Polychrome brickwork is a style of architectural brickwork wherein bricks of different colours are used to create decorative patterns or highlight architectural features in the walls of a building. Historically it was used in the late Gothic period in Europe, and the Tudor period in England, and was revived in Britain in the 1850s as a feature of Gothic Revival architecture. Later in the 19th century and into the early 20th century it was adopted in various forms in Europe for all manner of buildings such as French eclectic villas, Dutch row houses, and German railway stations, and as far away as Melbourne, Australia, where the technique reached heights of popularity and elaboration in the 1880s.
Menier Chocolate Factory, Noisiel, France, 1872, a particularly elaborate example of polychrome brickwork.
Porch of All Saints, Margaret Street, 1850-59, William Butterfield
The revival of polychrome brickwork is generally thought to have been instigated by British critic and architectural theorist John Ruskin, in his 1849 book The Seven Lamps of Architecture, where he lauded not only Medieval and Gothic architecture as 'truer' than the Classical, but also the ‘honest’ medieval use of materials as both structure and decoration, above the use of applied colours or veneered materials. He gave as examples Tuscan and Venetian Romanesque and Gothic buildings such as the Doge's Palace in Venice, which has a facade of white stone and pink marble in a diaper pattern (which is in fact a veneer). Other theorists and architects at the same time were also exploring the medieval use of materials in this way, later described as ‘constructional polychromy’.[1] While some designers had already used more than one colour of brick, William Butterfield made lavish use of the technique in his All Saints Margaret Street, built between 1850–59, with an exterior of banded and diaper patterned brickwork in black and cream on a red brick background.[2] Butterfield went on to use polychrome brick in more projects, and other architects also adopted the new technique at the same time. For example George Edmund Street used black bricks on a red background in his 1858–61 St James the Less in Pimlico, considered one of his finest designs, and George Gilbert Scott used black brick stripes on a red background on the Sandbach Literary Institution in 1857.
The use of coloured brick effects became quite popular in Gothic Revival across the United Kingdom, often in combination with stone, usually with far less elaboration that Butterfield. Some architects in the 1870s-80s were more enthusiastic, such as in the work of Watson Fothergill in Nottingham, and in Bristol in the 1860s-80s it was often used is what is now known as 'Bristol Byzantine' style, for instance the 1869 Welsh Back Granary.
Use in Europeedit
Polychrome brickwork also became popular in Europe in the later 19th century as part of the various medieval and Romanesque revivals. In France the Menier Chocolate Factory in Noisiel, designed by Jules Saulnier and completed in 1872, is an early and very elaborate example, which is also noted for its early use of iron structure. Later the use of two tone brickwork was popular in eclectic picturesque villas, as well as other building types. Examples, again usually restrained use of two colours, can also be found in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany 'Gründerzeit' style buildings sometimes employed decorative brick.
Use in Australasiaedit
St Michaels Church, Collins Street, 1866, doorway details. It is considered the first example of elaborate polychrome brick in Australia
In Australia, the first use of polychrome brickwork is generally attributed to architect Joseph Reed's Independent Church (now St Michaels) in Melbourne's Collins Street, completed in 1866, closely followed by St Jude's Church, Carlton. Crouch & Wilson followed with early examples such as the Victorian College for the Deaf. The style became immensely popular in Melbourne and is featured in many of the terrace houses from the 1870s and 1880s. Crouch & Wilson and Percy Oakden soon also employed it on church design, while Reed also applied it on houses, notably the Rippon Lea Estate. Following Crouch & Wilson's award winning primary school design Henry R. Bastow templated it and as a result majority of the State Schools in his commission during the 1870s-80s were in the gothic style with at least two colours.[3]
Rare examples of its use can be found in elsewhere, however it is most prevalent in Melbourne, where it began, and where it became increasingly popular, reaching a peak in the boom years of the 1880s when it was used extensively on all manner of buildings from terrace houses to villas, from shops to factories.
Sandbach Literary Institution, George Gilbert Scott, 1857
St James the Less, Pamlico, George Edmond Street, 1861
Keble College, Oxford, William Butterfield, 1870s
House, 24 Cornhill Market, Banbury, UK, William Wilkinson, 1866
Warehouse, Victoria Street, Bristol, 1870s
Granary, Welsh Back, Bristol, 1869 by Archibald Ponton and William Venn Gough
Water Tank, Bath Road, Reading, UK
Offices, George Street, Nottingham, by Watson Fothergills, 1895
Templeton's Carpet Factory, Glasgow Green, Scotland, William Leiper, 1892
Building on the Strandvaegen, Stockholm
Residential building in France
Late 19thC house in Ebeleben, Germany
Prince Reuss Stables in Greiz, Germany, 1870
Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory, Germany, 1879
Villa mon Plesir, Vichy, France, 1894
House, Rue d'Isly, Lille, France
Grand Market Hall, Budapest, 1897
Luisenhaus, Gesundbrunnen, Berlin, 1893
Referencesedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brickworks with color patterns.
^Chatterjee, Anuradha. "Between colour and pattern: Ruskin's ambivalent theory of constructional polychromy". Interstices: Journal of Architecture and Related Arts. ISSN 2537-9194.
^"All Saints, Margaret Street, London, by William Butterfield". www.victorianweb.org. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
^"CASTLEMAINE NORTH PRIMARY SCHOOL NO. 2051". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
March 18, 2024
polychrome, brickwork, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, janu. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Polychrome brickwork news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Polychrome brickwork is a style of architectural brickwork wherein bricks of different colours are used to create decorative patterns or highlight architectural features in the walls of a building Historically it was used in the late Gothic period in Europe and the Tudor period in England and was revived in Britain in the 1850s as a feature of Gothic Revival architecture Later in the 19th century and into the early 20th century it was adopted in various forms in Europe for all manner of buildings such as French eclectic villas Dutch row houses and German railway stations and as far away as Melbourne Australia where the technique reached heights of popularity and elaboration in the 1880s Menier Chocolate Factory Noisiel France 1872 a particularly elaborate example of polychrome brickwork Contents 1 Beginnings in the British Gothic Revival 2 Use in Europe 3 Use in Australasia 4 Examples 5 See also 6 Gallery 7 ReferencesBeginnings in the British Gothic Revival edit nbsp Porch of All Saints Margaret Street 1850 59 William ButterfieldThe revival of polychrome brickwork is generally thought to have been instigated by British critic and architectural theorist John Ruskin in his 1849 book The Seven Lamps of Architecture where he lauded not only Medieval and Gothic architecture as truer than the Classical but also the honest medieval use of materials as both structure and decoration above the use of applied colours or veneered materials He gave as examples Tuscan and Venetian Romanesque and Gothic buildings such as the Doge s Palace in Venice which has a facade of white stone and pink marble in a diaper pattern which is in fact a veneer Other theorists and architects at the same time were also exploring the medieval use of materials in this way later described as constructional polychromy 1 While some designers had already used more than one colour of brick William Butterfield made lavish use of the technique in his All Saints Margaret Street built between 1850 59 with an exterior of banded and diaper patterned brickwork in black and cream on a red brick background 2 Butterfield went on to use polychrome brick in more projects and other architects also adopted the new technique at the same time For example George Edmund Street used black bricks on a red background in his 1858 61 St James the Less in Pimlico considered one of his finest designs and George Gilbert Scott used black brick stripes on a red background on the Sandbach Literary Institution in 1857 The use of coloured brick effects became quite popular in Gothic Revival across the United Kingdom often in combination with stone usually with far less elaboration that Butterfield Some architects in the 1870s 80s were more enthusiastic such as in the work of Watson Fothergill in Nottingham and in Bristol in the 1860s 80s it was often used is what is now known as Bristol Byzantine style for instance the 1869 Welsh Back Granary Use in Europe editPolychrome brickwork also became popular in Europe in the later 19th century as part of the various medieval and Romanesque revivals In France the Menier Chocolate Factory in Noisiel designed by Jules Saulnier and completed in 1872 is an early and very elaborate example which is also noted for its early use of iron structure Later the use of two tone brickwork was popular in eclectic picturesque villas as well as other building types Examples again usually restrained use of two colours can also be found in Belgium the Netherlands and Germany Grunderzeit style buildings sometimes employed decorative brick Use in Australasia edit nbsp St Michaels Church Collins Street 1866 doorway details It is considered the first example of elaborate polychrome brick in AustraliaIn Australia the first use of polychrome brickwork is generally attributed to architect Joseph Reed s Independent Church now St Michaels in Melbourne s Collins Street completed in 1866 closely followed by St Jude s Church Carlton Crouch amp Wilson followed with early examples such as the Victorian College for the Deaf The style became immensely popular in Melbourne and is featured in many of the terrace houses from the 1870s and 1880s Crouch amp Wilson and Percy Oakden soon also employed it on church design while Reed also applied it on houses notably the Rippon Lea Estate Following Crouch amp Wilson s award winning primary school design Henry R Bastow templated it and as a result majority of the State Schools in his commission during the 1870s 80s were in the gothic style with at least two colours 3 Rare examples of its use can be found in elsewhere however it is most prevalent in Melbourne where it began and where it became increasingly popular reaching a peak in the boom years of the 1880s when it was used extensively on all manner of buildings from terrace houses to villas from shops to factories nbsp Lisburn House Dunedin 1865 by Mason and Wales nbsp All Saints Church Dunedin 1865 by Mason and Wales nbsp St Michael s Uniting Church Melbourne 1866 by Joseph Reed nbsp St Jude s Church Carlton Melbourne 1866 by Reed amp Barnes nbsp Victorian College for the Deaf Melbourne 1866 by Crouch amp Wilson nbsp Ripponlea Estate Elsternwick Melbourne Victoria 1868 by Joseph Reed nbsp Tortola House Adelaide 1868 nbsp Chinese Mission Church Little Collins Street Melbourne Crouch amp Wilson 1872 nbsp Methodist Church Sydney Road Melbourne Percy Oakden 1872 nbsp St Kilda Parish Mission Church St Kilda Melbourne 1877 nbsp Bishop s Building Trinity College University of Melbourne 1878 nbsp Terrace House North Fitzroy Melbourne c1880s nbsp St Kilda Park Primary School Melbourne 1882 nbsp Holcombe Terrace Drummond Street Carlton Melbourne Victoria c1884 by Norman Hitchcock nbsp Windsor Station Melbourne 1885 1886 nbsp St George s Presbyterian Melbourne 1886 nbsp Coop s Shot Tower Melbourne 1887 nbsp 1 8 Fishley Street South Melbourne Victoria c1887 nbsp Uniting Church St Kilda East Melbourne 1888 nbsp Beswicke Buildings Fitzroy Melbourne Victoria 1888 by John Beswicke nbsp Royal Terrace Charles Street Abbotsford Melbourne Victoria c1889 nbsp Hopetoun Terrace 1 11 Elm Place Windsor Melbourne Victoria 1890 nbsp Denton Hat Mills Abbotsford Melbourne Victoria c1890 by William Pitt nbsp Old Museum Building Brisbane c1891 by George Henry Male Addison nbsp 132 142 and 144 148 Victoria Street Auburn Melbourne c1891 by John Beswicke nbsp Former Mount Cook Police Station Wellington New Zealand 1894 nbsp Spotswood Pumping Station Melbourne 1897 nbsp Ardmore terrace houses Fremantle Western Australia c 1898 nbsp Villa Maria Hostel Brisbane Queensland 1927 nbsp St Ignatius Loyola Church Toowong Brisbane 1929 by John Francis Jack HennessyExamples edit nbsp Naas Presbyterian Church IrelandNotable examples of its application include Historic examples Santa Maria e San Donato Murano Veneto Italy 12th Century Chateau de Blois main front Louis XII wing Loire Valley France Fulham Palace London late 15th century all walls in diaper pattern black brick on red brick The Vynne Hampshire late 16th century Nineteenth CenturyGreat Britain and Ireland Sandbach Literary Institution George Gilbert Scott 1857 St James the Less Pimlico George Edmond Street 1861 House 24 Cornhill Market Banbury UK William Wilkinson 1866 Granary Welsh Back Bristol 1869 by Archibald Ponton and William Venn Gough Midland Hotel at St Pancras railway station 1866 76 Keble College Oxford 1870 Royal Albert Memorial Museum Exeter 1868 St Augustine s Queen s Gate London 1865 Naas Presbyterian Church 1868 Exeter School 1878 Mageough Home 1878 Templeton carpet factory Glasgow 1889 92 Offices George Street Nottingham Watson Fothergills 1895Europe Reuss Stables Greiz 1870 Menier Chocolate Factory Noisiel designed by Jules Saulnier 1872 Water tower Gutenbergstrasse Krefeld 1872 77 Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory now Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Emanuel Spieker 1879 Maison Le Castel Vichy 1893 Villa mon Plesir Vichy France 1894 Luisenhaus Gesundbrunnen Berlin 1893 Maurice Bisschops house Avenue de la Couronne Brussels 1895 Villa Germaine Avenue Palmerston 24 Brussels 1897 Grand Market Hall Budapest 1897Australasia St Michael s Uniting Church Melbourne 1866 Rippon Lea Estate Ripponlea Victoria 1868 Cambridge Terrace Carlton Victoria 1873 St George s Uniting Church St Kilda East Victoria 1877 Boag s Brewery Launceston Tasmania 1880s Yorkshire Brewery Collingwood Victoria 1880 Holcombe Terrace Carlton Victoria 1884 Denton Hat Mills Abbotsford Victoria 1888 Old Museum Building Brisbane 1891 Church of England Mission Hall Little Bourke Street Melbourne 1894 All Saints Church Dunedin 1865 Lisburn House Dunedin New Zealand 1865 See also editBristol ByzantineGallery edit nbsp Sandbach Literary Institution George Gilbert Scott 1857 nbsp St James the Less Pamlico George Edmond Street 1861 nbsp Keble College Oxford William Butterfield 1870s nbsp House 24 Cornhill Market Banbury UK William Wilkinson 1866 nbsp Warehouse Victoria Street Bristol 1870s nbsp Granary Welsh Back Bristol 1869 by Archibald Ponton and William Venn Gough nbsp Water Tank Bath Road Reading UK nbsp Offices George Street Nottingham by Watson Fothergills 1895 nbsp Templeton s Carpet Factory Glasgow Green Scotland William Leiper 1892 nbsp Building on the Strandvaegen Stockholm nbsp Residential building in France nbsp Late 19thC house in Ebeleben Germany nbsp Prince Reuss Stables in Greiz Germany 1870 nbsp Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory Germany 1879 nbsp Villa mon Plesir Vichy France 1894 nbsp House Rue d Isly Lille France nbsp Grand Market Hall Budapest 1897 nbsp Luisenhaus Gesundbrunnen Berlin 1893References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brickworks with color patterns Chatterjee Anuradha Between colour and pattern Ruskin s ambivalent theory of constructional polychromy Interstices Journal of Architecture and Related Arts ISSN 2537 9194 All Saints Margaret Street London by William Butterfield www victorianweb org Retrieved 2020 06 12 CASTLEMAINE NORTH PRIMARY SCHOOL NO 2051 vhd heritagecouncil vic gov au Retrieved 2020 06 08 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Polychrome brickwork amp oldid 1212472438, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
