The Regency period of architecture generally refers to the period spanning 1811 to 1820, when George, Prince of Wales, ruled the country as ‘Regent’ during the madness of his father George III. However, the style of architecture that characterised the period could be said to have evolved over a longer period, from as early as 1795 to as late as 1837.
As the ‘First Gentleman of Europe’ the Prince Regent actively encouraged and acted as patron for many of the new movements in painting, sculpture, decoration, literature, music, technology and science. And of course, architecture.
Architects experimented with a wide range of styles during the Regency period, from the elegant classical to the more exotic and fanciful. In particular, heavy Greek, Egyptian and Indo-Chinese influences became highly fashionable.
Greek influence
The most notable source of inspiration for Regency taste was found in Greek antiquity, as people on their grand tours venture beyond Rome.
Aiding the focus on authenticity were recently published, lavishly illustrated books with images of Greek art and architecture. Anyone who wanted to use the style had ready inspiration drawn straight from the source.
Elegance and refinement were paramount in the consideration of a classical Regency design. Buildings often had symmetrical façades, sash windows, ornate wrought iron balconies, decorative lead fanlights over entrance doorways and fluted columns.
Regency houses were typically built from brick, covered in stucco. Terraced houses were popular in towns, and crescents were especially fashionable.
London’s Cumberland Terrace was one such terrace. Designed by John Nash, it was completed in 1826 and consists of three main blocks, linked by decorative arches with typical neoclassical style and grandeur. The central block includes a large sculptural pediment by J. G. Bubb above a long colonnade of Ionic columns.
Above: Cumberland Terrace in London.
The Regency period was not solely one of classical revival and elegance, however, and more exotic and whimsical influences began to emerge in the architecture of this era, demonstrating the increasing awareness in England of the architectural motifs of Egypt, the Near East, Middle East and Asia.
Indo-Chinese influence
The Royal Pavilion, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is an excellent and perhaps the best known example of the Indo-Chinese influence on Regency architecture. It was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for the Prince Regent, built in the unique Indo-Saracenic style prevalent in India for most of the 19th century.
The Prince Regent hired architect Henry Holland in 1787 to transform his Brighton lodging house into a modest villa which became known as the Marine Pavilion. In 1808 a new stable complex was completed with an impressive lead and glass-domed roof, providing stabling for 62 horses. From 1815 to 1822 the house was transformed by architect John Nash into something resembling the mythical pleasure dome of Kubla Khan, with minarets and domes in the Indian Mogul manner.
With his love of visual arts and fascination with the mythical orient, George set about lavishly furnishing and decorating his seaside home. He especially chose Chinese export furniture and objects, and hand-painted Chinese wallpapers. The fanciful interior design, primarily by Frederick Crace and the little-known decorative painter Robert Jones, was heavily influenced by both Chinese and Indian fashion (with Mughal and Islamic architectural elements). It is a prime example of the exoticism that was an alternative to more classicising mainstream taste in the Regency style.
Interestingly, the interiors of the Royal Pavilion and other exotic properties tended to be much less exotic than the exteriors. Many aspects of the interiors, and specifically the architectural joinery, reflected the wider fashions of the time, so the doors, architraves and other mouldings would often be much like those in other Regency properties.
Above: The Royal Pavilion, Brighton – built in phases from 1787 to 1822.
Another Indian-inspired property is Sezincote, a Mughal Indian palace set in the Cotswold Hills of England, designed by Samuel Pepys Cockerell and completed in 1805. It is a notable example of Neo-Mughal architecture, a 19th-century reinterpretation of 16th and 17th-century architecture from the Mughal Empire, and references a unique combination of Hindu and Muslim architecture.
The house is credited with influencing the design of the Brighton pavilion after a visit by The Prince Regent in 1807. It is surmounted by a copper dome and minarets, and set in a picturesque water garden with seven pools, waterfalls, a grotto and a temple to Surya, the Hindu Sun God. A curving Orangery frames the Persian Garden of Paradise.
Above: Sezincote near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire – thought to have been the inspiration for The Prince Regent’s Brighton Pavilion.
Egyptian influence
An exuberant taste for Egyptian motifs resulted from the Napoleonic expeditions to Egypt in 1798 when Napoleon’s campaigns in Egypt were accompanied by archaeological surveys. Information and images related to the finds made their way back to England and caught the imagination of architects and designers.
The Egyptian Hall in London was commissioned by William Bullock as a museum to house his collection, which included curiosities brought back from the South Seas by Captain Cook.
Designed by P. F. Robinson, it was completed in 1812 (and demolished in 1905).
It was the first building in England to be influenced by the Egyptian style, partly inspired by the success of the Egyptian Room in Thomas Hope’s house in Duchess Street, which was open to the public and had been well illustrated in Hope’s Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (London, 1807). Unlike Bullock’s Egyptian temple in Piccadilly, Hope’s neoclassical façade betrayed no hint of the Egyptian-inspired décor within.
Above: The Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, London – completed in 1812 but demolished in 1905.
Although now demolished, the Egyptian Hall was also the inspiration for the Egyptian House in Penzance, Cornwall, built between 1835 and 1836 and owned since 1973 by the Landmark Trust, which rents out the upper floors as holiday accommodation.
Above: The Egyptian House, Penzance, Cornwall – inspired by London’s Egyptian Hall and built around 1835.
The chief architects of the Regency period
Architects Henry Holland, Sir Robert Smirke and George Basevi were all considered to have been arbiters of Regency taste. Above all, however, John Nash (1752 – 1835) and Sir John Soane are perhaps the most prominent.
Nash was an English architect and city planner best known for his development of Regent’s Park and Regent Street, a royal estate in northern London that he partly converted into a varied residential area, which still provides some of London’s most charming features. Designed in 1811, Regent’s Park and Regent Street are both fine examples of classically-inspired Regency style.
Sir John Soane is arguably the most influential of the Regency architects. He designed Dulwich Picture Gallery, which, with its top-lit galleries, was a major influence on the planning of subsequent art galleries and museums. He also designed and extended the Bank of England from 1790 (his work there is largely destroyed), a building which had a widespread effect on commercial architecture. Much of his work was with private houses and institutional buildings which have since been lost, but his house on Lincoln’s Inn Fields, bought in 1792 and redesigned, which he used as a showroom, drawing office and home, is now open to the public as the Sir John Soane’s Museum. This is considered my many to be the most representative example of his scope of work.
Above: Regent Street, London – designed by John Nash in 1811.
Above: Regent Street, London, today.
Above: Dulwich Picture gallery, designed by Sir Jonn Soane and opened in 1817.
A blend of styles
Eastnor Castle, completed in 1820 by architect Robert Smirke, is an impressive example of 19th-century revivalist architecture, blending various historical styles. The structure exhibits Gothic elements, particularly through its pointed arches, battlements, and turrets, evoking a sense of medieval grandeur. It also incorporates aspects of Italianate architecture, seen in its symmetrical layout and the elegance of its classical detailing. Furthermore, Smirke drew inspiration from Norman defensive architecture, evident in the castle’s massive, fortress-like walls, crenellations, and cylindrical towers, giving it a strong militaristic presence.
Above: Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, by Robert Smirke, completed in 1820.
For further information about the architectural influences of the Regency period, or to discuss the reinstatement or introduction of period-perfect architectural joinery in a Regency property, contact Michael Costello, MD or send us a message now.
