CLASSICISM

by Mary Phelan

The well announced entrance to a classical building is no accident, the aim being to give the subject a feeling of importance as he enters the building. The usual way of doing this is by an elevation of steps to the entrance door, canopied by a portico. The portico is generally a pediment elevated by columns bearing the Orders. The Roman writer Vitruvius defined the Orders, that is, the decorative system of columns used by Greek and Roman builders to denote the importance of a building.

Symmetry, geometry and harmony are bye-words when describing classical architecture. The ancient Greeks laid down the forms of our present-day classical buildings. We derive most of our theoretical geometry from them therefore it is no surprise that geometrical forms are significant in adorning the buildings. It is the arrangement of these forms that create the harmony and symmetry we associate with classical architecture.

The differentiated stories on a classical building augment this harmony. The ground story often shows rustication, that is, it is surfaced with a rougher material than the upper stories. The first story or piano nobile is the most significant of the stories. It has taller windows than those on the ground or top stories.

Where in London?

It is appropriate that most classical buildings have built about a square. Bedford Square was laid out 1779 and although it is geometrically not a square, it is an example of how London was laid out in other units from the 1660’s onwards. Look inside of any street guide with coloured pages and the slabs of green that you see are what remain of the countryside that used to occupy the now urban space. Vast tracts of London land were, and still are, owned by single families. Naturally the owner wanted to exercise control over what was built on his estate.

Bedford Square is bounded by four terraces. It has a ‘palace’ in the centre of each terrace, with houses arrayed symmetrically on either side. Though the four ‘palaces’ are not identical, they are distinguished by rustication at ground level, pilasters (square columns) running from the first storey to the attics, ornamental mouldings delineating on floor from the next one, all topped by an ornamental pediment. The palace facades, though distinct, remain in harmony with the houses on either side.

The result was that while he was in town, the nobleman dwelt in a house surrounded by wide streets and the square in front with its grass and trees provided oxygen for reasons of health and aestheticism. But Bedford Square is a private square and only key holders have access.

Trafalgar Square embodies the idea of the public square to which everyone has access but brings with it the ideas of majesty and monarchy.

Books to Read

The Classical Language of Architecture by Sir John Summerson, Thames and Hudson World of Art, London, 1970.

The Architecture of the Eighteenth Century by Sir John Summerson, Thames and Hudson World of Art, London, 1986.