Victorian and Edwardian Architecture (Chaucer Press Architecture Library)

Despite its public image as a time of great austerity, the Victorian era was one of the most varied and colorful periods in British history. The architecture of the time reflected the grandeur of the Victorian imagination. Harking back to antiquity, styles ranged from the Italian renaissance, as favored by Sir Charles Barry, to Pugin's Gothic revival, and from Norman Shaw's Queen Anne approach to the Arts and Crafts movement and the rise of the sinuous beauty of Art Nouveau. This era provided Britain with the most varied and colorful building of its architectural history. On the other side of the Atlantic, new methods of construction involving iron, glass and concrete enabled the building of the skyscrapers that were to change urban landscapes worldwide. This book is a comprehensive guide to the architectural styles of the Victorian and Edwardian period. Enhanced by superb color photographs, this volume provides an insight into a truly creative era.