Gothic revival style
The Gothic Revival style is part of the mid-19th century picturesque and romantic movement in architecture, reflecting the public's taste for buildings inspired by medieval design.
This was a real departure from the previously popular styles that drew inspiration from the classical forms of ancient Greece and Rome. While distinctly different, both the Gothic Revival style and the Greek Revival style looked to the past, and both remained popular throughout the mid 19th century.
This style was promoted as an appropriate design for rural settings, with its complex and irregular shapes and forms fitting well into the natural landscape. Thus, the Gothic Revival style was often chosen for country homes and houses in rural or small town settings, particularly in America.
The Gothic Revival style was also popular for churches, where high style elements such as castle-like towers, parapets, and tracery windows were common, as well as the pointed Gothic arched windows and entries.
The Carpenter Gothic style is a distinctive variation of Gothic Revival, featuring vertical board and batten wooden siding, pointed arches and incised wooden trim. The name comes from the extensive use of decorative wood elements on the exterior.
The most commonly identifiable feature of the Gothic Revival style is the pointed arch, used for windows, doors, and decorative elements like porches, dormers, or roof gables.
Other characteristic details include steeply pitched roofs and front-facing gables with delicate wooden trim called vergeboards or bargeboards. This distinctive incised wooden trim is often referred to as 'gingerbread' and is the feature most associated with this style.
Gothic Revival style buildings often have porches with decorative turned posts or slender columns, with flattened arches or side brackets connecting the posts. Gothic Revival style churches may have, not just pointed arch windows and porticos, but often feature a Norman castle-like tower with a crenellated parapet or a high spire.
Later in the 19th century, Gothic Revival details were mixed with elements of other Victorian-era styles to become a style known as the Victorian Gothic. In the early 20th century, a distinct variation of the Gothic Revival style, known as the Collegiate Gothic style, developed primarily for educational buildings.
--Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Architectural styles.
- Boss (medieval architecture).
- Classical revival style.
- Colonial Revival style.
- Crenellations.
- Crocket.
- Gargoyle.
- Grotesque.
- Hunky punk.
- Italian Renaissance revival style.
- Monument and context.
- Nineteenth century building types.
- Palace of Westminster.
- Pinnacle.
- Queen Anne style.
- Stick style.
- Spanish Colonial revival style.
- Tudor revival style.
IHBC NewsBlog
IHBC 2019 Nottingham School - Heritage, Risk & Resilience
Homepage, venue and promotional pages launched – Sponsor opportunities open now; Delegate booking from February 2019!
IHBC welcomes Hampshire South Pevsner launched by Yale University Press
IHBC will be extending its CPD partnership with the Yale as the Pevsner publisher for the IHBC’s Nottingham School, in July 2019, on ‘Heritage, Risk and Resilience’.
IHBC welcomes Gus Astley Student Award judge for 2018
Ingval Maxwell OBE, Chair of COTAC, past Technical Director at Historic Scotland, now Historic Environment Scotland, will judge the 2018 Awards and present them at AS2019.
IHBC President launches next Marsh Awards
‘Your next chance to nominate retired IHBC members and successful learners for Marsh Awards’.
IHBC HE & ALGAO LA conservation stats out now - 2018
LA conservation capacity in England: small annual increase follows years of conservation cuts. But still aggregates at 35% cuts over the last 12 years.
IHBC CPD boost: Build your skills and profile
By contributing to Conservation Wiki (and DBW) following the handy guide on writing articles you can help your CPD and public and professional profile.
IHBC Local Authority Skills - website now mobile friendly
The IHBC upgrades specialist website on ‘Local Authority Skills’ so it's more accessible for mobile technology such as smart phones and iPads etc - content updates anticipated.
Scottish communities feel excluded from landscape policy
Major new research entitled Community Empowerment and Landscape show communities feel excluded from development decisions that affect the areas they live in.
CITB - iconic buildings set to benefit from sought-after stonemasonry skills
A new Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) partnership launched in Edinburgh will help meet the demand for stonemasonry skills.
SPAB Scholarship and Fellowship applications for 2019 open
Architects, surveyors, engineers, craftspeople looking for hands-on-learning experience may apply for the 2019 Scholarships or Fellowships prior to December 1.
Dame Judith Hackitt - shocked by construction industry standards
Her report, the ‘Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’ also calls for ‘stronger powers of enforcement, to provide more deterrent to cost-cutting’.
Making use of empty spaces in London
A report by Nicolas Bosetti and Tom Colthorpe ‘Meanwhile, in London: Making use of London’s empty spaces’ looks at planning in the public realm.
Local authority green belt statistics for England 2017 to 2018
Statistics on designated green belt land in England by local authority for 2017 to 2018 have been published, indicating an incremental decrease of green belt each year.
England - Swindon Railway Village voted as Favourite Conservation Area
Civic Voice announces that Swindon Railway Village Conservation Area has been voted as England’s ‘favourite Conservation Area’.
UK festival of creativity and innovation to be held in 2022
A UK-wide festival to be held in 2022 will showcase the creative and innovative strengths of the nation.
Government Building Safety Programme – post Grenfell Tower fire
MHCLG is supporting building owners in taking immediate steps to ensure their residents’ safety and in making decisions on any remedial work that is necessary to do.