Although very little remains1 of the domestic buildings of Britain's prehistoric2 peoples, their graves, religious monuments and defensive3 structures can be seen throughout the islands.
Long barrows and chambered tombs, dated around 3000 BC were collective burial places. The round barrows which followed them in the second millennium4 BC were for individual burial.
Stone circles such as those at Avebury, Stonehenge, and Callanish date from around the same time as the round barrows but are often built on earlier timber monuments.
Causewayed camps, such as Windmill Hill date from the time of the long barrows. The hill forts of Cadbury Castle and Maiden5 Castle were built in the first millennium BC and lasted until the Roman invasion.
The invading Romans brought with them a wholly different lifestyle and the architecture which supported it. Towns such as Canterbury, Colchester, Lincoln, London and York included public buildings such as basilicas (law courts), baths and theatres. The most famous example of Roman military architecture is Hadrian's Wall, marking the frontier between Roman Britain and Scotland. The Roman Villa6, generally a large and well-appointed building at the centre of a substantial estate was another major introduction to Britain. The largest, such as the "palace" at Fishbourne in West Sussex, had beautiful mosaic7 floors, their own bathhouses and central heating.
The "Dark Ages" after the decline of Roman Britain led eventually to a Christian8 Britain whose architectural remains include Celtic crosses and Saxon churches.
The Norman invasion brought a distinctive9 style of architecture seen in cathedrals such as Durham, Southwell and Winchester and in many castles such as Durham, London's White Tower and Newcastle.
In church architecture the Norman style developed during the Middle Ages, into Gothic, e.g, Lincoln Cathedral and then Perpendicular10.
From the Tudor period the most significant building still remaining is Hampton Court Palace. Hardwick Hall, Longleat and Burghley House show how the wealthy and powerful were now, in more settled times, building great homes for themselves, rather than military strongholds and castles.
A major change came when James I commissioned Inigo Jones to build the Queens House in Greenwich. The restoration of the monarchy11 in 1660 brought one of the greatest periods of English architecture, dominated by Sir Christopher Wren12. The Great Fire of London in 1666 gave Wren enormous scope for new work of which the most famous is St Paul's Cathedral.
During the Georgian period classical architectural styles became dominant13. Landscaping became fashionable with Capability14 Brown and Humphrey Repton's design for Chatsworth, Blenheim and Stowe among the finest. Bath is one of the best examples of Georgian urban design.
Of the great houses, Chiswick House, built for Lord Burlington who had been impressed by Palladio's architecture during a visit to Italy, was particularly influential15.
Victorian Britain saw completely new types of architecture: railway stations, town halls, factories and glass houses (Kew Gardens)
Two influential movements at the end of the Victorian age and in the early twentieth century were Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau.
Arts and Craft inspired by William Morris was a return to simplicity16 and is probably best known through the country houses of Sir Edwin Lutyens.
Art Nouveau was more influential in Europe than the UK, but Glasgow's Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a significant designer and architect in this style.
After the First World War one of the major influences on architecture was the Modern Movement. Its followers17 drew their inspiration from the USA and its skyscrapers18 and industrial buildings and, particularly, from Le Corbusier.
During the 1950s and 60s much inner city housing was torn down in slum clearance19 programmes and replaced by high-rise tower blocks. These failed as family housing and many, in their turn, were pulled down in the eighties and nineties.
Current architecture is characterized by the dramatic shapes and structures made possible by modern materials and computerized structural20 design. Sir Richard Roger's Lloyd's Building and Sir Norman Foster's Stanstead Airport and Air Force Museum are excellent examples.
1 remains [rɪˈmeɪnz] 第7级 | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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2 prehistoric [ˌpri:hɪˈstɒrɪk] 第8级 | |
adj.(有记载的)历史以前的,史前的,古老的 | |
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3 defensive [dɪˈfensɪv] 第9级 | |
adj.防御的;防卫的;防守的 | |
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4 millennium [mɪˈleniəm] 第9级 | |
n.一千年,千禧年;太平盛世 | |
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5 maiden [ˈmeɪdn] 第7级 | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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6 villa [ˈvɪlə] 第8级 | |
n.别墅,城郊小屋 | |
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7 mosaic [məʊˈzeɪɪk] 第7级 | |
n./adj.镶嵌细工的,镶嵌工艺品的,嵌花式的 | |
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8 Christian [ˈkrɪstʃən] 第7级 | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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9 distinctive [dɪˈstɪŋktɪv] 第8级 | |
adj.特别的,有特色的,与众不同的 | |
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10 perpendicular [ˌpɜ:pənˈdɪkjələ(r)] 第8级 | |
adj.垂直的,直立的;n.垂直线,垂直的位置 | |
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11 monarchy [ˈmɒnəki] 第9级 | |
n.君主,最高统治者;君主政体,君主国 | |
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12 wren [ren] 第12级 | |
n.鹪鹩;英国皇家海军女子服务队成员 | |
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13 dominant [ˈdɒmɪnənt] 第7级 | |
adj.支配的,统治的;占优势的;显性的;n.主因,要素,主要的人(或物);显性基因 | |
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14 capability [ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti] 第7级 | |
n.能力;才能;(pl)可发展的能力或特性等 | |
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15 influential [ˌɪnfluˈenʃl] 第7级 | |
adj.有影响的,有权势的 | |
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16 simplicity [sɪmˈplɪsəti] 第7级 | |
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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17 followers ['fɔ:ləʊəz] 第7级 | |
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件 | |
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18 skyscrapers ['skaɪˌskreɪpəz] 第7级 | |
n.摩天大楼 | |
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19 clearance [ˈklɪərəns] 第7级 | |
n.净空;许可(证);清算;清除,清理 | |
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20 structural [ˈstrʌktʃərəl] 第8级 | |
adj.构造的,组织的,建筑(用)的 | |
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