particular firmly in its British and even global context. Conveying a strong sense of the sheer diversity of Georgian architecture is another of the book’s key strengths. It clearly demonstrates how what are all too frequently regarded as eccentric sidelines, such as the emergence of the Roman, Greek and Egyptian revival styles, and interest in the exotic (for instance ‘Hindoo’ and ‘Mughal’) or in Orientalism. These all played a significant part in architectural development throughout the Georgian period. This is especially the case with ecclesiastical and country house architecture, where the gothic(k) revival, engendered by a growing interest in medieval architecture and ruins, played an increasingly important role. The two chapters on what Curl calls the ‘Romantic Revolution’ (immediately following the chapter devoted to the rise and fall of Palladianism) are among the book’s highlights. Returning to classicism, the chapter on archaeology and the revival of classical antiquity is equally informative. It examines the ‘lure of antiquity’ and how the influence of the Grand Tour, primarily in Italy but also including antiquarian exploration in Greece and further afield, made itself felt. Regrettably there is little consideration of vernacular architecture. But while the book is dominated by the author’s vast knowledge of and erudition in ‘polite’ architecture, there is nevertheless room for detailed treatment of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=