Gothic Revival

The term Gothic revival describes a style of architecture originally developed in medieval times and brought back to life centuries later. This revival of the Gothic design took place in the second half of the nineteenth century by architects who were commissioned to transform castles, churches, and cathedrals in England into more modern structures. The trend took hold throughout Great Britain and was brought to the United States.

The elements used in Gothic-style structures offered picturesque and romantic qualities, but the buildings were often impractically constructed. The revival remained one of most long-lived of the nineteenth-century styles and began losing popularity only when new materials and concern for functionalism were introduced. Still, many buildings, such as churches and institutions of higher learning, continued to be constructed in the Gothic style, both in England and in the United States until well into the twentieth century.

History

Gothic architecture was originally introduced in France in the twelfth century but was replaced in popularity some three hundred years later by Renaissance architects who despised what they considered the existing "old-fashioned and exaggerated" design. These architects coined the term "Gothic" as a derogatory term, chosen because it likened the architectural style to the Goths who were savages that had brought destruction to Europe hundreds of years earlier. The term "Gothic architecture" reflected these Renaissance architects’ repugnance to a design that they felt was sullying the face of Europe. They believed that their approach would offer a more classical, solid, and symmetrical look.

Gothic revival competed at first with the neoclassical revival that was taking place in the mid-eighteenth century in both Great Britain and the United States. Neoclassical architecture was inspired by the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome and was used in the design of the Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome. The leaders of Gothic architecture eventually eclipsed the neoclassical design in both countries and remained popular well into the twentieth century.

The earliest documented example of the revival of elements of Gothic architecture is Strawberry Hill, the home of the English writer Horace Walpole. This was followed by the modernization of many public buildings in England and North America, such as the Houses of Parliament in London, which replaced the old Palace of Westminster that was destroyed in a fire in 1834, as well as Parliament Hill in Ontario, the Washington Cathedral, and many university campuses.

In the United States, the Gothic style evolved in two different stages. The first stage focused more on wealthy but unscholarly individuals and was mostly used for their country estates. Richard Upjohn’s Trinity Church built in New York City in 1840 is a perfect example of this design. The later stage was structurally stronger and was used in public buildings such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in 1859-79.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Gothic revival details were mixed with elements of other Victorian-era styles and became a style known as the Victorian Gothic. In the early twentieth century, a variation, known as the Collegiate Gothic style, developed primarily for educational buildings.

Impact

Several reasons have been given for the Gothic revival in the late 1700s. One explanation points to the emerging interest at the time in Gothic tales and romances that fueled a sense of nostalgia for medieval castles and abbeys. Authors such as Walpole and Sir Walter Scott used their stories of medieval times to create a yearning for that period. Landscape paintings with scenes depicting the ruins of these castles and churches added to the spirit of melancholy.

At the same time, architects interested in church reform believed that they could reintroduce liturgical significance by focusing on a return to Gothic architecture. This religious and moral incentive was strengthened by the writings of influential and respected writers who claimed that the quality of medieval craftsmanship reflected a morally superior way of life and should be reestablished.

Gothic revival solved some of the problems of medieval structures by creating more light and airy buildings. Architecture was no longer just functional; it took on a merit and meaning of its own.

There are several major characteristics of Gothic architecture. One of its fundamental features was its height. The introduction of new building techniques enabled architects to spread the weight of taller walls and loftier towers, which were perfect for cathedrals and churches.

A flying buttress was a decorative way of balancing the buildings by removing the weight off the walls and transferring it to the ground. The buttress gave the impression of movement and added a sense of splendor to the structure.

The use of a pointed arch, as well as the vaulted ceiling, also helped distribute the weight of the building, providing more support than earlier, simpler shapes. The pointed arch also gave the feeling of reaching up to the heavens. The vaulted ceiling replaced standard circular or rectangular vaults with ceilings of different shapes and sizes.

Gothic revival made heavy use of gargoyles. Besides being used for decoration, these scary creatures placed along roofs and barricades had practical purposes as well. The spout of the gargoyle acted as sort of a gutter, enabling rainwater to be collected as it drained off the roof before hitting the ground. More important, gargoyles—with their exaggerated evil features perched on high in threatening poses—were used to scare medieval peasants into the church. Gargoyles are certainly one of the defining characteristics of Gothic architecture.

Gothic architecture replaced damp and moldy castles and early medieval buildings and strove to emphasize light, bright windows and airy interiors. It introduced aesthetic values and beauty into building design with features that included furniture decorated with elaborately painted scenes and designs of gallant motifs normally found in coats of arms.

Gothic revival revolutionized architecture as it is known in the twenty-first century. Many of the key characteristics of Gothic architecture have been adopted into modern architectural designs; aesthetic styles of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries owe a great deal to the roots of the Gothic architecture movement in medieval times.

Bibliography

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