BARRY, Sir Charles

Like no other stylistic phase of English Gothic, Perpendicular could be considered an independent English creation, independent of France and the Continent. After the end of the Napoleonic wars, there was a great desire, as in other countries, to come up with a distinct national style. The culmination of these endeavours was the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament in London, after the devastating fire in 1834. For the first time with such a major commission, the Gothic Revival was considered appropriate for a building of such national significance. The competition in 1835 was won by Sir Charles Barry, and his design realized in the Perpendicular style has become a national symbol.

Sir Charles Barry, assisted by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852), designed the present buildings in the Gothic Revival style. Construction was begun in 1837, the cornerstone was laid in 1840, and work was finished in 1860. The Commons Chamber was burned out in one of the numerous air raids that targeted London during World War II, but it was restored and reopened in 1950.

Externally, apart from the Gothic detail, it conforms to the requirements of both Classical and Picturesque architectural doctrines. The river fa�ade of the building is largely symmetrical, but is enlivened by irregularly distributed tower structures. The narrow sides are distinguished by the Victoria Tower over the royal portal and, though not symmetrically placed, the famous clock tower of Big Ben.

The thoroughly rich details of the interiors of the Houses of Parliament (also called Palace of Westminster), the seat of the bicameral Parliament, including the House of Commons and the House of Lords, were designed by Pugin.

Like no other stylistic phase of English Gothic, Perpendicular could be considered an independent English creation, independent of France and the Continent. After the end of the Napoleonic wars, there was a great desire, as in other countries, to come up with a distinct national style. The culmination of these endeavours was the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament in London, after the devastating fire in 1834. For the first time with such a major commission, the Gothic Revival was considered appropriate for a building of such national significance. The competition in 1835 was won by Sir Charles Barry, and his design realized in the Perpendicular style has become a national symbol.

Sir Charles Barry, assisted by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852), designed the present buildings in the Gothic Revival style. Construction was begun in 1837, the cornerstone was laid in 1840, and work was finished in 1860. The Commons Chamber was burned out in one of the numerous air raids that targeted London during World War II, but it was restored and reopened in 1950.

Externally, apart from the Gothic detail, it conforms to the requirements of both Classical and Picturesque architectural doctrines. The river fa�ade of the building is largely symmetrical, but is enlivened by irregularly distributed tower structures. The narrow sides are distinguished by the Victoria Tower over the royal portal and, though not symmetrically placed, the famous clock tower of Big Ben.

The thoroughly rich details of the interiors of the Houses of Parliament (also called Palace of Westminster), the seat of the bicameral Parliament, including the House of Commons and the House of Lords, were designed by Pugin.

Barry successfully employed the astylar Italian palazzo form in his urban designs, notably the Reform Club (completed 1841), Pall Mall, London, the select competition that he won in 1837, the immediate forerunner of which was the Manchester Athenaeum (1836-39), and Bridgewater House (c. 1841-51), St James’s, London, for Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere. Initially the Reform Club was designed around an open cortile, but once the commission was his it became enclosed.

Barry was a refined eclectic whose work spans the late Georgian and early Victorian periods, his best work being Georgian rather than Victorian in spirit. While he was often eager to use new materials and technology, as at the Reform Club and Houses of Parliament, at heart Barry most admired the architectural ideals of ancient Greece.

Barry successfully employed the astylar Italian palazzo form in his urban designs, notably the Reform Club (completed 1841), Pall Mall, London, the select competition that he won in 1837, the immediate forerunner of which was the Manchester Athenaeum (1836-39), and Bridgewater House (c. 1841-51), St James’s, London, for Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere. Initially the Reform Club was designed around an open cortile, but once the commission was his it became enclosed.

Barry was a refined eclectic whose work spans the late Georgian and early Victorian periods, his best work being Georgian rather than Victorian in spirit. While he was often eager to use new materials and technology, as at the Reform Club and Houses of Parliament, at heart Barry most admired the architectural ideals of ancient Greece.

Barry successfully employed the astylar Italian palazzo form in his urban designs, notably the Reform Club (completed 1841), Pall Mall, London, the select competition that he won in 1837, the immediate forerunner of which was the Manchester Athenaeum (1836-39), and Bridgewater House (c. 1841-51), St James’s, London, for Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere. Initially the Reform Club was designed around an open cortile, but once the commission was his it became enclosed.

Barry was a refined eclectic whose work spans the late Georgian and early Victorian periods, his best work being Georgian rather than Victorian in spirit. While he was often eager to use new materials and technology, as at the Reform Club and Houses of Parliament, at heart Barry most admired the architectural ideals of ancient Greece.

In 1832 Barry completed the Travellers Club in Pall Mall, the first work in the style of an Italian Renaissance palace to be built in London. In the same style and on a grander scale he built (1837-41) the Reform Club.

The Travellers Club is a private gentlemen’s club situated at 106 Pall Mall in London. It is the oldest of the surviving Pall Mall clubs and one of the most exclusive, having been established in 1819.

The architect was Sir Charles Barry who was later to be the architect for the Houses of Parliament, and the Travellers Club building proved to be one of his masterpieces. It takes the form of a Renaissance palace which is said to have been inspired by Raphael’s Palazzo Pandolfini in Florence. It was completed in 1832, with the tower (which had been in Barry’s original design) added in 1842.

In 1832 Barry completed the Travellers Club in Pall Mall, the first work in the style of an Italian Renaissance palace to be built in London. In the same style and on a grander scale he built (1837-41) the Reform Club.

The Travellers Club is a private gentlemen’s club situated at 106 Pall Mall in London. It is the oldest of the surviving Pall Mall clubs and one of the most exclusive, having been established in 1819.

The architect was Sir Charles Barry who was later to be the architect for the Houses of Parliament, and the Travellers Club building proved to be one of his masterpieces. It takes the form of a Renaissance palace which is said to have been inspired by Raphael’s Palazzo Pandolfini in Florence. It was completed in 1832, with the tower (which had been in Barry’s original design) added in 1842.

After the beginning of the 19th century, it became increasingly fashionable to make accurate copies of Greek architecture, leading to a notably purist Greek Revival in Britain that affected all areas of building. Along with a general enthusiasm for Greek art and culture, Greek architecture was now considered unquestionable superior to Roman architecture. Particularly in the Doric order, it was seen to embody an archaic ideal, the pure form from which everything sprang.

However, from the 1820s there was growing opposition to the Greek Revival. The endless rows of columns seemed too monotonous, the porticoes all the same. The range of models to imitate was, moreover, too limited. A reaction to it came from Sir Charles Barry with his influential club buildings in London’s Pall Mall, which used the model of Italian Renaissance palazzi. He designed the Travellers Club (1829-31) and the directly adjacent Reform Club (1837-41) based on these models.