arts & crafts essay

8/18/2019 Arts & Crafts Essay

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Simon Rickards History and Theory of Architecture

How did the architecture of Arts & Crafts rely upon the precedents andmodels of the Gothic period?

With specific reference to Wells Cathedral and the Red House.

1,733 words.

Wells Cathedral and the Red House were both unique precedents for their individual architectural

styles. The cathedral in Wells was the first in England to be completed in the Gothic style

throughout, and is to many the peak of elegance in gothic architecture. It seems fitting to

compare it with the Red House, which formed a solid base from which a new style movement

would grow. Built between 1175 and 1490, Wells Cathedral contains some unique architectural

features, most notably scissor arches. The initial work was carried out under the watch of Bishop

Reginald de Bohun, although the time taken for construction means that many of his successors

were involved, most notably Bishop Jocelyn of Wells who oversaw the construction of the West

Front . Conversely, the Red House1

was entirely the result of William

Morris and architect Phillip Webb,

designed in 1859 as a “Palace of

Art” . It was only inhabited by2

Morris for 5 years, though it remains

one of the most pure manifestations

of the Arts & Crafts ideology and

created a new paradigm for English

architecture.

One of the primary concerns of Arts

& Crafts architecture is the implementation of creative design, and how this can hold function

without the need for superfluous ornamentation. The Red House exemplifies this in both plan and

Wells Cathedral History & Architecture Part 1. 2000 [online]. [Accessed 4th January 2011]. Available from World Wide

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Web:

Morris’s Red House as a “Palace of Art” . 2008 [online]. [Accessed 13th January 2011]. Available from World Wide Web:2

Fig 1: The west façade of Wells Cathedral. The pointed windows and

spires exemplify English Gothic architecture.


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elevational treatment, specifically fenestration. Recognized at the time, it was described by

German scholar Herman Muthesius (1904) as being “the first private house of the new artistic

culture, the first house to be

conceived as a whole inside and out,

the very first example in the history of

the modern house” symbolizing a3

break from the tradition of a uniform

façade. The rooms are arranged in a

bent-linear pattern and accessed by

way of a single corridor. By doing so,

it conforms to Ruskin’s notion of

‘changefulness’ - the idea that human

needs should inform design without

the craftsman having to adhere to a

fixed style - as it allows for the

elevation to express the functionality

of each room. This is most visible in

the window patterns around the

courtyard, where the four rectangular

windows at ground floor level hold no

discernible relationship with the three

oculi above them as on plan they

express and adapt to the usage of the

space behind them. Similarly, the larger windows which illuminate the stair tower share no

reference points with the other apertures in the building as they relate to the change in levels in

the staircase ( see Fig. 3 ). This shows honesty in expression which was held in high regard by the

proponents of the Arts & Crafts movement, something which carried through from the Gothic

style.

Red House. 2002? [online]. [Accessed 4th January 2011]. Available from World Wide Web:

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Fig 2: Floor plans of the Red House. The L-shaped corridor is evident,

as is the pattern of fenestration in relating to the interior spaces.


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English Gothic was principally a form of ecclesiastical architecture and so must, by necessity,

conform in some respects to the conventions of religion. The Christian convention for a church to

b e

orientated along the East - West axis in cruciform shape informs the design of Wells Cathedral,

with the chapter house adjoining the northern transept creating asymmetry in plan. The

fenestration of the cathedral conforms to its internal spaces in

the same way that the Red House does; the windows changing

level round the entrance to the octagonal chapel follow the

stairs elegantly ( Fig. 4) and allow a pleasant interior space

where the elevational treatment is appropriate to the function.

Even in the main volume the large areas of glass between the

interstices of stone convey the presence of a massive space

internally, with the equilateral Gothic arches allowing such big

voids in the structure.

Indeed this rectitude in construction extends to materials, and

has been observed by many of the major architectural styles

but most notably by the Arts & Crafts movement. The

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Fig 3: The courtyard of the Red House. The stairwell windows can be seen in the center of the

image.

Fig 4: The stairway joining the northern

transept to the chapel.


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materiality of the Red House, inside and out, provides a uniformity of carefully worked natural

constituents. Externally, the namesake red bricks

and tiles were chosen for their natural variation in

color, something which would help to di#erentiate

the house from the mechanical precision of4

contemporary brick structures. A similar feel is

achieved inside, with the timber frame of the barn-

like roof, and even the block printed wallpaper,

processed by hand. In this way the building

embodies a unity of high art with humble crafts in

architecture, where truth in both material and

design is evident.

This too can be traced back to Gothic where the

skillful use of stone led to the construction of many

buildings which have been standing for well over

500 years. The use of an oolitic stone from the local Doulting quarry, crafted by highly skilled

workers, allows the structure in Wells Cathedral to become overwhelming. The creation of such an

awe-inspiring spectacle for the Church was something which helped ensure its dominance,

wealth and longevity for many hundreds of years.

The truthfulness of the structure continues from the materiality to the expression of construction

methods. Within Arts & Crafts the ingenuity of construction was valued, and as industrial values

were shunned beauty could be gained from delicate design of natural materials. The Red House

places a French leaded lantern, in Gothic style, as a cap for the stair tower and expresses the

rafters within this. The celebration of this beautifully finished, but humble construction method is

similarly evident in the first floor drawing room where exposed beams present the construction.

By doing this, it allows the design interest of the interior spaces to be created by the functionality

of the building, and purposeless ornamentation disappears. Pugin, one of the first idealists behind

the movement, commented that:

Davey, Peter Arts and Crafts Architecture, Phaidon Press, London, p404

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Fig 5: The exposed structure and limited palette

inside the stairwell of the the Red House.


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Architectural features are continually tacked on buildings with which they have no connexion, merely for the

sake of what is termed e#ect; and ornaments are actually constructed, instead of forming the decoration of

construction, to which in good taste they should always be subservient. 5

This exemplifies an attitude against the contemporary trend for the decoration shown in neo-

Renaissance and Greek Revival architecture, styles which were both at odds with the Gothic

ideals in their own periods.

The craftsmen of the middle ages were able to use their materials to their full potential, making

“their mechanism a vehicle for their art” . Perhaps the most apparent exposed structure within6

the cathedral are the inverted strainer arches which form

‘scissor arches’ ( Fig. 6 ), installed in the 14th Century to

prevent the additions to the spire from causing the rest

of the structure to collapse. More subtly, but still evident,

are the buttresses employed on all sides of the

cathedral, allowing a large span to be covered while

maintaining thin walls which facilitates glazing by

allowing smaller splays. The roof which spans between

these buttresses is of ribbed groin vault construction,

the ribs providing strength for the smaller stones filling

the spandrils which in turn enables the roof to become

sealed, both for protection from the weather and to

improve acoustics. The groin vaults, when combined

with equilateral arches, allow clerestory windows to

reach the height of the crown of the vault, greatly improving the e$ciency of the lighting. Enabling

the roof to reach such a height requires strong columns for support. These are splayed, as Pugin

states, “for elegance and convenience” , but also for practicality, allowing light to penetrate7

Pugin A. W. N. The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture, London, 1841, p15

Ibid, p26

Pugin A. W. N. The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture, London, 1841, p127

5

Fig 6: One of the inverted arches (or scissor

trusses) in Wells Cathedral.


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deeper into the bui lding. As a

consequence of splayed columns the

adjoining arches will also be splayed

increasing strength.

This concern for the aesthetics of

construction was something which

Morris, as a prolific artist and designer, had strong beliefs about. It would seem reasonable to

assume then that the interior ornamentation owes more to Morris than Webb . While it is mostly8

understated, there are wall paintings by Burne-Jones and Rossetti, both pre-Raphaelites who

worked closely with Morris in raising the status of the values upheld by the brotherhood. The large

wooden storage unit in the

entrance hall exemplifies the

restraint evident throughout the

house. Decorated only with

illuminated panels it forsakes all

unnecessary ornamentation, and

places importance and value on

the skill of the craftsman, in this

case Rossetti.

Conversely, Wells Cathedral is

covered with ornamentation,

both inside and out, although it

is entirely justifiable through

purpose and by celebrating the creativity of the craftsman. Most obvious are the moldings, which

adorn columns, arches and string courses throughout. Primarily it is there to augment features

Davey, Peter Arts and Crafts Architecture, Phaidon Press, London, p428

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Fig 7: Detail of the rib vaulting in the ceiling. The structurally

lightweight spandrils are lighter in colour.

Fig 8: The storage unit in the hall of the Red House. The illuminated panels

can just be made out.


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which have purpose within the structure, and does so by ornamenting the stone in a natural way

through the use of light and shadow. It is carefully executed by skilled craftsmen in order to create

a visually pleasing balance, while not compromising the structural integrity of the material. In this

way it can be seen that the work of the masons

is celebrated throughout the building, not only

with the obvious statues covering the West

façade or the capitals of the internal columns.

This decoration found in Gothic architecture all

stems from nature, using forms and shapes from

plants. In a cathedral devoted to the worship of

God the Creator, it seems appropriate that the

ideals of the architectural style dictate that the

decoration reflects his original creations. Ruskin says of this that the Gothic craftsman worked to

immortalize foliage without “seek[ing] to disguise his own roughness of work, or his subject’s

roughness of make” . This contrasted with the belief of the Greek, or Classical, sculptor who9

worked in idealized forms by improving perceived faults in nature. In a similar way, the Arts &

Crafts movement provided a contrasting view to the industrial values upheld by the preceding

Victorian architecture. Where iron was used and ornamented with unnecessary motifs it became

dishonest and untrue to the materials character. This was strongly opposed by the pre-Raphaelite

brotherhood as well as the new architectural movement of the time, and it is evident in the

designs of wallpapers, soft furnishings and ornamentation in glazing. Embellishments in these

areas are justified as they provide adornments to function parts of the building, in much the same

way that moldings were added in the Gothic style.

Overall, it can be seen that the Arts & Crafts style owes much to the earlier Gothic architecture.

While motifs and patterns were rarely copied for aesthetics, the ethos and intent behind the

creation of the architecture remained the same. This lead the architects to many of the same

solutions. The principles of Gothic design, which was brought back into creative circles by both

Ruskin, John The Stones of Venice, Vol II, Smith Elder, London, 1853, p1989

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Fig 9: Detail of a string course on the West façade of

Wells Cathedral, intended to throw rain water o! and

avoid collecting it.


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Ruskin and Pugin, formed the basis of one of the most beautiful and revolutionary styles of the

19th and 20th Centuries. %

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Bibliography

Wells Cathedral History & Architecture Part 1. 2000 [online]. [Accessed 4th January 2011]. Available from

World Wide Web:

Morris’s Red House as a “Palace of Art” . 2008 [online]. [Accessed 13th January 2011]. Available from World

Wide Web:

Red House. 2002? [online]. [Accessed 4th January 2011]. Available from World Wide Web:

Davey, Peter Arts and Crafts Architecture, Phaidon Press, London

Pugin A. W. N. The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture, London, 1841

Ruskin, John The Stones of Venice, Vol II - The Sea-Stories, Smith Elder, London, 1853

Bibliography

Figure 1 Rickards, Simon. 2011. West Front of Wells Cathedral.

Figure 2 Username: dbthecherryblass. 2006. William Morris' The Red House Bexley Heath Kent UK

April 2004 pictures from scenery & nature photos on webshots [online]. [Accessed 4th January 2011].

Available from World Wide Web:

Figure 3 Matthews, Kevin. 2010? The Red House - Philip Webb - Great Buildings Online [online].

[Accessed 4th January 2011]. Available from World Wide Web:

Figure 4 Rickards, Simon. 2011. stairway

Figure 5 AboutBritain.com. 2010? Red House on AboutBritain.com [online]. [Accessed January 7th

2011]. Available from World Wide Web:

Figure 6 Rickards, Simon. 2011. Inverted Arch in Wells Cathedral.

Figure 7 Rickards, Simon. 2011. Roof detail in Wells Cathedral.

Figure 8 Wood, Charlotte. 2010? The Red House, Bexleyheath, Oak Staircase Landing, 1859-60,

Architect: Philip Webb Posters at AllMoviePosters [online]. [Accessed January 7th 2011]. Available from

World Wide Web:

Figure 9 Rickards, Simon. 2011. Stone course detail on Wells Cathedral.

Further Reading

Gothic Field Guide to Architectural Terms. 2009 [online]. [Accessed 5th January 2011]. Available from World

Wide Web:

Wells Cathedral - History n.d. [online]. [Accessed 5th January 2011]. Available from World Wide Web:

Wikipedia, n.d. Wells Cathedral In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. [Accessed 5th January 2011].

Available from World Wide Web:

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Wikipedia, n.d. Gothic Architecture In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. [Accessed 5th January

2011]. Available from World Wide Web:

Ruskin, John The Stones of Venice, Vol I - The Foundations, Smith Elder, London, 1851

Ruskin, John The Stones of Venice, Vol III - The Fall, Smith Elder, London, 1853

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