GEORGIAN MANSION
H
Photograph of the main elevation.
Photographs by Gainsborough, Vargasoff and H.K. Builder
On the heights of Mount Cameron, approached from Magazine Gap Cul-de-Sac, stands the "Georgian Mansion," a recently completed residential building designed by Mesars. Palmer & Turner for The China Engineers, Ltd. This building deserves special study as it is one of the few buildings recently erected in Hong Kong which is designed according to a definite period style. This style is characterised by its reliance upon classical traditions toned down and simplified to conform with the ideas and require- ments of that period of English history known as the Georgian Era.
The general increase in wealth, the rise in the standard of comfort in England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the changes in the social condi- tions were reflected, architecturally speaking, in the break- ing away from Renaissance tradition, the restless turning to classic styles for inspiration and the application of strange new ideas to buildings required for the needs of the increasing number and wealth of the population of the British Isles.
Generally speaking, the architectural character of the Renaissance in Europe traces its gradual adoption in different countries to suit different nationalities. From Italy where it had its origin about 1400 A.D., the move- ment gradually travelled to France; from France to Germany, thence to the Netherlands and to Spain. It was not until 1512 that it made its first appearance in England, but thereafter it secured a firm footing, with adaptations dictated by the exigencies of climate and social require- ments, as suitable for the magnificent country mansions and stately town houses of the substantial professional and trading families which were rapidly forming England's new nobility.
The Georgian Style, as such, is of the late English Renaissance period which is divided into two parts; the Stuart Era dating from 1625 to 1700 and the Georgian Era dating from 1700 to 1830. The reigns of Queen Anne
and the four Georges saw the Dutch influence gradually anglicised, and the Renaissance influence tempered by the sobering effect of the French Revolution in 1789, the combined effects of which led to the breaking up alike of stereotyped social conventions and of continuous tradition in architecture. The result was a revival of interest in past styles upon which are based the special characteristics of this period.
The character of Renaissance architecture depended largely upon the personal whim and fancy of the architect, but, by the Georgian period, domestic architecture had become fairly standardised in treatment, with the influence of Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren practically dominating the period.
The essential element in domestic building was to capture the spirit of rest and express it in the house design and appointments. To understand this style it is necessary to summarise its principal characteristics :———
Simplification of Block Plan-A formalised type of plan, very generally employed both in town and country for smaller houses, was characterised by the hall and staircase occupying the centre of the building with the rooms compactly disposed on either side.
For larger houses, the E and H-shaped plans of the previous period were superseded by a central block plan usually with a basement storey, not necessarily below ground, often containing the kitchen and domestic offices. The principal floor with its columned portico reached by imposing external steps was devoted to the hall, grand staircase, salon and reception rooms. On either side colonnades connected the central block to the wings in which were situated the private quarters. The plans of the houses were marked by regularity and even by exaggerated symmetry which aimed at uniting the various parts in an imposing facade. These mansions with their
Two views of the verandahs, one showing the French window arrangement, the other, the view therefrom.
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