. The English house, how to judge its periods and styles. llated mansions, modern within, butwith battlements and turrets outside, all inimitation of Edwardian fortresses. Nothingcould have been more absurd. Yet the Classicmen held out counter-attractions, such as theSt. Georges Hall, Liverpool, by H. L. Elmes(1815-47), who designed an ancient Greekbuilding for a Northern seaport, when he mighthave won a wider reputation by placing aBuddhist temple in the Scotch Highlands, or aChinese palace on the top of Snowdon. Somewriters still assure us with pride that Elmesgave us the most perfect design
. The English house, how to judge its periods and styles. llated mansions, modern within, butwith battlements and turrets outside, all inimitation of Edwardian fortresses. Nothingcould have been more absurd. Yet the Classicmen held out counter-attractions, such as theSt. Georges Hall, Liverpool, by H. L. Elmes(1815-47), who designed an ancient Greekbuilding for a Northern seaport, when he mighthave won a wider reputation by placing aBuddhist temple in the Scotch Highlands, or aChinese palace on the top of Snowdon. Somewriters still assure us with pride that Elmesgave us the most perfect design of the Classicalschool. The main hall, says one critic, recalls the Roman Thermae. Externally acolonnade and portico design is handled withgreat effect. Poor Liverpool and its historyare not to be thought of, you see. There wasa rage for Greek architecture, so buildings afterthat style had to be put up somewhere, any-where, and for all purposes, whether for con-certs and political meetings or for Christianprayer ; so St. Pancras Church was built in one. Interior of the Hall, Wollaton, Notts. Early Renaissance Period. Seetage 218 RENAISSANCE AND OURSELVES 225 English city, St. Georges Hall in another, anda National Monument was begun on the CaltonHill at Edinburgh. The New Church of , by H. W. Inwood (1794-1843) wasbuilt in 1819, and reproduced in many respectsthe Erechtheion at Athens. All this shows—and I give only a few exam-ples—that historical perspective was not under-stood. Architecture might do with impunitywhatever was suggested by a copyists there was nothing to choose between therival fanatics of style, Goths and Classics beingequally out of touch with their own , for instance, at the British Museum, withits quite useless portico, and its size and bulkaltogether dwarfed by the railings in front ofits courtyard. Such was the ruling tastebetween the years 1823 and 1847. ^^^ archi-tect. Sir Robert Smirke, was responsible alsofor Kings C
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