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The Origins of the Gothic Revival: A Reappraisal (The Alexander Prize Essay)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2009

Giles Worsley
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Extract

For the past 40 years the dominant influence over architectural history, and in particular over stylistic analysis, has been the Modern Movement. Sometimes deliberately, sometimes unconsciously, architectural history has been seen through the teleological spectacles of the Modernists who viewed architecture as a progressive force leading inevitably towards the ultimate triumph of Modernism. At its most obvious this can be seen in studies of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century architecture which concentrated on those strands that could be said to have been the precursors of Modernism, while ignoring powerful contemporary factors which do not fit in with the Modernist thesis, like the strength of Classical architecture in the 1930s. But even when discussing earlier periods the same basic assumption has prevailed, that architectural style should be seen as progressive. Thus what became important was identifying new fashions and tracing the precedents. As architectural style always moved on, anything that was not innovative or seemed to be regressive was assumed to be old fashioned and the result of ignorance or lack of skill, and consequently of little interest. With die collapse of Modernism, or at least of the assumption that Modernism is the only acceptable way in which to build, and with the revival of older styles which 10 years ago were thought to be dead and buried, this teleological approach to architectural history needs revision. The study of Gothic Revival architecture in England is one area that is revolutionised by the removal of Modernist assumptions.

Type
Research Article
Information
Transactions of the Royal Historical Society , Volume 3 , December 1993 , pp. 105 - 150
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 1993

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References

1 The standard account of British architectural history of this period remains Architecture in Britain 1530–1830 by Sir John Summerson, first published in 1953 but extensively revised since. The most recent study of the Gothic Revival is The Origins of the Gothic Revival by McCarthy, Michael (1987)Google Scholar. This sets out to shift attention away from Horace Walpole but in the end concentrates primarily on Walpole and his circle.

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