Architecture of the British Empire - Hardcover

Even though there was never a "British Imperial Style" of architecture, the colonizers created livable houses that mirrored their pretensions to aristocracy, serviceable buildings of authority and churches proclaiming the empire's providential nature. From the Governor's Palace in Queen Anne's style in Williamsburg, Virginia, to the "Wild West Gothic" of a post office in India, British colonial buildings exude great charm, character and durability. Local architectural traditions and building materials are in evidence, whether in a settler's house in Kenya, Australian corrugated iron roofs or a castle completed in Toronto in 1914. Public buildings were "a remarkably mixed bag," as an essay here notes, but the ones still standing in Calcutta and Malaysia are spectacular. Ingenious in its conception, illustrated with some 140 color plates, this volume probes the "existential" style that reinforced a shaky claim to alien soil.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This book is composed of six illustrated essays that survey the architecture of the British Empire from mid-18th century to the early 20th century, with most examples from the United States, Canada, India, South Africa, Jamaica, and Australia. The essays are largely organized by building types and are written in a lively, informative manner. About 140 color photographs display the unique architectural works whose variety makes difficult any generalization about a British imperial style. "Existential Cities" by Gillian Tindall is one chapter likely to be of much interest to urban planning enthusiasts. An attractive and informative book, highly recommended. Edward H. Teague, Univ. of Florida Libs., Gainesville
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.