Thoughts: Buildings
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Palladio: The One Trick Pony
Palladio-mania is just going too far. Last year I was invited to two Palladio parties on the same evening, one was at the RIBA and the other at the Italian Embassy. Wherever I look I see articles, symposiums, exhibitions, publications, parties and even a church service...
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Versailles Redesigned
When I walked up to the front of Versailles I was struck by how unimpressive it was despite all the money spent on it. When I returned home and aided by the extra time which the coronavirus lockdown has generated, I set myself the task of redesigning Versailles.
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New Kitchen
Earlier this year, Country Life, Historic Houses and Neptune launched a competition to celebrate the best new kitchens in old spaces. Our recently completed kitchen fits this brief perfectly and we are thrilled to be shortlisted down to the last three.
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L'amour de l'Architecture Française
Over the years I have noticed that clients seem to favour French classicism over Italian. Because of this, I have been sent on several trips to Paris to study and measure buildings – it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it!
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A Holiday in Venice
This year we chose Venice for our family holiday. We stayed on the Lido so that we could achieve the right balance between beach and culture and keep everybody happy. I have not been to Venice for several years...
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The Making of the Erechtheion Capital
One of the most universally adored details of all classical architecture is the Ionic capital at the Erechtheion on the north side of the Acropolis, built between 421 and 406 BC. Phidias was both sculptor and mason of the structure and was employed by Pericles...
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My Kind of Town: Washington DC
In the early 1990s, Washington DC was not just the capital, but also the murder capital, of the United States. Despite this, I found it a surprisingly enjoyable place to live, when I spent the year out before my diploma there, working for the eminent classical architect Allan Greenberg...
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A Quick Trip to Ireland
A few weeks ago I was asked to show an ICAA tour around a house in Ireland. I caught a late flight to Ireland on a Sunday night. I then had to hire a car and drove for over an hour. Eventually, I arrived at Roundwood House.
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Berlin and Potsdam
Berlin is a great place to visit for a few days. The city is a manageable scale full of fascinating museums, superb architecture and hundreds of lovely and varied restaurants.
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Jefferson’s University of Virginia
Jefferson was a great architect because he had an instinct for elegant phasing, which is the essence of all good architecture. His design of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville is an exceptional work of architecture.
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Stowe Revisited
School reunions can be stressful, 'dress informal' says the invitation, but how informal? At least they didn’t demand 'smart casual' – whatever that is. After much indecision, I headed west to Stowe, my old school.
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The Mistley Towers - Piazza Navona in Essex
Arriving too early to catch a train from Manningtree station, a friend and I used up the time looking at the Mistley towers, only a short distance away.
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Edwardian Classical Architecture in Manchester
Until recently my knowledge of Manchester architecture was limited to the inside gatefold of ‘The Queen is Dead’ LP. This shows the Smith’s standing outside the Salford Lads Club, where a terracotta Scamozzi Ionic capital can be seen cheekily peaking our over Morissey’s shoulder. I imagined the rest of the city continued in this vein, which indeed it does but with a scale, grandeur and flamboyance I could have only dreamed of.
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Townley Hall - A Pantheon in Ireland
One of my favourite houses is Townley Hall in in County Louth, Ireland. It is not open to the public but the institution that owns it are happy for enthusiasts to look round, which I did a many years ago.
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Happy Birthday Mr Lutyens
As everyone knows, the 29th March this year is a big day in European politics, but, if like me, you feel bored by the process and anxious by the result; might I suggest celebrating 150th Lutyens’s birthday, which coincidentally is on the same day?
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Fort Worth, an Urban Renaissance
Last February I went on a tour organised by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and saw the tremendous work done in Forth Worth, a city in North Central Texas. Over a long period, sound urban principles have had an astonishing effect on the town...
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The Temple of Ilissus
This year, a client commissioned me to draw an ionic capital. Doing a drawing of this scale is something I rarely have time to do and it was fortunate to be given the opportunity.
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St Andrew’s Felixstowe – The Last Wool Church
St Andrew’s, Felixstowe is an uncharacteristic early work by Erith designed between 1929 and 1930. He worked in collaboration with Hilda Mason, who, as the older architect was probably the dominant force in the project.
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An Introduction to the Architecture of the Italian Renaissance
Instead of a blog this month, I have posted a video of my ‘in house’ office lecture about the Italian Renaissance. This lecture covers one of the greatest outbursts of creativity in the history of western art and architecture.
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An Introduction to Baroque Architecture
This is a lecture I gave to the office about the baroque movement in architecture. It follows on from a lecture I gave about the renaissance and is the precursor to a future lecture on neoclassicism.
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The Architecture of the 18th Century: From Rococo to NeoClassicism
A few weeks ago I did a lecture on the architecture of the 18th century. This century is where I go routinely for inspiration. There is something magical about Georgian architecture which everyone seems to enjoy no matter who they are.
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An Introduction to British Architecture from Queen Victoria to George VI
My blog this month is two in-house lectures I have given to my office over the past few weeks. The first is Victorian and Edwardian Architecture and the second is English architecture between the Wars.
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The Pantheon - The Greatest Building in the World
When asked what I view as the greatest building in the world, I say 'The Pantheon' - without a shadow of a doubt. It is an amazing survivor from the ancient world, which still has the power to move almost everyone who stands under its 'most majestic canopy.'
