Architecture in England

Course description:

This module, which will be taught on site in historic buildings, will introduce students to the history of England and its buildings from the late seventeenth century to the present day. This is an extremely dynamic period in London's history: nearly the entire city was destroyed and rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666, the city then saw huge increases in its population in the eighteenth century, and massive technological and social change in the nineteenth. The twentieth century brought yet more destruction and rebuilding after the Blitz, alongside political and economic upheaval, all of which led to radical changes in the appearance of London's buildings. This century has seen huge new investment in the city, and the rise of gentrification in the suburbs.  

Throughout the module, we will tell this story by visiting and considering many different types of buildings, from churches, hospitals, and palaces to railway stations and housing estates. Along the way, we will explore questions of architectural style, the implications of social and cultural change for architecture, and urban and architectural history and theory more generally. 

Learning outcomes:

On completion of the module, students can expect to have acquired:

• a familiarity with the history of London from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century

• a knowledge of architectural and urban change in the period

• an awareness of key themes in architectural and urban history more generally

• the ability to confidently interpret and construct arguments relating to buildings and other sources of architectural and urban history

• the capability to organize and process a wide range of evidence and formulate arguments based on their interpretation of that evidence, whilst working to a deadline

• a better understanding and engagement with the contemporary city and its buildings