What is Regency Style? | Regency Architecture
The Regency style is linked with the Regency era, which spanned from 1811 to 1820 and officially took place when King George IV was Prince Regent of the United Kingdom. It is a classical form of architecture that consists of playful, light looks and flamboyant elements. Prince Regent was a lavish monarch with extravagant tastes and spent huge fortunes on design and art, which displayed his predilection for diverse and eccentric pieces. One of the critical factors of the Regency style was the UK’s involvement in the Napoleonic wars, which eventually caused a scarcity of traditional building materials. This affected the construction throughout the country until the victory at Waterloo in 1815. Much of the Regency architecture was built post this period using materials adopted during the shortages. As an aesthetic movement, this style refers not only to architecture but also to many other forms of design like furnishing (wallpapers, textile furnishing), painting, clothing styles, and other aspects of decorative arts.
Regency Architecture
Regency architecture consists of symmetrical fronts, a sense of grandeur, and neat proportions of the Georgian style. Reflecting classical Greek and Roman architecture, many regent buildings had elaborate features like pastel-coloured stucco facades, ornate wrought iron details on porches and balconies, curved windows and front doorways, colonnaded walkways, rooftop balustrades, classical friezes, wooden window shutters, window, and doorway pediments, and pilasters. This neoclassical style was one of the two major architectural styles of the Regency period. Some Regency buildings also had elements like bay windows and balconies. Even though most of these buildings served religious, educational, business, and other official purposes, this style was also associated with middle and upper-class housing of that period. During this period, houses were mostly of brick construction with additional decorative features.
The other Regency-style architecture style is the Gothic Revival, extending well into the Victorian period. This style was mainly adorned with fancy columns, moulded cornices, and other decorative elements made from modern materials like stone, stucco, and plaster. This particular style of architecture was appropriate for rural settings, with its complex and irregular shapes. Thus, the Gothic revival style was often chosen for country homes and buildings in rural or small towns.
John Nash and the Regency style
Among the critical Regency period architects was John Nash, who served as court architect for Prince Regent (who was later King George IV). He was one of his generation’s most successful, prolific, and influential architects. He is responsible for the beautiful streets, squares, and terraces designed in the Regency style that gave London a unique character to this day. He has also done several interior design projects, but it isn’t as well-known as the charming exterior urban designs that stand the test of time. The interior designs done by Nash were designed with the knowledge that they would adapt to changing fashions over time.
Being Prince Regent’s favourite architect, Nash was commissioned to develop significant swathes of central London. John Nash created a beautiful Indian and Chinese-inspired building called the Royal Pavilion Brighton, which was built between 1815 and 1822. The Pavilion symbolizes the departure of the classical revival and the emergence of the more fanciful interpretation of the Regency style. He interpreted the Georgian-style Royal Crescent of Bath for his creation of Regent’s Park and Regent Street to create what is considered a powerful combination of formality and freedom in the Neoclassical adaptation of the Regency style. The Regent Crescent, originally constructed 200 years ago on the brink of Regent’s Park in London, is a collection of 68 refined residences befitting the royal pedigree. John Nash’s other designs include the West Wing of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House (home to the Prince of Wales), Cumberland terrace apartments in Regent’s park, and Marble Arch. He has worked in many architectural styles, from Gothic to Italianate, Greek, Palladian, and Picturesque.
Main Features of Regency Style | Regency Architecture
Regency style is mainly known as a light and airy style that is playful with a pinch of elegance. Regency-style buildings have their ground floor elevated, and rear extensions and mews were built since there was a need to have the servants separated from the family. Roofs were mainly covered in grey Welsh slate, contrasting with the white or brightly painted exterior walls. Other features are listed below-
- Stucco or cement coating was applied on the exterior walls to conceal the brickwork and was later painted with cream or white.
- Wrought iron balconies were another distinctive feature of Regency structures. These balconies often have curving metal roofs resembling a Chinese pagoda. Front entrances usually have the decorative trellis ironwork (iron railings)
- Large bay windows were built to provide a better view if the houses were in seaside towns.
- Fanlights are another feature that can be spotted on Regency buildings. These were mostly semicircular and had batwing, teardrop, or umbrella patterns. One could also spot rectangular patterns with delicate vertical details that were arched or angled to show Gothic window tracery.
Citations
- DesigningBuildings (2021). Regency Style. [online]. (Last updated 23 February 2021). Available at: https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Regency_style [Accessed 13 September 2022]
- MansionGlobal (2022). Regency Architecture. [online]. (Last updated 2 March 2022). Available at: https://www.mansionglobal.com/library/regency-architecture [Accessed 13 September 2022]
- Gizella (2018). The Regency and the Gothic Revival architecture. [online]. (Last updated 7 June 2018). Available at: https://englandspuzzle.com/the-regency-and-the-gothic-revival-architecture/ [Accessed 14 September 2022]
- David Merrifield (2020). Architecture Of The Regency Period- Inspiration From Many Sources. [online]. (Last updated 6 October 2020). Available at: https://atkeyandco.com/architecture-of-the-regency-period-inspiration-from-many-sources/ [Accessed 14 September 2022]
- Liz Grassby (2018). John Nash’s Influence On London’s Regency Architecture. [online]. (Last updated 12 March 2018). Available at: https://atkeyandco.com/john-nash-influence-london-regency-architecture/ [Accessed 14 September 2022]
- MayfairOffice (2022). Regency. [online]. Available at: https://www.mayfairoffice.co.uk/members-home/British-Architectural-Styles/British-Architectural-Styles-Regency [Accessed 14 September 2022]
- Justine Jenkins (2020). A Quick Guide to Cheltenham’s Regency Architecture. [online]. (Last updated 10 July 2020). Available at: https://wandereroftheworld.co.uk/regency-architecture-cheltenham/ [Accessed 14 September 2022]