According to Salmon, where did most of the British architects go to study in Europe?
Salmon says that "almost every architect of note went to study in Rome".
Which Italian architect influenced British students through his approach to Roman ruins?
Giovanni Battista Piranesi.
What is the meaning of 'historiography'?
'Historiography' is "the study of the writing of history and of written histories."
According to Salmon, ancient Rome was a source of inspiration for the architects of the 19th Century since it was possible to draw so many analogies between these cultures. Do you agree with this statement?
I do agree. Ancient Rome and the architecture from it are inspirational. There is a great deal of well designed structures, not just aesthetically, but also structurally. The fact that the structures are still standing, despite so much, is testament to their impressive design, and their aesthetics are unquestionably beautiful. The buildings do more than this though. They tell stories about the past and about the ancient cultures. In this respect they act almost as a document which the architects could read and observe and understand to take forward into their own designs. There would have been no better way to do this than going to Rome, and there still isn't.
Salmon also explains how at some point these comparisons became simple pastiches or copies of Roman architecture. What is your opinion about using the past as inspiration in such a literal way?
I feel that taking inspiration to inform designs is perfectly acceptable. However, I feel that copying/ imitating work is not. I feel that to copy directly is to be unoriginal, uninspired and unimaginative. To a degree, whilst potentially complimentary to the original, it can also be considered disrespectful since the original has had so much thought and research and design put into it. The pastiche can be seen as simply taking other people's work and presenting it as your own.
Draw 4 details of Arkwright building showing the use of different materials and historical influences.
Research the Arkwright building: who built it? When? To what purpose? How about the new renovation? Has it changed the building or has it tried to keep it in it's original state?
Built between 1877-81, the Arkwright building is of Gothic design. It was built by Lockwood and Mawson of Bradford to be the house University College Nottingham, along with the city library and natural history museum. The building suffered bomb damage in the Second World War but has been restored remarkably well to preserve both the exterior and the interior of the building. The Arkwright building is listed and as such is not allowed to be altered beyond a certain degree. The renovation of the building respected this and the building has remained more or less the same as the original plans suggest. The biggest changes come from the joining of the building to the Newton building.
http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-458595-arkwright-building-nottingham-trent-univ
http://www.ntu.ac.uk/about_ntu/facilities/newton_and_arkwright/history_of_the_buildings/index.html
http://www.ntualumni.org.uk/giving_to_ntu/recognising_our_donors/benefactors_court/history_of_arkwright
Salmon, Frank, (2000), Building On Ruins: The Rediscovery Of Rome And English Architecture,
http://www.ntu.ac.uk/about_ntu/facilities/newton_and_arkwright/history_of_the_buildings/index.html
http://www.ntualumni.org.uk/giving_to_ntu/recognising_our_donors/benefactors_court/history_of_arkwright
Salmon, Frank, (2000), Building On Ruins: The Rediscovery Of Rome And English Architecture,