Gothic Architecture - “Survival” vs. “Revival”

Gothic architecture fell out of vogue in the fifteenth century; however, it still remained as an outmoded architectural form while building projects featuring cathedrals begun in earlier eras were completed, sometimes well into the seventeenth century. This style of architecture still remained in favor in rural areas all over Europe, as well, rather than being overtaken by the later Baroque style. Gothic architecture also remained in use in more urban areas during the seventeenth century, in the forms of repairs to existing Gothic structures in Oxford and Cambridge.

These on-going building projects and repairs exist in a period known to some as “Gothic Survival.” Some structures that were complete toward the end of this period may actually belong to the beginning of the Gothic revival. An example of such structures without a definitive temporal ‘home’ includes the main entrance to Oxford University’s Christ Church. This entrance features the square tower and octagonal dome of “Tom Tower,” built by Sir Christopher Wren during that time.

Another structure that straddled the eras between survival and revival was the Cologne Cathedral of Germany. Construction on this cathedral had begun in 1248 and was still unfinished at the time of the revival; however, it was the Gothic Revival that restored interest in its completion. The return to work on this great cathedral, began in 1824, marked the revitalization of Gothic architecture in Germany.

During the Romantic era, scholars and other educated people found a renewed interest in some medieval art and architecture. This renewed interest focused at first on churches, tombs of nobility and royalty, and illuminated manuscripts, such as bibles and other religious texts produced in the late Gothic period. Despite this interest, other artistic forms from the Gothic era were frequently ignored for their ‘primitive’ nature.

The sentimentality that marked the period also engendered a fascination with the ruins of the past, as well as creating new structures that were created in the old style. These ruins were often incorporated into decorative details of the new structures or were refurbished and used as the basis of a new building. Horace Walpole’s villa “Strawberry Hill,” now under trust and undergoing restoration, was a building of this nature. Eighteenth century architects such as Robert Adam and James Wyatt were often called upon to provide Gothic details in residential architecture, including drawing-rooms and household libraries.

The religious impact of the Gothic style continued with the architectural composition of local chapels, as well as in the construction of larger structures, such as Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire. The focus on the romantic and “picturesque” aspects of this architecture led to “Gothick” style in which the more practical aspects of true Gothic buildings. These “Gothick” buildings, frequently decorative ruins and outbuildings, were effectively buildings based on the designs of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio, altered to feature pointed arches. One architect altered true Gothic style to have the proportions found in classical architecture.

Over time, Gothic Revival architecture took on a more brooding quality. While early architecture focused on the fanciful elements of the style, including the sweeping spires and buttresses, later Gothic Revival architecture became more grand–and perhaps more somber–during the eighteenth century. Scholarly works were written about the Gothic style, approximately beginning with J. Britten’s series of Cathedral Antiquities in 1814, in an attempt to trace its evolution through its use in British churches and cathedrals.

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