London’s architectural history

The Tower of London is a fine example of London’s medieval architecture. The White Tower was built by William the Conqueror in 1100 AD. Ringed by a succession of walls, defensive buildings and moats over the following centuries, the Tower is the heart of today’s attraction which draws thousands of visitors daily.

Westminster Abbey was built in the Gothic style by Henry III, in the 13 th century. Gothic architecture is characterised by pointed arches, towering spires, highly vaulted ceilings and huge, colourful stained glass windows.

Hampton Court Palace is an excellent example of the 16th century Tudor style. The impressive building, with its steep gables, tall chimneys and grand gardens, was Henry VIII’s Thames-side palace, used and rebuilt by subsequent monarchs.

Originally built in the early 1600s, at the start of Elizabeth I’s reign, the reconstructed Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, shows some Tudor influence but is mainly in the English Vernacular style of the day. This used traditional building methods and local materials such as reeds, timber, putty and plaster.

Inigo Jones (1573-1652) brought the Palladian style to British architecture in the 17th century. Inspired by the classical structures of Rome, the Palladian style can be seen in the Banqueting House at Whitehall, which Jones completed in 1622 for King James I. Although the Banqueting House housed a museum for many years, it now serves its original purpose – hosting formal banquets for diplomats and heads of state.

After London ’s Great Fire of 1666 destroyed much of the city, Christopher Wren (1632-1723) was appointed to design and oversee the rebuilding of 51 churches. He built them in the English baroque style, characterised by intricate ornamentation and an emphasis on curving lines. The style is best seen in St Paul’s Cathedral, Wren’s masterpiece. Other London buildings bearing Wren’s mark are the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, the Naval Hospital at Greenwich , Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace .

Nicholas Hawksmoor (1661-1736) was Wren’s pupil, and designed six new London churches in the English Baroque style, including St Mary Woolnoth and Christ Church Spitalfields.

The Regency style of the early nineteenth century can be seen in much of central London. John Nash (1752-1835) designed much of what is now Buckingham Palace, along with Marble Arch and St James Park and the adjacent Carlton House Terrace, Regent’s Canal and Trafalgar Square.

The Houses of Parliament showcase the revival of the Gothic style. The architect Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860) rebuilt them, after they were destroyed by fire in 1843. Barry merged the surviving sections of the old buildings with the new structures.

The Albert Memorial and the St Pancras Hotel, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott ( 1811-1878) are two other examples of the Gothic revival in Victorian times.

The Whitechapel Art Gallery, the Bishopsgate Institute and the Horniman Museum were all designed by Charles Harrison Townsend (1851-1928) and are striking examples of an Arts and Crafts style of architecture combined with some elements of Art Nouveau.

Two ex-power stations still have a commanding Thames-side presence – the Tate Modern at Bankside and the Battersea Power Station. They are two outstanding examples of industrial design by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960).

Two architects at the forefront of contemporary British building design are Richard Rogers (b. 1933) and Norman Foster (b. 1935). Buildings by both are often described as structural expressionist, meaning their structural components – usually glass and metal – are deliberately exposed. The City of London boasts two fine examples of their work - the rising tubes and external lifts of Rogers’ Lloyds Building at 1 Lime Street, and the diamond-patterned ‘gherkin’ - Foster’s Swiss Re headquarters, at 30 St Mary Axe.

Terms and conditions

Accessibility

Privacy

Freedom of information

Top of page