Gothic Revival architecture facts for kids
Gothic Revival architecture is architecture that has been made to look as if it is from medieval times, but is really much later. This architectural style began in the late 1740s in England. Its momentum grew in the early 19th century. Serious and learned admirers of neo-Gothic styles sought to revive medieval Gothic architecture.
The Gothic style of architecture was built in Europe between about 1140 and about 1550. Beginning in late 18th century Europe, through the 19th century and into the early 20th century in Europe and elsewhere there was a fashion to build in the Gothic style. In this period architects and their patrons had various different styles to choose from. There were also revivals of Classical and Renaissance styles. Since medieval Gothic buildings vary so much, some architects often copied selectively from medieval buildings and some adapted the style to the needs of their own period. The "Gothic Revival" style was most commonly used for churches, cathedrals, universities, town halls and sometimes houses.
Gothic Revival buildings have features that are like real Gothic buildings. They often have:
- Pointed arches round the doors and windows
- Arched stoned roofs called "vaults"
- Towers and sometimes also spires on top of towers
- Many stone-carvings around the doors and fireplaces
- Stained glass windows
Famous Gothic Revival examples
- Strawberry Hill at Twickenham, near London, was one of the first houses designed in the Gothic Revival style.
- The Houses of Parliament, London
- Sydney University
- São Paulo Cathedral, Brazil
- The campus of Yale University and the University of Chicago
Images for kids
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Tom Tower, Oxford, by Sir Christopher Wren 1681–82, to match the Tudor surroundings
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Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham, London; 1749 by Horace Walpole (1717–1797). "The seminal house of the Gothic Revival in England", it established the "Strawberry Hill Gothic" style
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The study at Abbotsford, created for Sir Walter Scott whose novels popularised the Medieval period from which the Gothic Revival drew its inspiration
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Cologne Cathedral, finally completed in 1880 although construction began in 1248
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The Canadian Parliament Buildings from the Ottawa River, built between 1859 and 1876
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The Palace of Westminster (1840–1876), designed by Charles Barry & Augustus Pugin
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Venetian Gothic in Baku, Azerbaijan.
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Exeter College, Oxford Chapel
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Carcassonne – Viollet-le-Duc restored the citadel from 1853.
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Cast-iron Gothic tracery supports a bridge by Calvert Vaux, in Central Park, New York City
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Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, India
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Construction of Washington National Cathedral began in 1907 and was completed in 1990.
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Liverpool Cathedral, whose construction ran from 1903 to 1978
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Schwerin Castle, Schwerin, Germany (1845–1857)
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Schadau Castle, Thun, Switzerland (1846–1854)
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Wrocław Główny railway station, Wrocław, Poland (1855–1857)
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New Town Hall, Munich, Germany (1867–1905)
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Town Hall, Manchester, England (1868–1877)
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City Hall, Vienna, Austria (1872–1883)
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Sturdza Palace, Iași County, Romania (1880-1904)
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Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary (1885–1904)
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Tower Bridge, London, England (1886–1894)
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The Neo-Manueline (Portuguese Late Gothic) Rossio Station, Lisbon, Portugal (1891)
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Co-cathedral, Osijek, Croatia (1898)
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Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Moscow, Russia (1901–1911), an example of Brick Gothic revival
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Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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Rockefeller College, Princeton, USA
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St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, USA
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Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Ontario
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Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
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The São Paulo Metropolitan Cathedral, São Paulo, Brazil
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Basilica del Salvador, in Santiago, Chile
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The Las Lajas Sanctuary in southern Colombia
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Basílica del Voto Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
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St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia
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St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia
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Christchurch Cathedral, Christchurch, New Zealand
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Otago Boys High School, Otago, New Zealand
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Church of the Saviour, Baku, Azerbaijan
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Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pondicherry, India
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Basílica Menor de San Sebastián, Manila, Philippines
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Sacred Heart Cathedral, Guangzhou, China
See also
In Spanish: Arquitectura neogótica para niños