Sophiesensei.files.wordpress.com



History and Architecture of EnglandAncient Greece and RomeClassical Greece was a 200 year period lasting from the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD. The period is thought to have ended with the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. It is during that period in history that philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle lived, and buildings such as the Parthenon were constructed.BC 438 Classical Greece had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire and greatly influenced HYPERLINK "" \o "Western culture" western civilization. Much of modern Western politics, architecture, scientific thought, literature, and philosophy comes from this period of Greek history. During the first and second centuries AD, the Roman Empire expanded from Italy to become one of the largest empires of the Ancient World. In 43AD the Romans successfully invaded Britain and it is still possible to see today the remains of Roman roads, baths, heating systems and mosaics. The Romans did not settle in Oxford however.Roman BathsAncient Roman society has contributed to modern government, law, politics, engineering, art, literature, architecture, technology, warfare, religion, language and society. The Romans brought new ideas to architecture such as the rounded arch, the dome and the use of mortar. Buildings such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon come from this period. Colosseum 70AD Pantheon AD 126The Roman Empire broke up after it was weakened by political divisions and by invasions from Germanic tribes from the north. The break up of the Roman Empire was followed by the period known as the Middle Ages. The Middle AgesDuring the period that the Roman Empire was in decline, the Anglo-Saxons invaded England. They built a town at Oxford because, situated at the confluence of two rivers, it was an easy site to defend. The street pattern that exists in central Oxford is Saxon, and the tower of the church of St Michael’s is Saxon.St Michaels Church By the middle of the 11th century Oxford was one of the more important provincial towns in England, having a population of 4,500. It ranked alongside Winchester and Lincoln, but was smaller than York or Norwich.In 1066 England was invaded by the Normans who came from Normandy in northern France. Oxford Castle was built by the Normans in 1071 and today it is still possible to see the Castle mound and St Georges Tower. St George’s TowerThe Normans brought with them a type of architecture known as Romanesque. This style had rounded arches in the same way as the Roman style, and thick columns. A common pattern around the arches was the “chevron” pattern, and this may be seen in some of the Norman buildings. St Frideswide Monastery was built during this period, in 1122. Doorway Christ Church In 1155 Henry II granted Oxford a charter to govern its own affairs. In the Middle Ages the Church and the monarchy were very powerful. There was one Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and people believed everything the Church told them. The Church said that the earth was flat and that the earth was the centre of the universe. Many people gave huge sums of money to the Church so that priests would pray for their souls after they died. The interiors of the churches were very colourful, with stained glass windows and decorated walls.The king was also very powerful. Kings believed that they were appointed by God and that they should be always obeyed.Oxford University was founded in the Middle Ages. Teaching was taking place in Oxford in the 12th century and by the early 13th century there were about 250 students and 70 teachers. In 1214 we see the appointment of a Chancellor and this marked the recognition of the University as a self-governing corporate body. The main purpose of the University was to train people to enter the Church and this is one reason why the college chapels were so big and splendid. The style of architecture was Gothic, and thus we see the making of Matthew Arnold’s “City of dreaming spires”. The Gothic style passed through three phases, Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular style. As this style developed, the windows became wider and thus the area of wall smaller. The wall was no longer strong enough to hold up the roof, so this was now supported by columns strengthened by buttresses.St Mary’s ChurchSt Mary’s Church is built in the Gothic style. It was a very important building because this is where Oxford university started in the 13th century.Many Oxford colleges were built in the Perpendicular style. We see the appearance of battlements, crocketed pinnacles and Oriel windows. Merton College, New College and Magdalen College Oxford are excellent examples of this style. New College Magdalen CollegeThe RenaissanceHowever during the Renaissance in the 15th and 16th centuries man made many important discoveries. Man began to think for himself and discovered that the world was not flat. Copernicus realised that the earth was not the centre of the universe but was just a small part of a solar system. Man came to be regarded as more important and this is seen in paintings, where ordinary people, not religious scenes, became the subject of the painting. People also began to think back to Ancient Greece and Rome because they believed that the art and architecture of that period had achieved perfect beauty.In the 15th century in Rome, a book of architecture, De Architectura, was discovered. The book dated from the first century BC and was written by a Roman architect by the name of Vitruvius. The descriptions that he gave of Roman buildings became very popular and these revived an interest in Greek and Roman architecture. Two architects who took a great interest in the work of Vitruvius were Brunelleschi and Bramante and their buildings did a lot to promote Roman architecture.152400126365Bramante’s Tempietto 1502However Italian ideas took a long time to reach England, because in 1534 Henry VIII rejected the authority of the Pope because the Pope would not grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. In fact many changes were to take place in England before Renaissance ideas began to affect architecture. Although Henry rejected the authority of the Pope England remained a Catholic country.In the reign of Edward VI (1547 – 53) England did become a Protestant country, but Mary Tudor ( 1553 – 58) changed the religion once again and England became a Catholic country again . In Oxford two Protestant bishops, Latimer and Ridley, and Archbishop Cranmer were executed for being Protestants. They were tried in St Mary’s Church and executed in Broad Street. There is a cross in the road in Broad Street which shows the place where the three men were executed. Martyrs Memorial 1843There is a memorial to the Oxford Martyrs in Oxford in St Giles. This was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and completed in 1843. In the reign of Elizabeth I (1558 – 1603) the Church of England was created. This was a Protestant Church but it still contained some Catholic features. The religion established by Elizabeth I has survived until the present day. Religion however has continued to be an important issue and, occasionally, as in the middle of the 19th century has been the subject of much controversy, especially in Oxford. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download