Back in May, I provided a brief overview of this year’s UK trip, which centered around London and areas close by. One of our stops was at Highclere Castle, the home of Lord and Lady Carnarvon, and the house made famous by the Downton Abbey TV Series. Thankfully, the great success of the show has increased the number of visitors over the years to such an extent that many needed repairs have been made. Ongoing restoration continues, and many educational and tourist programs have been added as well.

A little rain shower did not diminish my daughter's enthusiasm for the tour.

While perhaps not my first choice, I succumbed to the desires of my wife and daughter to go see the house, which I had first read about in Mark Girouard’s book, The Victorian Country House. Designed by architect Charles Barry, and featuring a park designed by Capability Brown. The 5,000-acre estate is in Hampshire, about 5 miles south of Newbury, Berkshire. Reportedly the original site of the home was recorded in the Domesday Book, and the first house was built on the foundations of the medieval palace of the Bishops of Winchester, who owned this estate from the 8th century. Highclere has been home to the Earls of Carnarvon and their forebears since 1679.


What was originally a mansion built in the classical style was totally redesigned by Barry in 1839–1842, during his construction of the Houses of Parliament. It was re-worked in a Jacobethan style, with some Italianate touches.

We visited on a dreary day marked by on-and-off drizzle and showers; upon arriving we discovered that our scheduled tour of the gardens had been cancelled as a result, but a substitute tour of the Egyptian artifacts and displays would be provided. This was fine by me, since ancient Egypt had always been an interest of mine, and we were all aware of the 5th Earl’s co-discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the legend of its curse.

I found the service wing at the rear of the house to be interesting as well.

We entered by the rear of the home for this tour, and I must note that the service part of the house at the rear is almost as interesting as the front. Built in an ancient-looking red brick, in a simpler, Tudor-inspired style, it welcomed us out of the rain and then down a long, dark hall toward the display rooms inside. We found the Egyptian displays fascinating—many were original and authentic, while most all the better-known examples were exact copies of the originals, which are now in museums.

After the tour, we made our way through the guest tea room and out to a large hospitality tent that was set up just behind the house. Here, with approximately 100 other visitors and guests, we were treated to a very nice box lunch as it continued to rain outside. Indeed, the event scheduling caused us to have a great deal of time to fill between the Egyptian display and our tour, which was to include a presentation covering Jane Austen’s association with the Highclere and the literature and popular culture of the early 19th century. Eventually we made our way back into the house, relaxed in the tea room briefly (with a beer) and then were called back out to the front door of the house for our tour.

We were ushered through the front door and into the soaring central hall of the house, which fans of the TV show would instantly recognize. It is a grand space, to be sure, but it also seemed smaller to me that I had expected, based on photographs I had seen. This did not diminish it in any way, as I found the scale to be more human and more comfortable anyway. We sat with a group of about 60 people and enjoyed the historical presentation, which was provided by Jane Austen scholars and two vocalists dressed in early 19th century garb, who sang a selection of period songs. Not my favorite period in terms of music, but it was highly enjoyable, just the same.

This was all followed by a tour of the principal rooms on the ground floor of the house, and a few bedrooms on the first floor. Apparently, we were asked not to take photos inside the house, as I could not find any on my phone. That said, the interiors—which would be immediately recognizable to fans of Downton Abbey, were all in fine form, and very impressive. We can all be thankful to the efforts of Lord and Lady Carnarvon in maintaining and restoring this fine example of Victorian architecture.

Visit Highclere / Information Here: [Official Site]

Similar treatment. Totally different plan.

I recently came across this Toronto Star story about two couples in Canada who were involved in a lawsuit regarding the appearance of their houses. Apparently the owners of a 1935-era Tudor Revival home—which they had spent a lot of money to renovate in 2006—had many of its features “copied” by owners of a newly-built neighboring house nearby. The owners of the older home sued the couple who built the new house for $1.5 million in damages, including $20,000 in copyright damages and $1 million in punitive damages.
The owners of the existing home claimed that the neighbors copied a number of features from their home, including similar gray stonework, the same shade of blue on the windows, similar treatments in the gables and other unique design cues that made their house “one of the most well-known and admired houses in the neighborhood” - according to the lawsuit.

LEFT: Couldn't spring for a proper chimney pot, eh?

Of course, I am aware that house designs and plans can be copyrighted, although it is seldom an issue for the courts; it’s not easy to prove infringement, since even the average builder would not normally think to copy a plan in such careful and exact detail to leave no doubt as to its origin.

In this case, the plans of the houses are totally different—only some of the architectural details were copied, and I don’t think using a particular stone type or paint color constitutes a violation of copyright. If you look at some of the side-by-side photos in the article, you’ll see some clear similarities, but you’ll also see clear differences as well.

Both couples claimed to have been inspired by Tudor architecture, and that is clear, though the results vary in their quality. A stepped stone or brick chimney is a common Tudor feature—you can’t copyright it.  Arched doorways and stone construction are not uncommon either. The owners of the older home claim that the copycat house “devalued” their own, but I don’t buy it.

Shape is all these two have in common.

When we built our house, I was the first in the neighborhood to use “scalloped” shingle-style siding over a prominent portion of our house. Shortly thereafter, another house built around the corner included that feature over its center gable, as did another home several doors down the street that was remodeled a few years ago. Did they copy what we did? I don’t know—but even if they did, I would take it as a compliment. I think that would have been a more mature and appropriate response here.

As for the builders of the new house, I really can’t imagine why anyone with a brain would slavishly copy features of a nearby house like paint color, adding weatherboarding to a gable, etc. without looking at other options. If you’re a Tudor-lover, there are too many sources of inspiration out there to have to resort to something so craven. Seems like a lack of imagination. Or just laziness.

A Tudor Revival interior that embraces its unique details and original woodwork. Courtesy Stonewood, LLC

I was heartened to see a story on Houzz the other day regarding the continued popularity of the Tudor Revival style in American homes, including an outline of its basic visual elements. Architect Steven Randal does a fine job of distilling the style's most essential design cues, and best of all, the story includes some excellent photographic examples of contemporary Tudor Revival interiors. The collection of images included with the article fully dispels the notion that these rooms are dark and dusty museum set-pieces.

Another room that blends with contemporary style. Courtesy Margot Hartford Photography

The story was refreshing for another reason (one which I have noted more than once) regarding the “typical” rooms one sees when visiting Houzz. More and more, it seems that almost every room featured on the website is bathed in white; white woodwork, white cabinets, white floors, white furniture…all combined with a very trendy, “hip” design aesthetic that looks like it was inspired by any one of a hundred DIY-design-craft -blogs. I’ve found this to become fairly tiresome, and it’s only remedied by entering a more specific site search for rooms offering more traditional styles, more color, or more of anything not defined by “trendy.”

As I noted, the photos accompanying this story are helpful, in that they offer a clean and contemporary look that embraces each home’s Tudor details instead of painting them out (in white) or de-emphasizing them. This is not always an easy problem to solve, as we will eventually be looking to update the interiors of our own house, and need all the inspiration we can find.

You can reference the full article HERE.

When talking or writing about Tudor Revival homes here in The States, it’s clear that in terms of quality, they clearly run the gamut—from beautiful and authentic-looking examples like Akron’s Stan Hywet Hall, to decent-looking suburban homes, to less-convincing modern interpretations—and then to what can only be considered abominations, like a Tudor ranch or split-level. Whatever type you might happen to encounter, it’s best to always be ready for a surprise.

Sometimes it's all in the details...

So it was on a recent winter Sunday. There being no football (it was the week before the Super Bowl) the wife asked if I would go with her to look at some very large “open houses” for sale on the other side of town. Once in a great while, we do this for pure entertainment—or what I like to call “shits & giggles”—to see what is out there on the market and perhaps collect ideas for our own home.

All of the homes we visited were significantly larger than our present home, and about three times as costly. None were really practical for us, since investing in a far larger house at a time when most couples are getting ready to downsize for retirement doesn’t make sense. Nevertheless, we got in the car and headed out.

Only two of the homes we visited were really worthy of note; both were Tudor Revivals, and both had both good and not-so-good elements that caught my eye. They were built almost 20 years apart (1971 and 1988) and both had some interesting stories to tell.

Not a bad looking house at all - considering it's a relatively recent effort. Almost there.

The first of these houses I remembered quite well, having seen it well before I built my own house in 1992. The exterior is in excellent shape after almost 30 years, and I must say that in terms of overall design and massing, it is one of the better Tudor Revival-style homes I have seen built in recent times. The roof pitches are fine, the half-timbering work is reasonably robust—not thin and chintzy like so many other recent examples—the plan is angled and irregular, and the stone and brickwork is competently done. Parts of the second floor are even jettied-out over the ground floor, which is also nice to see.

It is not perfect. The house could stand some more detail in the timberwork. The windows are a little too tall, and feature a combination of both square and the cliché diamond-pattern grilles that are always too large and out of scale. Worst of all, they are all white, when they should be the same dark brown as the timber. The overhanging jetties also lack any corbels at the ends or other supporting structure, which gives them a stark and unfinished character.

Overall, the exterior provides an example of a fine, custom-built house (I would assume the work of an architect) that could have greatly benefitted from a little more care and research. I think a lot of American designers use houses built in the 1920’s and 30’s as traditional design guides, instead of resourcing original English examples or even old pattern and style books, like Garner & Stratton’s Domestic Architecture of England during the Tudor Period. The result is often a loss of detail and in less adept hands, some clumsy or incomplete results. The good thing about the exterior of this home is that it could be easily remedied with a few additional elements.

The door is nice. Not a fan of the parquet. The stair rail belongs in a colonial house.

As solid as the exterior was, the interior featured little if any historic detail. There was plenty of brown oak, yes, and a nice arched front door—but inside I found the traditional-style woodwork you’d see in any nice home; a spindly staircase with thin balusters and a curled volute newel detail at the bottom and the ubiquitous six-panel colonial doors. Where one might have employed a Tudor arch, or even a curved arch over a wide doorway, the builder had substituted rather crude-looking openings with the upper corners cut and cased at a 45-degree angle. The home’s fireplaces were either stone or brick, but were utterly plain and ordinary, and could have been found in almost any home. There were some nice built-ins and storage, but nothing extraordinary, though the master bath did have some very fine English-style cabinetry. One interesting feature was the slim doorway/balcony in the master bedroom that overlooked the two-story great room—a historical nod to the “squint” or “chaperone” window found in many ancient Tudor homes.

The way the cased opening here is handled leaves a lot to be desired.

All in all, for about $650k it was still a very nice house on a large and attractive treed lot, but one that deserved a little more attention in terms of detail. I was thinking another $50k of proper detailing and upgrades could bring it into line.

I found the other Tudor Revival home on our tour to be a great curiosity. My first impression was that someone had taken a rather straightforward two-story colonial home and tacked a brick Tudor-style entry porch onto the façade. I see this feature on a fair amount of Tudor Revival houses, both new and old—when the entry roof pitch is too steep, it borders on the cartoonish. This one was a pretty close call. The front was extended a little to the right, ending in a long side-entry garage featuring a second story with shed dormers. The windows were too large for the style. From the street, it did not appear to be such a happy composition.

One of the only houses I've seen that looks better up close than at a distance.

Going up the driveway and standing up close, however, I found the overall effect to be far more pleasing. Closer inspection revealed that the ground floor was clad in fine, old-style brick all around—the same as on the high-peaked entry front. The upper story was covered in rough clapboards, but the edges were cut in a wavy, irregular style and finished in a very dark, almost black stain. The stonework around the entrance was very fine as well, and the doorway was flanked by some very large, black iron torchieres that looked like they were a hundred years old. Clearly, whoever selected the materials knew what they were doing, because the resulting combination of colors and textures felt very natural and appropriate.

Remember, this was a 1970’s house. I didn’t expect much from the interior other than harvest gold Formica and tired, avocado carpet. I was right on that count, and the furniture still in the house was from the same era. It was almost like a time machine.



The plaster fireplace surround and crown molding was superb - and terrifically Tudor!

But here again, there were many surprises. There were beautiful, authentic plaster details found throughout the house, and best of all, they were actual Tudor designs, including a splendid mantel, excellent cornice and crown moldings, ceiling medallions—each one looked like it had been picked out of a 1920’s catalogue. The doors were solid wood, and were of the appropriate 8-panel Tudor-style. Some of the rooms featured coffered ceilings or peaked ceilings with beams, and a couple of the bedrooms combined that with walls paneled in wide, hardwood boards. I had mixed feelings about the foyer stairway, it was broad and curving—and open to the basement level as well as above. Rather than wood, the stair had a curved iron railing, which would probably look much better if refinished in black rather than its current funky 70’s gold. Removing the carpet on the stairs would help too, I am sure. Then again—there was carpet just about everywhere; being a 70’s house, I wondered if there was hardwood underneath any of it.

Peaked ceiling...and paneled with real hardwood boards...not the cheap stuff you'd expect.

The kitchen and bathrooms all needed to be re-done. The fixtures and cabinetry, while clean and in very good shape, were old and outdated. The house even had an elevator, and the Realtor whispered to us that there was a secret staircase that went from the owner’s suit up to the attic and down to the basement. A secret staircase! How Totally Tudor of them.

Exterior aside, I left that house being quite impressed by the attention to detail and high standards of the original builder and owner. Though the exterior elevation left something to be desired, some of the interior details were totally unexpected. I can’t imagine many of the architectural products were commonly available when the house was built—as Tudor homes were seriously out of style in 1970. They must not have been that easy to source. Even today, with the help of the internet and its worldwide reach, it’s not always so easy, as I have noted previously.

Now if you combined the exterior design of the first house with the attention to detail of the second house, you'd really have something.

As I said, always prepare to be surprised.

These particular reviews, while sharing some observations regarding the content, design and quality of the book, are primarily intended to highlight the personal meaning they have for me and how they have served my interest in English Architecture.

Back some time in the mid-1980’s I acquired a copy of Mark Girouard’s The Victorian Country House. At the time, we were living in a modest stucco-and-shingle English cottage in Goodyear Heights, and I was dreaming of eventually building my own “country house”—though on a much smaller scale than those rambling piles featured in Girouard’s book.

To this day, the book remains one of the central resources in my library, and still informs my basic attitudes regarding design, building history and taste. Beginning with a thoughtful overview of the Victorian country house-building phenomenon, Girouard goes on to highlight about two dozen memorable examples of country houses—describing not only their planning and design, but also providing insights into their owners and architects. The chapters, which are clear, well-researched and highly entertaining, reveal a colorful tapestry of Victorian society: nouveau riche industrialists, landed gentry, eccentrics, aesthete artists, pious politicians and above all—original and talented architects. The main section is followed by a brief gazetteer of better-known houses built during the Victorian period. The book is very well illustrated; one might wish for more color photos, but I have always found black-and-white images to be very evocative and often highly appropriate to the subject of old houses.



As the years passed, I went on to collect most all of Mr. Girouard’s books. Along with this particular work, another book of his, The Return to Camelot: Chivalry and the English Gentleman, provided much inspiration for my first novel, The Steadfast.

The mind conjures up a great many things, and when I eventually did build my own house a few years later, it was easy to sometimes imagine myself some minor Lord, making designs, studying and evaluating plans and somehow—seeking to express my essence in a house. Like life itself, the final product turned out to be full of compromises in size, design and materials. The grand plans I first developed (I was my own architect) eventually shape-shifted from a stately, stucco-covered manor house to a broad, brick-and shingle Tudor Revival house…to finally materialize in a 4-bedroom, Old English “cottage” on a 90’ foot wide lot. Thus do dreams run smack dab into the brambled hedgerow of reality. Nevertheless, I still remain Lord of my modest manor.

For those who are interested in the types of houses featured on this blog, I highly recommend The Victorian Country House as a fine place to start your reading. I feel confident you will find it not only informative, but highly inspiring, as I did.

The historic Natirar Mansion, built in 1912 for Walter and Kate Macy-Ladd, had served as a private estate for many years, as well as a convalescent home.
In 1983, the Peapack, NJ estate was purchased by King Hassan II of Morocco for his children, and subsequently sold back to Somerset County in 2003. The county has recently leased the site to a local developer, who is renovating the mansion to serve as the centerpiece of a high-end recreational and residential development.

Visually, the 40-room Tudor-revival mansion pays homage to grand Tudor palaces like Henry VIII’s Hampton Court, though in a much smaller scale. Nonetheless, it features a great deal of authentic detail, including intricate ironwork, leaded glass and authentic wood and stone carving.

Designed by noted Boston architect Guy Lowell, the house is now undergoing an in-depth restoration which includes repairs of the slate and copper roof, repointing of brickwork, and renewal of the oak paneling, carved stonework, molded plaster ceilings and period light fixtures.

When completed, the house will become the highlight of a property that will ultimately include private residential villas, a boutique hotel and spa in conjunction with the existing pool, tennis courts and fitness and wellness center, surrounded by 400 acres of riding, walking and biking trails.

Natirar already boasts one of New Jersey’s most acclaimed restaurants, Ninety Acres. Built in the estate’s restored carriage house, this exceptional facility includes a cooking school, a private club and a 12-acre farm.

The historic Natirar Mansion, built in 1912 for Walter and Kate Macy-Ladd, had served as a private estate for many years, as well as a convalescent home.
In 1983, the Peapack, NJ estate was purchased by King Hassan II of Morocco for his children, and subsequently sold back to Somerset County in 2003. The county has recently leased the site to a local developer, who is renovating the mansion to serve as the centerpiece of a high-end recreational and residential development.

Visually, the 40-room Tudor-revival mansion pays homage to grand Tudor palaces like Henry VIII’s Hampton Court, though in a much smaller scale. Nonetheless, it features a great deal of authentic detail, including intricate ironwork, leaded glass and authentic wood and stone carving.
Designed by noted Boston architect Guy Lowell, the house is now undergoing an in-depth restoration which includes repairs of the slate and copper roof, repointing of brickwork, and renewal of the oak paneling, carved stonework, molded plaster ceilings and period light fixtures.

When completed, the house will become the highlight of a property that will ultimately include private residential villas, a boutique hotel and spa in conjunction with the existing pool, tennis courts and fitness and wellness center, surrounded by 400 acres of riding, walking and biking trails.

Natirar already boasts one of New Jersey’s most acclaimed restaurants, Ninety Acres. Built in the estate’s restored carriage house, this exceptional facility includes a cooking school, a private club and a 12-acre farm.

Tudor cottage renovation - Shannon Taylor Scarlett, Architect

Those of us who study, restore or would like to live in an Olde English Home may already have some grasp of their essential design elements. This has not stopped us from often wondering why so many modern homes lack the charm, proportions or design quality of the real thing—or even of well-designed revival houses.

For those who are still wondering, or who may be considering a building or remodeling project, I would recommend architect Shannon Taylor Scarlett’s Simple Rules: What the Old Time Builders Knew, a compact volume of observations, quotes and drawings that help put these design issues in perspective. I was fortunate to download the Kindle version some time ago (it is just $4.99) and was happily rewarded when I recently rediscovered it during a few idle moments on my iPhone.

This brief review of design principles—it is just a little over 100 pages—provides a helpful foundation for those who are interested in traditional approaches to design, or who would simply like to unlock the mystery of “why so many older buildings look better.” Scarlett’s book makes it clear that it’s not just a matter of appropriating a classical door surround, throwing some half-timbers onto an exterior wall, or tarting up a builder tract house with some Victorian trim work.

The book is highly recommended as a handy reference and a helpful guide to understanding some of the basic elements of “curb appeal.” It’s also available in print from Barnes & Noble.

Tudor cottage renovation - Shannon Taylor Scarlett, Architect

Those of us who study, restore or would like to live in an Olde English Home may already have some grasp of their essential design elements. This has not stopped us from often wondering why so many modern homes lack the charm, proportions or design quality of the real thing—or even of well-designed revival houses.

For those who are still wondering, or who may be considering a building or remodeling project, I would recommend architect Shannon Taylor Scarlett’s Simple Rules: What the Old Time Builders Knew, a compact volume of observations, quotes and drawings that help put these design issues in perspective. I was fortunate to download the Kindle version some time ago (it is just $4.99) and was happily rewarded when I recently rediscovered it during a few idle moments on my iPhone.

This brief review of design principles—it is just a little over 100 pages—provides a helpful foundation for those who are interested in traditional approaches to design, or who would simply like to unlock the mystery of “why so many older buildings look better.” Scarlett’s book makes it clear that it’s not just a matter of appropriating a classical door surround, throwing some half-timbers onto an exterior wall, or tarting up a builder tract house with some Victorian trim work.

The book is highly recommended as a handy reference and a helpful guide to understanding some of the basic elements of “curb appeal.” It’s also available in print from Barnes & Noble.

Here in the States, sports stadiums can be either hit-or-miss, and their styles are all over the map. There are traditional venues, like baseball’s Fenway Park or Wrigley Field, popular newer venues like Baltimore’s Camden Yards, or huge mega-parks, like the Dallas Cowboy’s AT&T Stadium. The design of sports stadiums is a specialist trade, generally dominated by a handful of successful firms.

With this in mind, I was fascinated by the design for Chelsea’s new football (soccer) stadium, developed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, who have unveiled plans for a gargantuan new home for Chelsea FC, “inspired by the design of Westminster Abbey”. As The Guardian points out in a recent article about the design:

“If football is England’s national religion, the sport may soon have its very own majestic cathedral…”

With concept drawing currently on display, the design is said to take its cues from the gothic architecture of the Abbey, in whose diocese the stadium once stood. The new plan was commissioned by the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, and is expected to cost at least £500m.  The plan will also boost overall crowd capacity from 42,000 to 60,000.

Clearly, based on the concept drawings, the proposed stadium looks nothing like what you might expect, using massive masonry, heavy brick piers and soaring vaults. Parts of it recall London’s Victorian railway viaducts, while other parts do resemble a soaring, buttressed cathedral. The design was also created to blend into the dense, urban location of the stadium, as elevated brick walkway will bring supporters directly into the stands above a world of bars, shops and cafes located in the arches beneath the structure.

From what I can see from the rendering, the concept is a little fantastic, a little outrageous, and utterly brilliant. It is highly difficult to integrate the massing, style and unique design elements of medieval architecture into the modern urban landscape without the result looking like a Disney theme park or something that’s just downright ugly. While I’m sure not everyone will love this design, I see it as highly original, and a very successful effort in using medieval architecture as a modern design inspiration.

Here in the States, sports stadiums can be either hit-or-miss, and their styles are all over the map. There are traditional venues, like baseball’s Fenway Park or Wrigley Field, popular newer venues like Baltimore’s Camden Yards, or huge mega-parks, like the Dallas Cowboy’s AT&T Stadium. The design of sports stadiums is a specialist trade, generally dominated by a handful of successful firms.

With this in mind, I was fascinated by the design for Chelsea’s new football (soccer) stadium, developed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, who have unveiled plans for a gargantuan new home for Chelsea FC, “inspired by the design of Westminster Abbey”. As The Guardian points out in a recent article about the design:

“If football is England’s national religion, the sport may soon have its very own majestic cathedral…”

With concept drawing currently on display, the design is said to take its cues from the gothic architecture of the Abbey, in whose diocese the stadium once stood. The new plan was commissioned by the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, and is expected to cost at least £500m.  The plan will also boost overall crowd capacity from 42,000 to 60,000.

Clearly, based on the concept drawings, the proposed stadium looks nothing like what you might expect, using massive masonry, heavy brick piers and soaring vaults. Parts of it recall London’s Victorian railway viaducts, while other parts do resemble a soaring, buttressed cathedral. The design was also created to blend into the dense, urban location of the stadium, as elevated brick walkway will bring supporters directly into the stands above a world of bars, shops and cafes located in the arches beneath the structure.

From what I can see from the rendering, the concept is a little fantastic, a little outrageous, and utterly brilliant. It is highly difficult to integrate the massing, style and unique design elements of medieval architecture into the modern urban landscape without the result looking like a Disney theme park or something that’s just downright ugly. While I’m sure not everyone will love this design, I see it as highly original, and a very successful effort in using medieval architecture as a modern design inspiration.

One of the better known American architects  of the early 20th century is Howard Van Doren Shaw, best known for English-inspired houses like Ragdale, or The House of The Four Winds, in Lake Forest, IL. Many of his houses are reminiscent of works by Voysey or Baillie Scott, though some examples – like a large Tudor-inspired home here in Akron on Merriman Rd.—are just slightly more traditional in their approach.

Chicago Magazine has a great article by Whet Moser on  Van Doren Shaw’s legacy, from his approach to residential architecture to his commercial work, like Market Square, in Lake Forest:

“Market Square was built as what we now refer to as mixed-use, transit-oriented development, with stores on the first floor and apartments on the second, across a narrow street from what’s now the Lake Forest stop on the Union Pacific North Metra line.”

Strangely enough, Market Square feels like some of today’s newer, “walkable” retail developments (Think of Easton Town Center in Columbus or Legacy Village, near Cleveland) – the scale, mixed bag of architectural styles, and overall approach are strikingly similar.

The article goes on to highlight a new book, Inventing the New American House: Howard Van Doren Shaw, Architect, by architect Stuart Cohen, who  makes the case for Shaw as an innovator, drawing out that argument from Shaw’s reticent buildings. Take a look at the article, and check out the book, if you can.

One of the better known American architects  of the early 20th century is Howard Van Doren Shaw, best known for English-inspired houses like Ragdale, or The House of The Four Winds, in Lake Forest, IL. Many of his houses are reminiscent of works by Voysey or Baillie Scott, though some examples – like a large Tudor-inspired home here in Akron on Merriman Rd.—are just slightly more traditional in their approach.

Chicago Magazine has a great article by Whet Moser on  Van Doren Shaw’s legacy, from his approach to residential architecture to his commercial work, like Market Square, in Lake Forest:

“Market Square was built as what we now refer to as mixed-use, transit-oriented development, with stores on the first floor and apartments on the second, across a narrow street from what’s now the Lake Forest stop on the Union Pacific North Metra line.”

Strangely enough, Market Square feels like some of today’s newer, “walkable” retail developments (Think of Easton Town Center in Columbus or Legacy Village, near Cleveland) – the scale, mixed bag of architectural styles, and overall approach are strikingly similar.

The article goes on to highlight a new book, Inventing the New American House: Howard Van Doren Shaw, Architect, by architect Stuart Cohen, who  makes the case for Shaw as an innovator, drawing out that argument from Shaw’s reticent buildings. Take a look at the article, and check out the book, if you can.

2012 marks the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of A.W.N. Pugin, one of the great Victorian architects, and was responsible for a number of well-known buildings as well as countless beautiful designs for tiles, metalwork, furniture, wallpaper, stained glass and ceramics.

For Pugin, Gothic architecture was the greatest style of building, and was hugely influential on other architects and designers of the Gothic Revival throughout the Victorian era.Some of his best known work includes the magnificent interiors of the Houses of Parliament, the church of St Giles, Cheadle, in Staffordshire, and his own house, The Grange, in Ramsgate, Kent, together with the nearby church of St Augustine. As Clive Aslet notes in The Telegraph:

"Before Pugin came to prominence in the 1830s, the Gothic Revival had been an antiquarian affair, a style to titillate the imaginations of Regency aesthetes, in whom ivy-covered ruins and rusty armour roused a frisson of pleasurable gloom. Almost single-handedly, Pugin gave it a new seriousness. What he called Pointed or Christian Architecture became a moral crusade that went global, carried to every part of the world where English was spoken and cathedrals were built, from Brisbane to Bombay"

In celebration of Pugin's 200th anniversary in 2012 here will be events around the country, organised by the Pugin Society and by others. Here is a partial list of just some of the planned events; you can visit the Pugin Society website to find out more.

PRINCIPAL PUGIN SOCIETY EVENTS

Thursday 1 March: Commemorative Mass and Reception, Ramsgate

A commemorative mass will be sung in remembrance of A.W.N. Pugin on the two hundredth anniversary of his birth on 1 March at St Augustine's Ramsgate, the church he designed and built on the West Cliff of Ramsgate. Mass will be at 12.00 and is open to all. This will be followed by a champagne reception with light refreshments in the Cartoon Room nearby by kind permission of the Landmark Trust, courtesy of the Pugin Society and assistance of Friends of St Augustine's. A toast to the memory of Pugin will be proposed by Lord Deben, formally John Selwyn Gummer. Pugin Society members are invited to the free reception, but asked to apply for tickets as numbers are strictly limited. Please send stamped addressed envelope. Apply: Professor Julia Twigg, 9 Nunnery Road, Canterbury, CT1 3LS, j.m.twigg@kent.ac.uk , 01227 766879.

Wednesday 21 March: Grand Reception and Address at the Palace of Westminster

We are holding a grand reception in honour of Pugin in the beautiful River Room of the Palace of Westminster by kind arrangement of Baroness Wheatcroft and with the support of Laura Sandys MP. The address will be given by Dr Tristram Hunt MP, the well-known social historian, on Pugin, Medievalism and Modernity. Wine and canapÈs. 6.00-8.00 Tickets: £25 with SAE. Apply: Professor Julia Twigg, 9 Nunnery Road, Canterbury, CT1 3LS, j.m.twigg@kent.ac.uk , 01227 766879.

Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 May: Art Workshop for young people, based around Pugin Themes

by Dawn Cole, award-winning printmaker, and Tony Roche, from the Wallpaper History Society, who is an accomplished wallpaper designer. Wednesday afternoon (2.00-4.00) will focus on details in the Grange and St Augustine's to learn something about Pugin's design principles. On Thursday (1.00-4.00) these ideas will be put into practice with opportunities to make Pugin-inspired relief prints and stencilled wallpaper designs in the Cartoon Room, by kind permission of the Landmark Trust. Cost: £5.00. Space is limited, no more than ten. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Contact Catriona Blaker catrona@tiscali.co.uk for further details.


13-14 July : International Conference: New Directions in Gothic Revival Studies Worldwide, University of Kent, Canterbury

This interdisciplinary conference will be the primary international academic event marking the bicentenary of the birth of A.W.N Pugin. Plenary speakers include: Professor Stephen Bann on Pugin and the French Connection; Professor Barry Bergdoll on Pugin and the Paradox of Historicism; Dr Margaret Belcher on Pugin's Letters; and Professor Thomas Coomans on the Belgium Gothic Revival Worldwide. The conference will be based at the University of Kent in Canterbury, but there will be opportunities before and after to visit key sites in Ramsgate and Cheadle. The conference is organised by Dr Timothy Brittain-Catlin of Kent School of Architecture. A special rate is available for Pugin Society members. For further details and joining information: www.kent.ac.uk/architecture/gothicrevival2012/

Visiting The Grange and St. Augustine's

Throughout the year it will be possible to visit The Grange, the house that Pugin designed and built for himself on the West Cliff of Ramsgate, and St Augustine's the church he designed and built next door. The Grange, under the ownership of The Landmark Trust, will be open as usual on Wednesday afternoons 2-4 (booking in advance required 01843 596401). St Augustine's is also open on Sundays 2-4 every week and every Wednesday 2-4. Please note that some restoration will be in progress in St Augustine's during the year. This should not affect visiting, but just in case, if you are coming from any distance, it might be as well to ring 01843 592460 or 01843 596401 to check in advance. Whilst visitors to St Augustine's are welcome to wander at will, there will be official tours at 2.30 on the first Sunday of each month, starting from March, and on Wednesdays (weekly) at 2 and 3.

Open Weekend at the Grange and St Augustine's: Friday to Monday 20- 23 April:

The Grange: every day 10-4 except Monday 10-1. St Augustine's Church: Friday 11-4, Saturday 10-4, Sunday 2-4, Monday 10-1.

Open Weekend at the Grange and St Augustine's: Friday to Tuesday 7-10 September:

The Grange: every day 10-4 except Tuesday 10-1. St Augustine's church: Friday 11-4, Saturday 10-4, Sunday 2-4, Monday 10-4, Tuesday 10-1.

IMAGE CREDITS: michaelsbookshop.com

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2012 marks the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of A.W.N. Pugin, one of the great Victorian architects, and was responsible for a number of well-known buildings as well as countless beautiful designs for tiles, metalwork, furniture, wallpaper, stained glass and ceramics.

For Pugin, Gothic architecture was the greatest style of building, and was hugely influential on other architects and designers of the Gothic Revival throughout the Victorian era.Some of his best known work includes the magnificent interiors of the Houses of Parliament, the church of St Giles, Cheadle, in Staffordshire, and his own house, The Grange, in Ramsgate, Kent, together with the nearby church of St Augustine. As Clive Aslet notes in The Telegraph:

"Before Pugin came to prominence in the 1830s, the Gothic Revival had been an antiquarian affair, a style to titillate the imaginations of Regency aesthetes, in whom ivy-covered ruins and rusty armour roused a frisson of pleasurable gloom. Almost single-handedly, Pugin gave it a new seriousness. What he called Pointed or Christian Architecture became a moral crusade that went global, carried to every part of the world where English was spoken and cathedrals were built, from Brisbane to Bombay"

In celebration of Pugin's 200th anniversary in 2012 here will be events around the country, organised by the Pugin Society and by others. Here is a partial list of just some of the planned events; you can visit the Pugin Society website to find out more.

PRINCIPAL PUGIN SOCIETY EVENTS

Thursday 1 March: Commemorative Mass and Reception, Ramsgate

A commemorative mass will be sung in remembrance of A.W.N. Pugin on the two hundredth anniversary of his birth on 1 March at St Augustine's Ramsgate, the church he designed and built on the West Cliff of Ramsgate. Mass will be at 12.00 and is open to all. This will be followed by a champagne reception with light refreshments in the Cartoon Room nearby by kind permission of the Landmark Trust, courtesy of the Pugin Society and assistance of Friends of St Augustine's. A toast to the memory of Pugin will be proposed by Lord Deben, formally John Selwyn Gummer. Pugin Society members are invited to the free reception, but asked to apply for tickets as numbers are strictly limited. Please send stamped addressed envelope. Apply: Professor Julia Twigg, 9 Nunnery Road, Canterbury, CT1 3LS, j.m.twigg@kent.ac.uk , 01227 766879.

Wednesday 21 March: Grand Reception and Address at the Palace of Westminster

We are holding a grand reception in honour of Pugin in the beautiful River Room of the Palace of Westminster by kind arrangement of Baroness Wheatcroft and with the support of Laura Sandys MP. The address will be given by Dr Tristram Hunt MP, the well-known social historian, on Pugin, Medievalism and Modernity. Wine and canapÈs. 6.00-8.00 Tickets: £25 with SAE. Apply: Professor Julia Twigg, 9 Nunnery Road, Canterbury, CT1 3LS, j.m.twigg@kent.ac.uk , 01227 766879.

Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 May: Art Workshop for young people, based around Pugin Themes

by Dawn Cole, award-winning printmaker, and Tony Roche, from the Wallpaper History Society, who is an accomplished wallpaper designer. Wednesday afternoon (2.00-4.00) will focus on details in the Grange and St Augustine's to learn something about Pugin's design principles. On Thursday (1.00-4.00) these ideas will be put into practice with opportunities to make Pugin-inspired relief prints and stencilled wallpaper designs in the Cartoon Room, by kind permission of the Landmark Trust. Cost: £5.00. Space is limited, no more than ten. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Contact Catriona Blaker catrona@tiscali.co.uk for further details.


13-14 July : International Conference: New Directions in Gothic Revival Studies Worldwide, University of Kent, Canterbury

This interdisciplinary conference will be the primary international academic event marking the bicentenary of the birth of A.W.N Pugin. Plenary speakers include: Professor Stephen Bann on Pugin and the French Connection; Professor Barry Bergdoll on Pugin and the Paradox of Historicism; Dr Margaret Belcher on Pugin's Letters; and Professor Thomas Coomans on the Belgium Gothic Revival Worldwide. The conference will be based at the University of Kent in Canterbury, but there will be opportunities before and after to visit key sites in Ramsgate and Cheadle. The conference is organised by Dr Timothy Brittain-Catlin of Kent School of Architecture. A special rate is available for Pugin Society members. For further details and joining information: www.kent.ac.uk/architecture/gothicrevival2012/

Visiting The Grange and St. Augustine's

Throughout the year it will be possible to visit The Grange, the house that Pugin designed and built for himself on the West Cliff of Ramsgate, and St Augustine's the church he designed and built next door. The Grange, under the ownership of The Landmark Trust, will be open as usual on Wednesday afternoons 2-4 (booking in advance required 01843 596401). St Augustine's is also open on Sundays 2-4 every week and every Wednesday 2-4. Please note that some restoration will be in progress in St Augustine's during the year. This should not affect visiting, but just in case, if you are coming from any distance, it might be as well to ring 01843 592460 or 01843 596401 to check in advance. Whilst visitors to St Augustine's are welcome to wander at will, there will be official tours at 2.30 on the first Sunday of each month, starting from March, and on Wednesdays (weekly) at 2 and 3.

Open Weekend at the Grange and St Augustine's: Friday to Monday 20- 23 April:

The Grange: every day 10-4 except Monday 10-1. St Augustine's Church: Friday 11-4, Saturday 10-4, Sunday 2-4, Monday 10-1.

Open Weekend at the Grange and St Augustine's: Friday to Tuesday 7-10 September:

The Grange: every day 10-4 except Tuesday 10-1. St Augustine's church: Friday 11-4, Saturday 10-4, Sunday 2-4, Monday 10-4, Tuesday 10-1.

IMAGE CREDITS: michaelsbookshop.com

We've been planning this for a while, and now it's happening...each week, we'll be uploading a brand new chapter of The Steadfast online for you to enjoy.

Based in London in 1895, the novel follows the adventures of British architect G. Morris Moneypenny - a talented designer and a true renaissance man - as he is thrust into a new and unpredictable world of deadly anarchists, arms development and political intrigue.

Morris designs houses any fan of TLG would love...sprawling Olde English piles, inspired by the work of his elders like Richard Norman Shaw and Philip Webb, as well as contemporaries like Lutyens. In his plans, his practice and his adventures, he draws upon his creativity, his appreciation of history, and his deeply-embedded sense of propriety to win the day. The new chapters will be available HERE. Have a go...and tell your friends.

Well-designed, Revival-style homes built in the early-to-mid 20th century are always interesting to study, as architects from that period often sought to interpret ancient building styles and combine them with new technology and their own original ideas. In New Jersey, historians recently uncovered a cache of vintage house plans designed by noted architect Carl Kemm Loven that had been stored in a barn in the town of Apalachin, N.Y.. Nancy Atkins Peck and Xiomara C. Paredes, AIA, are members of the Glen Rock, N.J. Historical and Preservation Society, where the Loven documents are currently being studied and stored.

Loven was a Glen Rock architect who designed homes from the 1930s through his death in 1965 that are beloved by local residents and are known for their fairytale Norman Revival style complete with turrets, dovecotes, leaded glass windows and hand-forged hardware.

As a result of her contribution, Peck was recently honored for her work by the Architects League of Northern New Jersey, a section of the New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA-NJ). The publicity stemming from the award, as well as a subsequent Architects League-sponsored tour of Loven homes in Bergen County, has led to the identification of dozens of Loven-designed homes in the area.

“The Architects League and AIA-NJ are extremely proud of our role in calling public attention to Loven’s work,” said Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, president of AIA-NJ and a member of the Architects League. “Loven’s architectural legacy deserves wider recognition. His ideas shaped the landscape of Bergen County and were a strong influence on residential architecture throughout the state and region.”

To read more, go HERE.