About the show | The Sandman

The Sandman is exciting and captivating. The brand-new Netflix series, based on Neil Gaiman’s enduring comics series, is fascinating. It narrates the tale of Morpheus, the King of Dreams, and Lord Shaper. Dream is one of the Endless, along with his six other siblings Death, Desire, Destiny, Despair, Destruction, and Delirium. They are much more ancient beings that have lived for almost as long as the universe itself, not gods. They are mighty and dominate their own kingdoms, although as a family, they do occasionally fight about trivial things.

“Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll’s House”, the first two Sandman books, are largely faithfully recreated in Season 1, even down to the episode titles that correspond to each book volume. This makes sense given how well the book’s episodic structure lends itself to such treatment. This is an introduction to Gaiman’s Endless universe in both the books and the current TV series, so Season 1 has a lot of explaining. 

Crucial Elements of Architecture in The Sandman

We can see that The Sandman has gone to great lengths to tell the tale of the protagonist, Morpheous, king of the Endless Dream. How could one describe what the kingdom of dreams would seem like? The series opens in the Victorian Era when we get a peek at some of England’s historic buildings and homes.

Because the Dream King is revered as a deity, the series is structured in a way that demonstrates how humanity has changed over the centuries. Thus, the show’s architectural styles have undergone a complex evolution. The show illustrates a transition from early Greek architecture to the present world rather than focusing on a single architectural style.

The most significant segments explained the architectural edge of the show | The Sandman

As the series got underway, we gradually got a peek at Old Britain and the Neo-classical structures that were being constructed. We may witness homes and the interiors of those homes built in Georgian architecture, in addition to Neo-classical architecture. A more well-known location where the series’ filming was done is Scotney Castle. Southeast of Lamberhurst in Kent, England, in the valley of the River Bewl, at Scotney Castle, an English country house with well-landscaped grounds. The National Trust is the owner of it.

An architectural review of The Sandman - Sheet1
Scotney Castle_©JAMESMAWSONGETTY IMAGES

Scotney Castle is a Picturesque garden with a medieval castle from the 14th century, and a Victorian country residence situated in a stunning woodland estate. The gardens are open to the public and are both a notable example of the Picturesque aesthetic and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Castle poses as the House of Mystery or the House of Secrets to hide its true identity. And, as was already mentioned, the second episode highlights it.

As we discuss a few of the locations, landmarks, and structures where the show was filmed, Guildford Cathedral should be included as well. The Anglican Cathedral in Guildford, Surrey. It is called The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, or simply Guildford Cathedral. The Bishop of Guildford resides in this structure, which was designed by Edward Maufe and constructed between 1936 and 1961.”The objective has been to develop a design, unmistakably of our own time, yet in the line of the great English Cathedrals,” wrote Maufe in 1932. “To build again on history, to rely on proportion, mass, volume, and line rather than elaboration and adornment.”  The building was defined as “sweet-tempered, undramatic Curvilinear Gothic” and the interior as “noble and subtle” by Pevsner Architectural Guides. 

An architectural review of The Sandman - Sheet2
Guildford Cathedral_©https://www.thetealmango.com/entertainment/the-sandman-filming-locations-explored

The castle of the Dream King is another stunning setting that was produced using CGI and VFX technologies. The Castle was created as an assemblage of various architectural styles combined into one. As for the castle’s front façade, we see that the Gothic element is quite dominant, but as we look at the other sides, we see a variety of diverse aspects in other styles. A gigantic Buddha statue that is part of the castle itself is located on the left side of the building. Similar to the type of art/architecture that was employed to construct the Statue of Liberty, this statue can be classified under the category of Colossal Neoclassical Architecture.

An architectural review of The Sandman - Sheet3
Castle of Morpheous_©Courtesy of Netflix

A sizable “Flying Buttress” is visible on the castle’s right flank. This pervasive structural component is now a part of Gothic architecture. La Sagrada Familia, which is categorized as having Gothic Revival architecture, Noucentisme, and Spanish Gothic architecture, has minarets that are similar to those on the rear of the castle. Along with a few other brief glimpses of other architectural forms, Gothic architecture is the most prominent type of architecture seen in the castle.

An architectural review of The Sandman - Sheet4
Castle of Morpheous_©Courtesy of Netflix

Additionally, the big sculptures of mythological animals like Pegasus and dragons have been used in the aesthetics of the castle in place of the Gargoyles that were originally used in Gothic architecture.

When you look inside the exact same castle, Gothic architectural features are once again more prominent. The stained windows and pointed arches are visible.

Castle of Morpheous_©Courtesy of Netflix

The sculptures on the enormous columns inside the castle give an abstraction that is similar to the Corinthian Columns of Greek Architecture, which were considered to be a feminine symbol, but in this scene, the sculpture of the woman emerging from the column shows how the show has progressed to show the viewers something new and different. As a result, not everything inside can be classified as Gothic architecture.

Online sources

The Sandman review: a great new series, but…

By Bibek Bhattacharya.

LAST PUBLISHED 06.08.2022

Available at: https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to-lounge/movies-tv/the-sandman-review-a-great-new-series-but-111659760719580.html

What Is Georgian Architecture?

By Kristin Hohenadel

Updated on 02/07/22

Available at: https://www.thespruce.com/georgian-architecture-4846979

The Sandman Filming Locations Explored

By Ayman Bhorania

August 8, 2022

Available at: 

https://www.thetealmango.com/entertainment/the-sandman-filming-locations-explored/

Guildford Cathedral.

Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guildford_Cathedral

Author

An Architect/Designer who stands utmost to facilitate success and break the stereotypes that have been followed for a very long time in architecture. He believes every design must be conceived to add charm and enhance the surrounding's innate beauty with energy and resource efficiency as key driving factors.