![Temple Works](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Temple_Works.jpg)
Egyptian Revival architecture in the British Isles is a survey of motifs derived from
Ancient Egyptian sources occurring as an
architectural style
An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...
.
Egyptian Revival architecture
Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...
is comparatively rare in the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
.
Obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
s start appearing in the 17th century, mainly as decorative features on buildings and by the 18th century they started to be used in some numbers as funerary or commemorative monuments. In the later 18th century,
mausoleums
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consi ...
started to be built based on
pyramids
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...
, and
sphinxes
A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon.
In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...
were used as decorative features associated with monuments or mounted on gate piers. The
pylon, a doorway feature with spreading
jambs
A jamb (from French ''jambe'', "leg"), in architecture, is the side-post or lining of a doorway or other aperture. The jambs of a window outside the frame are called “reveals.” Small shafts to doors and windows with caps and bases are known ...
which support a
lintel
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...
, also started to be used and became popular with architects.
As a result of the
Napoleonic conquest of Egypt in 1798, more accurate records became available to architects and Egyptian Revival became a recognised architectural style. As the 19th century progressed Egyptian features were, on occasions, used for industrial buildings and particularly for
suspension bridges
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridges, which lack vertical ...
, and after 1830 the Egyptian Revival style was often used for cemetery buildings and monuments in cemeteries. Some examples of churches and
synagogues
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
exist in this style.
By the end of the 19th century, the style had very nearly disappeared, but in 1922 with
Howard Carter
Howard Carter (9 May 18742 March 1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptologist who discovered the intact tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun in November 1922, the best-preserved pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the K ...
's discovery of
Tutankhamun's tomb
The tomb of Tutankhamun, also known by its tomb number, KV62, is the burial place of Tutankhamun (reigned c. 1334–1325 BC), a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb consists of four chambers a ...
the style underwent a dramatic revival it was used particularly for cinema architecture and sometimes for factory buildings. The angular shapes of Egyptian architecture could be mixed with those of
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
, leading to a hybrid Art Deco style which appeared in the 1930s. Subsequently, there have been very few buildings in Egyptian Revival style.
Sources for the style
![EgyptFrontispiece](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/EgyptFrontispiece.jpg)
The first illustration of a
pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
was published by
John Greaves
John Greaves (1602 – 8 October 1652) was an English mathematician, astronomer and antiquarian.
Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, he was elected a Fellow of Merton College in 1624. He studied Persian and Arabic, acquired a number of old ...
, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, in 1646, to record and draw on site, the external and internal measurements of the Giza pyramids and to confirm that they were tombs. Detailed renderings of various temples on the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
, the
Pyramids
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...
, and the
Sphinx
A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon.
In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...
had been accumulating for connoisseurs and designers in works such as
Bernard de Montfaucon
Dom Bernard de Montfaucon, O.S.B. (; 13 January 1655 – 21 December 1741) was a French Benedictine monk of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He was an astute scholar who founded the discipline of palaeography, as well as being an editor of works ...
's, ten-volume ''L'Antiquité expliquée et representée en figures'' (1719–1724), which reproduces, methodically grouped, all the ancient monuments. In 1735
Benoît de Maillet
Benoît de Maillet (Saint-Mihiel, 12 April 1656 – Marseille, 30 January 1738) was a well-travelled French diplomat and natural historian. He was French consul general at Cairo, and overseer in the Levant. He formulated an evolutionary hypothesi ...
's ''Description de l'Égypte'' (1735) appeared and was followed by
Comte de Caylus ''Recueil d'antiquités égyptiennes, étrusques, grècques, romaines et gauloises'' of 1752–55. This was followed by
Frederic Louis Norden
Frederic Louis Norden (22 October 1708 – 22 September 1742) was a Danish naval captain, cartographer, and archaeological explorer.
Also known as ''Frederick'', ''Frederik'', ''Friderick'', ''Ludwig'', ''Ludvig'' and ''Lewis'', names use ...
's ''
Voyage d'Egypte et de Nubie
''Voyage d'Egypte et de Nubie'' (1755) records Frederic Louis Norden's extensive documentation and drawings of his voyage through Egypt in 1737–38. It contains some of the very first realistic drawings of Egyptian monuments and to this day re ...
'' (1755). Norden had travelled widely in Egypt and provided much detailed information about the standing monuments.
Also of importance were the engravings of
Giambattista Piranesi
Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista) Piranesi (; also known as simply Piranesi; 4 October 1720 – 9 November 1778) was an Italian Classical archaeologist, architect, and artist, famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric ...
(1720–1778), which included, in his defence of Roman forms, a place for Egypt as a primary source. In his engravings and especially in his ''Diversi maniere d'adornare i cam mini'' of 1769. Piranesi promoted Egyptian ornament, and advanced the theme of the
Sublime, esteeming the monumentality of Egypt's austere and stereometric architectural forms to be the major influence on the emerging Neoclassicism and its Egyptian Revival. Travellers from Britain, such as
Richard Pococke
Richard Pococke (19 November 1704 – 25 September 1765)''Notes and Queries'', p. 129. was an English-born churchman, inveterate traveller and travel writer. He was the Bishop of Ossory (1756–65) and Meath (1765), both dioceses of the Church ...
, who published in 1743 ''A Description of the East and Some Other Countries'' were also a source for popularising Egyptian architecture.
The invasion of Egypt by
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
in 1798 was to provide a major stimulus to the study of Egypt's past and encouragement of Egyptian Revival architecture. It was the informed and accurate literature which then appeared which for the first time produced detailed surveys of the country's major buildings. The first publication was Vivant Denon's (1747–1825)
[Howard Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840'', 3rd ed. (Yale University Press) 1995, ''s.v.'' "Robinson, Peter Frederick"; ''Survey of London'' vol. xxix.] partly inspired by the success of the Egyptian Room in
Thomas Hope's house in Duchess Street, which was open to the public and had been well illustrated in Hope's ''Household Furniture and Interior Decoration'' (London, 1807).
![Egyptian Mansion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Egyptian_Mansion.jpg)
At this point architects started producing examples Egyptian buildings that they hoped their clients would wish to have built. An example of this is a ''Perspective view of a Mansion in the Egyptian style'' by James Marshall in 1806. Designs for shopfronts were also being produced and probably executed at this time by architects in London.
The full publication of Napoleon's scientific expedition was published as the
Description de l'Égypte
The ''Description de l'Égypte'' ( en, Description of Egypt) was a series of publications, appearing first in 1809 and continuing until the final volume appeared in 1829, which aimed to comprehensively catalog all known aspects of ancient and m ...
in 23 or 29 volumes between 1809 and 1828. This was to provide a major resource for the architects and their clients if they were considering introducing Egyptian elements in their buildings. In particular the illustrations of the facade of the Grande Temple at Dendera was a popular source.
The
Egyptian Hall
The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson. The Hall was a considerable success, with exhibitions of artwork and of Napoleonic era re ...
in
Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, commissioned by
William Bullock as a museum to house his collection of curiosities was completed in 1812. The plans for the hall were drawn up by architect
Peter Frederick Robinson
Peter Frederick Robinson (1776–24 June 1858) was an English architect.
Career
Robinson began his career in Henry Holland's office and worked under William Porden at the Brighton Pavilion in 1801–02. In 1805 he designed Hans Town Assembl ...
. The museum was variously referred to as the London Museum, the Egyptian Hall or Museum, or Bullock's Museum. Later the Hall was used to display the discoveries made by
Giovanni Battista Belzoni
Giovanni Battista Belzoni (; 5 November 1778 – 3 December 1823), sometimes known as The Great Belzoni, was a prolific Italian explorer and pioneer archaeologist of Egyptian antiquities. He is known for his removal to England of the seven-tonn ...
who had returned to England In 1819 and published an account of his travels and discoveries entitled a ''Narrative of the Operations and Recent Discoveries within the Pyramids, Temples, Tombs and Excavations in Egypt and Nubia, &c'' the following year. During 1820 and 1821 Belzoni also exhibited facsimiles of the tomb of
Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I in Greek) was the second pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt during the New Kingdom period, ruling c.1294 or 1290 BC to 1279 BC. He was the son of Ramesses I and Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II.
The ...
. The exhibition was held at the Egyptian Hall,
Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...
, London. This was a further stimulus to public interest in Egyptian art and architecture and coincided with the use by civil engineers in using
pylons
Pylon may refer to:
Structures and boundaries
* Pylon (architecture), the gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple or Christian cathedral
* Pylon, a support tower structure for suspension bridges or highways
* Pylon, an orange mar ...
for suspension bridges, chain piers and the furnaces at Lord Bute's Ironworks at
Rhymney in south Wales.
![Lepsius-Projekt tw 1-2-108](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Lepsius-Projekt_tw_1-2-108.jpg)
The English architect and egyptologist
Joseph Bonomi the Younger
Joseph Bonomi the Younger (9 October 1796 – 3 March 1878) was an English sculptor, artist, Egyptologist and museum curator.
Early life
Bonomi was born in London (Gunnis says Rome) into a family of architects. His father, Joseph Bonomi the Eld ...
joined an expedition to Egypt led by the Scotsman
Robert Hay (Egyptologist)
Robert Hay (6 January 1799 – 4 November 1863) was a Scottish traveller, antiquarian, and early Egyptologist. He was born in Duns Castle, Berwickshire. During his service in the Royal Navy he visited Alexandria, Egypt, in 1818.
In 1824 ...
. Hay and Bonomi stayed in Egypt from November 1824 until 1828, and 1829 to 1834, recording monuments and inscriptions, and making a large number of
architectural plan
In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan is a technical drawing to scale, showing a view from above, of the relationships between rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other physical features at one level of a structure.
Dimensio ...
s. Their manuscripts are now primarily in the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
, and many of his plaster casts in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
.
In Cairo (1827–1828), In 1828 Bonomi worked in Cairo on the illustrations for
James Burton
James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...
's '' Excerpta hieroglyphica'' – Burton was the elder brother of the architect
Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century. He was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and Reg ...
.
This was followed by the artist
David Roberts David or Dave Roberts may refer to:
Arts and literature
* David Roberts (painter) (1796–1864), Scottish painter
* David Roberts (art collector), Scottish contemporary art collector
* David Roberts (novelist), English editor and mystery writer ...
. He is especially known for a prolific series of detailed lithograph prints of Egypt and the Near East that he produced from sketches he made during long tours of the region between 1838 and 1840.
![Lepsius-Expedition-Cheops-Pyramide](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Lepsius-Expedition-Cheops-Pyramide.jpg)
Belzoni travels in Egypt were followed by Bononi David Hay Expedition.
Finally the
Prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
expedition under
Karl Richard Lepsius
Karl Richard Lepsius ( la, Carolus Richardius Lepsius) (23 December 181010 July 1884) was a pioneering Prussian Egyptologist, linguist and modern archaeologist.
He is widely known for his magnum opus ''Denkmäler aus Ägypten und Äthiopien'' ...
should be mentioned. This was modelled after the earlier
Napoléonic mission, and consisted of surveyors, draftsmen, and other specialists. The mission reached
Giza
Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...
in November 1842 and spent six months making some of the first scientific studies of the
pyramids
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...
of Giza,
Abusir
Abusir ( ar, ابو صير ; Egyptian ''pr wsjr'' cop, ⲃⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲓ ' "the House or Temple of Osiris"; grc, Βούσιρις) is the name given to an Egyptian archaeological locality – specifically, an extensive necropolis of ...
,
Saqqara
Saqqara ( ar, سقارة, ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. ...
, and
Dahshur
DahshurAlso transliterated ''Dahshour'' (in English often called ''Dashur'' ar, دهشور ' , ''Dahchur'') is a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately south of Cairo. It is known chiefly for several p ...
. They discovered 67 pyramids, recorded in the pioneering
Lepsius list of pyramids
The Lepsius list of pyramids is a list of sixty-seven ancient Egyptian pyramids established in 1842–1843 by Karl Richard Lepsius (1810–1884), an Egyptologist and leader of the " Prussian expedition to Egypt" from 1842 until 1846.
The Lepsiu ...
, and more than 130 tombs. The chief result of this expedition was the publication of ''
Denkmäler aus Ägypten und Äthiopien
''Denkmäler aus Ägypten und Äthiopien'' (literally "Monuments from Egypt and Ethiopia", where "Ethiopia" was then a synonym for Nubia) is a monumental work by Karl Richard Lepsius published in Prussia in the years 1849 - 1859. Like the French ...
'' (''Monuments from Egypt and
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
''), a massive twelve-volume ''compendia'' of nearly 900 plates of ancient Egyptian inscriptions, as well as accompanying commentary and descriptions published in 1849. This expedition was accompanied by Joseph Bonomi and another English architect
James William Wild
James William Wild (9 March 1814 – 7 November 1892) was a British architect. Initially working in the Gothic style, he later employed round-arched forms. He spent several years in Egypt. He acted as decorative architect to the Great Exhibition ...
.
Forms and motifs
Cleopatra's Needle
Cleopatra's Needles are a separated pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks now in London and New York City. The obelisks were originally made in Heliopolis (modern Cairo) during the New Kingdom period, inscribed by the 18th dynasty pharaoh Thutmose I ...
was re-erected in London in 1878, see
Cleopatra's Needle, London
Cleopatra's Needle in London is one of a pair of obelisks, together named Cleopatra's Needles, that were relocated from the ruins of the Caesareum of Alexandria in the 19th century. Inscribed by Thutmose III and later Ramesses II of the Egypti ...
.
Obelisks
![The obelisk, Ripon market place (geograph 4950159)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/The_obelisk%2C_Ripon_market_place_%28geograph_4950159%29.jpg)
The first
obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
s may start to appear in the later 16th century and it is suggested that the obelisk on Compton Pike is Elizabethan in date. More securely dated is a series of
obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
s which start to appear in the 18th century. The first of these was the Wakeman obelisk of 1702 by
Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principa ...
, which is set in the square at
Richmond, Yorkshire
Richmond is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, and the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is from the county town of Northallerton and situated on t ...
. Probably several hundred obelisks exist in the British Isles dating from 18th and early 19th centuries. Most of these obelisks, which are often
landmarks
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
commemorate famous people and their achievements. At Stowe in Buckinghamshire an obelisk was erected in memory of
Wolfe's victory at Quebec in 1752, while at the death of the Duke of Cumberland in 1765 was noted by an obelisk at
Englefield Green
Englefield Green is a large village in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. It is home to Royal Holloway, University of London.
The village grew from a hamlet in the 19th century, when much of Egham ( ...
in Surrey.
Thomas Coke, Earl of Leicester, ''Coke of Norfolk'' the farming pioneer has a particularly fine obelisk, set up in the park he created at
Holkham
Holkham is a small village and civil parish in north Norfolk, England, which includes a stately home and estate, Holkham Hall, and a beach, Holkham Gap, at the centre of Holkham National Nature Reserve.
Geography
The parish has an area of and ...
in Norfolk. Sometimes an obelisk was used to mark the site of a battle such as the obelisk on the site of
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
battlefield at Naseby in Leicestershire. Occasionally obelisks are used as mile markers, as on the
Great North Road at a mile from
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
. In Lincoln an elaborate obelisk was set up on the High Bridge in 1762–63 as a conduit for dispensing water, while
Anthony Salvin
Anthony Salvin (17 October 1799 – 17 December 1881) was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations. He restored castles and country h ...
used obelisks as water fountains on the
Belton House estates in Lincolnshire.
In Ireland an early obelisk was constructed as a family funeral memorial by Sir Edward Lovatt Pierce for the Allen family at
Stillorgan
Stillorgan (, also ''Stigh Lorcáin'' and previously ''Tigh Lorcáin'' or ''Teach Lorcáin''), formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, and contains ma ...
in Ireland in 1717, one of several Egyptian obelisks erected in Ireland during the early 18th century. Others may be found at Belan,
County Kildare
County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...
; and Dangan, County Meath. The Casteltown Folly in County Kildare is probably the best known, albeit the least Egyptian-styled.
Jubilee Tower, Moel Famau, Flintshire
![The remains of Jubilee Tower, on Moel Famau - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/The_remains_of_Jubilee_Tower%2C_on_Moel_Famau_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1410525.jpg)
A particularly ambitious example of an obelisk type monument was the tower, built to commemorate the
golden jubilee
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...
of
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
in 1810. It stands on the summit of
Moel Famau
Moel Famau is the highest hill in the Clwydian Range and the highest point (county top) of the county of Flintshire in Wales (both the historic county and the current council area). It lies on the boundary between Denbighshire and Flintshire. ...
in northeast Wales and was designed by
Thomas Harrison of Chester. It takes its inspiration from an Egyptian obelisk with three tiers. Although the foundation stone was laid in 1810 by
George Kenyon, 2nd Baron Kenyon
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George V, King of Great Britain, Ireland, the British Dominions and Emperor of India fr ...
, the tower was never completed due to a lack of funds. In 1862, a major storm brought down the incomplete tower. The remaining upper part of the structure was demolished for safety reasons leaving just the base. Egyptian features can still be discerned in the ruins of the monument with the
Pylon doors and the
Hieroglyphic
Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1,00 ...
characters on the stonework.
Obelisk Gallery
File:Cumberland Obelisk (geograph 4050606).jpg, Duke Cumberland Obelisk 1765
File:Obelisk on St Georges Circus (geograph 4236314).jpg, Obelisk on St Georges Circus
File:General Wolfes Obelisk (geograph 2302568).jpg, General Wolfe's Obelisk Stowe, Buckinhamshire post 1759
File:Naseby Obelisk (geograph 3538052).jpg, Naseby Obelisk
File:Obelisk in Holkham Park (geograph 4614979).jpg, Obelisk in Holkham Park
File:Prince of Orange obelisk, Bath (geograph 2615769).jpg, Prince of Orange obelisk, Bath 1734
File:St.Mark's obelisk - geograph.org.uk - 719177.jpg, Lincoln High Bridge obelisk originally a water conduit
File:Trinity House obelisk, Portland Bill - geograph.org.uk - 1029343.jpg, Trinity House obelisk, Portland Bill 1844
General Sir David Baird's obelisk, near Crieff, erected 1832
Pyramids
![Obelisk Gatehouse, Nostell Priory (geograph 4227067)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Obelisk_Gatehouse%2C_Nostell_Priory_%28geograph_4227067%29.jpg)
Stone pyramids were occasionally used as funerary
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
from the late 17th century onwards. The inspiration is likely to have been a pyramid built in Rome, about 18–12 BC, as a tomb for
Gaius Cestius, a magistrate and member of the
Septemviri Epulonum
The (Latin for "feasters"; sing. ''epulo'') arranged feasts and public banquets at festivals and games ''( ludi)''. They constituted one of the four great religious corporations (''quattuor amplissima collegia'') of ancient Roman priests.
Esta ...
. This was well known from the mid-18th century engraving of the pyramid by
Piranesi's. The earliest example in the British Isles of a pyramid is the Clark Mausoleum at Peniciuk in Scotland of the late 17th century. In 1783 a pyramid was added to an otherwise classical mausoleum designed by
James Wyatt
James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806.
Early life
W ...
for the Darnley family at Cobham Park in Kent. Then in 1794–96
a pyramid mausoleum by the Italian architect
Joseph Bonomi for William Assheton Harbord in Blickling Park in Norfolk. Bonomi would have been familiar with the Pyramid of Cestius in Rome Other pyramidal mausoleums are Franics Douce's of 1760 at
Nether Wallop
Nether Wallop is a village and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. It is located approximately northwest of Stockbridge, and approximately southwest of Andover.
Nether Wallop is the easternmost of the three villages ...
and his cousin built the pyramid at Farley Mount in 1734 to commemorate a racehorse he owned, while another relative "Mad" Jack Fuller had a pyramidal mausoleum built at
Brightling
Brightling is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. It is located on the Weald eight miles (13 km) north-west of Battle and four miles (6 km) west of Robertsbridge.
The village lies in the High Wea ...
in Sussex in 1834.
Pyramids were sometime used for the gateways or gate lodges to stately homes, as at
Nostell Priory
Nostell Priory is a Palladian house in Nostell, West Yorkshire, England, near Crofton on the road to Doncaster from Wakefield. It dates from 1733, and was built for the Winn family on the site of a medieval priory. The Priory and its contents w ...
in Yorkshire, and
Robert Adam
Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his o ...
produced a design for a pyramid shaped temple to be placed in parkland.
Pyramid Gallery
File:The Clerk mausoleum and old kirk, Penicuik.JPG, The Clerk mausoleum and old Kirk, Penicuik
File:1783DarnleyMausoleum.JPG, DarnleyMausoleum, Cobham Park 1783
File:The monument at Farley Mount - geograph.org.uk - 26204.jpg, The monument to a racehorse Farley Mount 1734
File:Mausoleum, Gosford Estate (geograph 4284021).jpg, Mausoleum, Gosford Estate
File:The pyramid, Brightling.JPG, The pyramid, Brightling 1834
File:Francis Douce's pyramidal mausoleum, Nether Wallop - geograph.org.uk - 213585.jpg, Francis Douce's mausoleum, Nether Wallop, Hampshire
File:The Pyramid Blickling.JPG, The Blickling Pyramid
File:The Pyramid Tomb (geograph 3913560).jpg, The Pyramid Tomb, Wicklow, Ireland
Sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon.
In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...
were used as decorative features, often on houses or surmounting gate piers from the 18th. century onwards. Possibly the earliest use of the Sphinx as a motif is as a support for a 17th. century sundial in the grounds of
Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey ( gd, Abaid a' Bhatail Nuaidh) was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.
Monastery
It was founded in 1140 by ...
in
Midlothian
Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...
, Scotland. In the 1730s
Lord Burlington
Earl of Burlington is a title that has been created twice, the first time in the Peerage of England in 1664 and the second in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831. Since 1858, Earl of Burlington has been a courtesy title used by the duk ...
and
William Kent
William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, but ...
introduced sphinx and other Egyptian elements into the gardens at
Chiswick House
Chiswick House is a Neo-Palladian style villa in the Chiswick district of London, England. A "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London, the house was designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694– ...
. This was followed by
James Playfair who used them as decorative features on Cairneess House, A pair of Sphinx were also used by James Bateman in his Egyptian Garden, which he created at
Biddulph Grange
Biddulph Grange is a National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust landscaped garden, in Biddulph near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It is separate from Biddulph Grange Country Park.
Description
"Beh ...
in the 1840s.
Sphinx Gallery
File:17thC sundial sphinxes, Newbattle Abbey (geograph 2314954).jpg, 17thC sundial sphinxes, Newbattle Abbey
File:Chiswick House, Sphinx on gateway pillar (geograph 2272630).jpg, Chiswick House, Sphinx on gateway pillar
File:Cairness House, lodge 05.jpg, Cairness House, lodge gate pier
File:Biddulph Grange Garden - geograph.org.uk - 430273.jpg, Sphinx in the Egyptian garden at Biddulph Grange c.1840
Examples
Bullock's Museum or Egyptian Hall
The
Egyptian Hall
The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson. The Hall was a considerable success, with exhibitions of artwork and of Napoleonic era re ...
in
Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, commissioned by
William Bullock as a museum to house his collection of curiosities was completed in 1812 at a cost of £16,000. It was amongst the first buildings in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
to be influenced by the
Egyptian style,
The building was demolished in 1905.
Egyptian Library, Devonport
![John Foulston's Town Hall, Column and Library in Devonport](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/John_Foulston%27s_Town_Hall%2C_Column_and_Library_in_Devonport.jpg)
John Foulston (1772 – 30 December 1841) was a pupil of
Thomas Hardwick
Thomas Hardwick (1752–1829) was an English architect and a founding member of the Architects' Club in 1791.
Early life and career
Hardwick was born in Brentford, Middlesex the son of a master mason turned architect also named Thomas Hard ...
and set up a practice in London in 1796.
[Peter Leach, ''Foulston, John (1772–1841)'', rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2004. Online at http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37425 (subscription required). Accessed 17 May 2008. In 1810 he won a competition to design the Royal Hotel and Theatre group of buildings in
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
, Devon,
and after relocating he remained Plymouth's leading architect for twenty-five years.
Most of Foulston's work was in the Greek Revival style, but his best known project was the creation of a group of buildings in Ker Street, Devonport in 1821–24. This eclectic group consisted of a Greek Doric town hall and commemorative column; a terrace of houses in Roman Corinthian style and two houses in Greek Ionic; a "
Hindoo" nonconformist chapel; and an "Egyptian" library. The Library became the
Odd Fellows Hall, and today is a public House. Of these, all but the chapel and the houses survive, and are Grade I listed.
Egyptian House, Penzance, Cornwall
![The Egyptian House, Chapel Street, Penzance - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/The_Egyptian_House%2C_Chapel_Street%2C_Penzance_-_geograph.org.uk_-_133423.jpg)
1835–37:
Egyptian House, Penzance was built by local bookseller John Lavin as a museum. There is some dispute over the architect and the date of build. In his ''Guide to Penzance'', published in 1845, J S Courtney describes the building as ''... the astonishing gaudy and eccentric Egyptian House recently built by John Lavin, mineralogist and Egyptologist''. On this basis the design has been attributed to John Lavin. Other possible architects might be John Foulston who designed the ''Egyptian'' library at Devonport or possibly
Peter Robinson the architect of the Egyptian Hall in
Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...
, London and who also rebuilt
Trelissick the seat of Thomas Daniell in 1824–25. The restoration in 1973 by the
Landmark Trust
The Landmark Trust is a British building conservation charity, founded in 1965 by Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or architectural merit and then makes them available for holiday rental. The Trust's headqua ...
revealed the original gaudy paint colours, which had been painted onto
Coade Stone mouldings.
Mechanics Institute or Camera Obscura House, Stamford, Lincolnshire
![Masonic Lodge - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Masonic_Lodge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_136737.jpg)
A handsome building by the Stamford architect
Bryan Browning of 1842. This has an Egyptian style portal, but the remainder of the building is in a Grecian style of architecture.
Old Synagogue, King Street Canterbury
1846–48: The Old Synagogue, King's Street Designed in the Egyptian style by Hezekiah Marshall and opened in 1848, it was acquired by King's School in 1982 and is now used for lessons and concerts.
Masonic Lodge, Boston, Lincolnshire
Freemasons' Hall, Main Ridge, Boston, Lincolnshire. Designed by G. Hackford and built 1860–63. The building is plain brick, but its portico is based on that of the Temple of Dandour in
Nubia
Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...
.
Churches
Egyptian Revival style was not popular as an architectural style with either the
Anglican Church
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
in England or the
Presbyterian church
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
in Scotland. The only Anglican examples appear to be
St John the Evangelist's Church, Chichester
St John the Evangelist's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the cathedral city of Chichester in West Sussex, England. Built in 1812 to the design of James Elmes as a proprietary chapel, the octagonal white-brick "evangelical preaching hous ...
, a most unusual octagonal church built, in 1812, Built in 1812 to the design of
James Elmes
James Elmes (15 October 1782, London – 2 April 1862, Greenwich) was an English architect, civil engineer, and writer on the arts.
Biography
Elmes was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, and, after studying building under his father, and ar ...
as a
proprietary chapel
A proprietary chapel is a chapel that originally belonged to a private person, but with the intention that it would be open to the public, rather than restricted (as with private chapels in the stricter sense) to members of a family or household, o ...
, the octagonal white-brick ''evangelical preaching house''
reflects the early 19th-century ideals of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
's evangelical wing before
High church
The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...
movements such as the
Cambridge Camden Society
The Cambridge Camden Society, known from 1845 (when it moved to London) as the Ecclesiological Society,[Histor ...](_blank)
changed ideas on church design.
The
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was founded in 681 as the ancient Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey, until the see was translated to Chichester in 1075. The cath ...
declared it
redundant in 1973. Although worship no longer takes place in the building, its theatre-like design has made it a popular venue for concerts and musical events. The church is a combination of styles, including Egyptian Revival, which can be seen most clearly in the capitals.
In Glasgow the Anglican
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland.
A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...
dedicated to St Jude was built to designs by John Stephen in 1840. The church has a severe but impressive facade based on the pylon with a big monumental doorway. It is now the Malmaison Restaurant.
Church Gallery
File:St John the Evangelist, Chichester - capital.jpg, St John the Evangelist, Chichester – Egyptian Revival capital
File:Former St John the Evangelist's Church, St John's Street, Chichester.JPG, St John the Evangelist's Church, Chichester
File:Mailmaison Hotel (former St Judes Church) (geograph 1820844).jpg, Malmaison Hotel (former St Judes Church)
File:Malmaison Hotel entrance (geograph 1820810).jpg, Malmaison Hotel, Glasgow entrance, Former St Jude's church 1840
Egyptian Halls, Glasgow
![Greek Thomson Egyptian Halls](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Greek_Thomson_Egyptian_Halls.jpg)
The Egyptian Halls is a category A
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
at 84–100 Union Street,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
It was built in 1870–72 and designed by
Alexander "Greek" Thomson
Alexander "Greek" Thomson (9 April 1817 – 22 March 1875) was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building. Although his work was published in the architectural press of his day, it was l ...
.
Strictly speaking the Egyptian Halls should be regarded as a Greco-Egyptian Revival building, as it has far stronger classical elements than Egyptian. Work started on the Egyptian Halls in March 1870 to provide new commercial premises for James Robertson, an iron manufacturer; and was completed in 1872.
Built using cast iron and stone, the Egyptian Halls was one of the last major projects of Alexander Thomson. The building broke many of the rules of the time; thick stone columns normally found at ground level were on the top floor. The building is built on four storeys. The ground floor was occupied by shops with fully glazed wide bays.
The first floor features eighteen window bays divided by square columns with a flowing scroll
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
.
On the second floor, shorter couple columns are positioned exactly above the first floor columns, again above these columns is a decorative
entablature
An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
with a Roman-style decoration.
Finally, on the third floor is a plinth with dwarf columns and pseudo-Egyptian
lotus flower
''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often ref ...
capitals.
Behind these columns is a continuous glazed screen, which is not fixed to these columns. Topping these columns is another entablature with a cornice.
This 'attic' room is lit by a series of sloping skylights.
Cemeteries and mausolea
Egyptian Revival architecture was widely used both as for the design if building associated with cemeteries and for individual tombs and monuments. Following the Metropolitan Cemetery Act of 1832 seven cemeteries known as the
Magnificent Seven cemeteries
The "Magnificent Seven" is an informal term applied to seven large private cemeteries in London. They were established in the 19th century to alleviate overcrowding in existing parish burial grounds as London’s population grew during the Vic ...
were developed on the outskirts of London. They were based on the idea of ''Garden cemeteries'' and particularly the
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...
in Paris, which had been founded by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
in 1802. A cemetery based on the Garden cemeteries of France and was the
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...
near Boston in the United States which was started in 1831 and the Egyptian Revival style was adopted for the buildings and many of the monuments. The first of the Metropolitan cemetery was
Kensal Green cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...
which was started in 1832 and includes some Egyptian style monuments, as does also the
Glasgow Necropolis
The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only ...
of the same year.
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...
, was designed by
Stephen Geary
Stephen Geary (1797 – 28 August 1854) was a British architect, inventor, entrepreneur, and, from 1850, Temperance activist.
Early life
Geary was born in Dean's Yard, Westminster, London, on 31 August 1797. At the age of 13 he was apprentic ...
and in 1838–39 he laid out the Egyptian Avenue and inner circle of the Lebanon Circle which provided entrances to the catacombs.
Sheffield General Cemetery
In Sheffield the
Sheffield General Cemetery
The General Cemetery in the City of Sheffield, England opened in 1836 and closed for burial in 1978. It was the principal cemetery in Victorian Sheffield with over 87,000 burials. Today it is a listed Landscape (Grade II*) on the English Herit ...
which was opened in 1836 as a
Nonconformist
Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to:
Culture and society
* Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior
*Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity
** ...
cemetery, was a response to the rapid growth of Sheffield and the relatively poor state of the town's churchyards. The cemetery, with its Greek Doric and Egyptian style buildings, were designed by Sheffield architect Samuel Worth (1779–1870) on the site of a former quarry. The main building in the cemetery showing Egyptian features are ''The Gatehouse'' (
Grade II* listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
) built directly over the
Porter Brook
The Porter Brook is a river which flows through the City of Sheffield, England, descending over from its source on Burbage Moor to the west of the city to its mouth where it joins the River Sheaf in a culvert beneath Sheffield railway statio ...
in a Classical architectural style with Egyptian features. The Egyptian Gate (Grade II* listed) forms the entrance to the cemetery on Cemetery Road. It is richly ornamented and possesses gates bearing
ouroboros
The ouroboros or uroboros () is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnost ...
, two coiled snakes holding their tails in their mouths. The Nonconformist chapel (Grade II* listed) is built in a classical style with Egyptian features. The sculpted panel above the door shows a dove, representing the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. Stone steps lead down to a wall with catacomb-like entrances.
Abney Park Cemetery 1838–40, Hackney, London
![Abney park east gate](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Abney_park_east_gate.jpg)
The
Abney Park cemetery
Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England.
Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...
was laid out in the landscaped grounds of Abney House in
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish.
The ...
, which had been the home of
Lady Abney, a leading early 18th century
Non-conformist. One of the "
Magnificent Seven" parkland cemeteries created in the
early Victorian period, albeit set out in an entirely different way to the others and with somewhat wider purposes, Abney Park features an entrance designed by
William Hosking
William Hosking (26 November 1800 – 2 August 1861) was an English writer, lecturer, and architect who had an important influence on the growth and development of London in Victorian times. He became the first Professor of Architecture at K ...
FSA in collaboration with
Joseph Bonomi the Younger
Joseph Bonomi the Younger (9 October 1796 – 3 March 1878) was an English sculptor, artist, Egyptologist and museum curator.
Early life
Bonomi was born in London (Gunnis says Rome) into a family of architects. His father, Joseph Bonomi the Eld ...
and the cemetery's founder
George Collison II. This frontage was built by
John Jay
John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the first ...
in the then increasingly popular Egyptian Revival style, with hieroglyphics signifying the "Abode of the Mortal Part of Man":
Tombs and buildings in cemeteries
File:Andrew Ducrow's grave, Kensal Green Cemetery.JPG, Andrew Ducrow's grave, Kensal Green Cemetery
File:Egyptian Avenue Highgate Cemetery.jpg, Egyptian Avenue Highgate Cemetery
File:Entrance to The Kilmorey Mausoleum.jpg, Entrance to The Kilmorey Mausoleum Richmond on Thames
File:ErnestCasselKensalGreen01.jpg, ErnestCassel, Kensal Green Cemetery, c. 1925
File:Illingworth tomb, Undercliffe Cemetery, Bradford - geograph.org.uk - 757516.jpg, Illingworth tomb, Undercliffe Cemetery, Bradford
File:The Registrar's House, Sheffield General Cemetery - geograph.org.uk - 1557830.jpg, The Registrar's House, Sheffield General Cemetery
File:Sheffield General Cemetery - Egyptian Gate 17-04-06.jpg, Sheffield General Cemetery - Egyptian Gate
Industrial and transport examples
Whereas the use of Egyptian Revival architecture is rare for domestic buildings it was more often used by Victorian archits for industrial and for buildings such as waterworks and sewage plants. The concept of the
pylon, was readily embraced by
Civil Engineers
This list of civil engineers is a list of notable people who have been trained in or have practiced civil engineering.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
...
as support structures such as bridges.
Gateway to the Sleaford Navigation Terminal
![Navigation Wharf - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Navigation_Wharf_-_geograph.org.uk_-_390472.jpg)
This was the gateway to the wharf of the
Sleaford Navigation
The Sleaford Navigation was a 12.5 mile (20.1 km) canalisation of the River Slea in Lincolnshire, England, which opened in 1794. It ran from a junction with the River Witham, near Chapel Hill to the town of Sleaford through seven locks, ...
at Sleaford which opened in 1794. It appears to predate all other examples of Egyptian Revival architecture in England. It is likely that the design was the inspiration of
Sir Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences.
Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James C ...
, who was the leading promoter of the Navigation and is known to have had a strong interest in Egyptian antiquities. The design of the gateway is likely to be by
William Jessop
William Jessop (23 January 1745 – 18 November 1814) was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Early life
Jessop was born in Devonport, Devon, the ...
the engineer to the Navigation.
Lord Bute's Ironworks, Rhymney
![Egyptian Ironworks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Egyptian_Ironworks.png)
The Bute Ironworks were established by the Marquis of Bute in 1824 near
Rhymney in Glamorganshire. It was managed initially by William Forman under the name of the South Wales Mining Company. The original plan was to build 24 furnaces in an Egyptian style. Six of these furnaces were built between 1824 and 1839. They were designed by John Macculloch and the decorative detail of the Bute Works were said to resemble the ruins of
Dendera
Dendera ( ar, دَنْدَرة ''Dandarah''; grc, Τεντυρις or Τεντυρα; Bohairic cop, ⲛⲓⲧⲉⲛⲧⲱⲣⲓ, translit=Nitentōri; Sahidic cop, ⲛⲓⲧⲛⲧⲱⲣⲉ, translit=Nitntōre), also spelled ''Denderah'', ancient ...
. Initially the economic circumstances of the time adversely effected their profitability. However, after amalgamation with the Rhymney ironworks they started to flourish. A view of the ironworks was probably painted by Penry Williams around 1844 is now in the
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...
.
Temple Mill or Marshall's Mill, Leeds
Marshall's Mill (also known as Temple Mill) was once a thriving flax mill, constructed as part of John Marshall's flax empire. Designed by James Bonomi, who worked for the Marshall family, the 396-foot-long and 216-foot-wide building was constructed with an ancient-Egyptian facade, as well as some interior decoration. Completed in around 1840, with offices added two years later, its vast single-storey weaving shed was described by some as the "single largest room in the world".
Former East Farleigh Waterworks
![Maidstone Waterworks, East Farleigh - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Maidstone_Waterworks%2C_East_Farleigh_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1265692.jpg)
The East Farleigh Waterworks are now converted into offices. Built in 1860, by James Pilbrow, in an Egyptian style. Gault brick in English bond. Rectangular with two storeys. Battered clasping buttress to each corner, and two set close together towards centre of each long side, all running into deep brick plat band under eaves. Rendered coved cornice with deep roll to base and chamfer to top. Low rendered parapet. Truncated projecting brick stack, formerly tall and tapering, filling most of east gable end, with cornice carried round it and bearing the initial "P". Single-storey section in a similar style adjoining north-west corner. Two doorways with rendered coved and splayed cornices flanking base of stack to east.
Scottish lighthouses and keepers cottages
![Cromarty Lighthouse - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Cromarty_Lighthouse_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1037436.jpg)
In Scotland 10 lighthouses were built for the Northern Lighthouse in the 1830s and 1840s by Robert Stevenson and his son Alan. At Hynish on
Tiree
Tiree (; gd, Tiriodh, ) is the most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The low-lying island, southwest of Coll, has an area of and a population of around 650.
The land is highly fertile, and crofting, alongside tourism, an ...
in the Inner Hebrides, a barrack block was built for the lighthouse keepers which have massive ''pylon'' shaped doorways. These Keepers' cottages were to service the
Skerryvore lighthouse on a remote reef that lies off the west coast of Scotland, 12 miles (19 kilometres) south-west of the island of
Tiree
Tiree (; gd, Tiriodh, ) is the most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The low-lying island, southwest of Coll, has an area of and a population of around 650.
The land is highly fertile, and crofting, alongside tourism, an ...
. At lighthouses such as
Cromarty
Cromarty (; gd, Cromba, ) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is seaward from In ...
, Alan Stevenson designed a massive entrance doorway with battered jambs.
Suspension bridges with pylons
Menai Bridge
![Menai Suspension Bridge (6)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Menai_Suspension_Bridge_%286%29.jpg)
The idea to use Egyptian Pylons for the supports of a suspension appears first to have been applied by
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...
for the
Menai Bridge
Menai Bridge ( cy, Porthaethwy; usually referred to colloquially as Y Borth) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas T ...
. This was started in 1819 and completed in 1826.
Clifton Suspension Bridge
The
Clifton Suspension Bridge
The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. Since opening in 1864, it has been a toll bridge, the income from which provides fun ...
opening in 1864, used Egyptian-influenced stone towers to support the suspension chains. The bridge was built to a design by
William Henry Barlow
William Henry Barlow FRS FRSE FICE MIMechE (10 May 1812 – 12 November 1902) was an English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with railway engineering projects. Barlow was involved in many engineering ent ...
and
John Hawkshaw
Sir John Hawkshaw FRS FRSE FRSA MICE (9 April 1811 – 2 June 1891), was an English civil engineer. He served as President of the Institution of Civil Engineers 1862-63. His most noteworthy work is the Severn Tunnel.
Early life
He was born ...
, based on an earlier design of 1831 by
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "one ...
.
20th-century revival
Egyptian Revival architecture made a re-appearance in the interwar years between 1919 and 1939 and was used mainly for the decoration of factory buildings and commercial buildings such as cinemas and garages. This revival of interest in the style is attributed to the discovery of
Tutankhamun's tomb
The tomb of Tutankhamun, also known by its tomb number, KV62, is the burial place of Tutankhamun (reigned c. 1334–1325 BC), a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb consists of four chambers a ...
by
Howard Carter
Howard Carter (9 May 18742 March 1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptologist who discovered the intact tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun in November 1922, the best-preserved pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the K ...
in 1922.
1926–28: Carreras Cigarette Factory, Camden, London.
Greater London House
The Carreras Cigarette Factory is a large art deco building in Camden, London, in the United Kingdom. It is noted as a striking example of early 20th Century Egyptian Revival architecture. The building was erected in 1926–28 by the Carreras To ...
is a striking example of early 20th-century Egyptian Revival architecture in
Camden Town
Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...
, London, inspired by Tutankhamun's tomb. The building was erected in 1926–28 by the
Carreras Tobacco Company
The House of Carreras was a tobacco business established in London in the nineteenth century by Don José Carreras Ferrer, a nobleman from Spain. It remained an independent company until merging with Rothmans of Pall Mall in November 1958. In ...
owned by the Russian-Jewish inventor and philanthropist
Bernhard Baron
Bernhard Baron (5 December 1850 – 1 August 1929) was a tobacco manufacturer and philanthropist.
He was born in Brest-Litovsk (in modern Belarus), to Jewish parents, lived in Rostov as a child, and immigrated to the United States at an early a ...
on the communal garden area of
Mornington Crescent
Mornington Crescent is a terraced street in Camden Town, Camden, London, England. It was built in the 1820s, on a greenfield site just to the north of central London. Many of the houses were subdivided into flats during the Victorian era, an ...
, to a design by architects M. E. and O. H. Collins and A. G. Porri. It is 550 feet (168 metres) long, and is mainly white, The building's distinctive Egyptian-style ornamentation originally included a solar disc to the Sun-god
Ra, two gigantic effigies of black cats flanking the entrance and colourful painted details. When the factory was converted into offices in 1961 the Egyptian detailing was lost, but it was restored during a renovation in the late 1990s and replicas of the cats were placed outside the entrance.
Powderhall, Edinburgh
![Factory frieze, Powderhall - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Factory_frieze%2C_Powderhall_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1315470.jpg)
The former Duncan's chocolate factory in Beaverhall Road, Powderhall, Edinburgh appears to have been built in the 1920s and is most notable for the frieze of Egyptian deities on its facade. The factory is now an arts centre.
Cinemas
In the late 1920s and early 1930s a hybrid Art Deco/Egyptian Revival style evolved, which combined Egyptian motifs and features with
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
designs. This was particularly popular for new cinemas, which were intended to give an exotic impression to the cinema-goers. A number of cinemas in this style were designed by
George Coles George Coles may refer to:
* George Coles (Cambridge University cricketer) (1798–1865), English amateur cricketer
* George Coles (politician)
George Coles (September 20, 1810 – August 21, 1875) was a Canadian politician, being the first ...
, particularly for the
Odeon Cinema
Odeon, stylised as ODEON, is a cinema brand name operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway, which along with UCI Cinemas and Nordic Cinema Group is part of the Odeon Cinemas Group subsidiary of AMC Theatres. It uses the famous name ...
chain. Typical of Coles' style Carlton Cinema, Islington and the Troxy in Stepney Green and some other Odeon cinemas across the UK. The façade of these building can be in the form of an Egyptian 'pylon' temple and is decorated with Egyptian iconography including lotus flowers and buds. The used white and decorative
faience
Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...
terracotta tiling on his buildings which was sourced from the Hathern Terracotta works in Leicestershire (now
Ibstock plc). The pylon frontage design will also be seen on the Odeon, Altrincham and the Pyramid, Sale.
Examples of these cinemas include:
Former Carlton Cinema, Islington
![Mecca Bingo Essex Road London N1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Mecca_Bingo_Essex_Road_London_N1.jpg)
Designed by architect
George Coles George Coles may refer to:
* George Coles (Cambridge University cricketer) (1798–1865), English amateur cricketer
* George Coles (politician)
George Coles (September 20, 1810 – August 21, 1875) was a Canadian politician, being the first ...
in 1930. Typical of Coles' style such as the Troxy in Stepney Green and some other Odeon cinemas across the UK, the façade of the building is in the form of an Egyptian 'pylon' temple and is decorated with Egyptian iconography including lotus flowers and buds. It is faced with brightly-coloured ceramic tiles.
Former Pyramid Cinema, Sale (now L A Fitness)
Built in around 1933 to seat 1,940 people, Sale's Pyramid Cinema was one of the last Egyptian-style picture houses to be built in Britain. The building was designed by architect Joseph Gomersall and boasted an Egyptian exterior and interior, including an organ that featured pharaonic heads on either side, together with lotus columns and a winged music stand. Externally, the building relied on a series of columns to give it an Egyptian feel, while floral motifs, Egyptian tomb decorations, were used inside.
The Govanhill Picture House, Glasgow.
![Sherrard Street - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Sherrard_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1278452.jpg)
A Scottish example of Egyptian Revival cinema is the
Govanhill
Govanhill ( gd, Cnoc a' Ghobhainn) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated south of the River Clyde between Pollokshields, the Gorbals, Strathbungo, Crosshill, Polmadie and Queen's Park. Historically part of Renfrewshire, Govanhill had the st ...
Picture House in Glasgow. Built to the designs of Eric A Sutherland, it featured a unique Egyptian-styled facade, with columns and a moulded scarab above the entranceway. The interior sat 1,200, and although described as having stalls and balcony, the front of the 'balcony' came right down to the rear of the 'stalls' level, with a wooden dividing wall to keep the separate areas apart. The building was sold to
ABC Cinemas
ABC Cinemas (Associated British Cinemas) was a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. Originally a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), it operated between the 1930s and the 1980s. The brand name was reused in ...
in 1929, and remained open until 1961.
Lloyd's Bank, Sherrard Street, Melton Mowbray
A building of uncertain original use is Lloyd's Bank, Sherrard Street,
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester, and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promo ...
. It may have been used for shops or a garage. Above the bank is a concrete facade with Egyptian motifs.
The later 20th century and 21st century
More recently Egyptian motifs have been used in shopping centre developments such as
Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and entertainment complex in Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1998 and is third largest in the United Kingdom by retail space.
Originally developed by the Peel Group, the Trafford C ...
, Manchester. In 1991–1992 a block of flats by the architects Coltart Earley were constructed for the Molendinar Housing Association. These are situated at the corner of Gallowgate and Bellgrove Street, Glasgow.
The Egyptian House at Moulsford
![The Egyptian House at Moulsford - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/The_Egyptian_House_at_Moulsford_-_geograph.org.uk_-_950281.jpg)
Sited on
the Isis
"The Isis" () is an alternative name for the River Thames, used from its source in the Cotswolds until it is joined by the Thame at Dorchester in Oxfordshire. It derives from the ancient name for the Thames, ''Tamesis'', which in the Middle ...
, close to Oxford, the Egyptian House was built in 1998–99 by to the designs of the architect
John Outram
John Outram (born 21 June 1934) is a British architect. He established a practice in London in 1974 and produced a series of buildings in which polychromy and Classical allusions were well to the fore. Among his works are the temple-like Storm ...
.
John Outram
/ref>
The design provides a modern rendering of Egyptian motifs. The house is constructed in blockwork, with precast concrete "beam & pot" floors. The roof is framed in timber and clad in copper sheet. A palette of coloured render was developed with a scraped finish, all incorporating black and white flecks to enliven the texture. Extensive use is also made of black, white and cream precast concrete elements. The windows are aluminium clad timber. A central watercourse runs down towards the river through four "Sphinx Pools", with pairs of sphinx sculptures on either side.
See also
*Egyptian Hall
The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson. The Hall was a considerable success, with exhibitions of artwork and of Napoleonic era re ...
, Piccadilly
*Joseph Bonomi the Younger
Joseph Bonomi the Younger (9 October 1796 – 3 March 1878) was an English sculptor, artist, Egyptologist and museum curator.
Early life
Bonomi was born in London (Gunnis says Rome) into a family of architects. His father, Joseph Bonomi the Eld ...
*Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...
* Temple Lodges Abney Park
*Egyptian Revival architecture
Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...
References
Further reading
*Antram N. (revised), Pevsner N. & Harris J., (1989), ''The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire'', Yale University Press.
*Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner (1989) ''The Buildings of England. Devon'', pp. 674–675
*Carrott R. G. (1978) ''The Egyptian Revival: Its Sources, Monuments, and Meaning, 1808–1858''
*Colvin H. A. (1995), ''Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840''. Yale University Press, 3rd edition London
* J. S. Curl ''The Egyptian Revival: Ancient Egypt as the Inspiration for Design Motifs in the West'' (Abingdon & New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2005). and 978-0-415-36118-7
* Elliot C., (2012), ''Egypt in England'', English Heritage
* Morley J.(1993) ''Regency Design, 1790–1840, Gardens, Buildings Interiors,Furniture.'' Abrams, New York
* Pevsner, N., & Lang, S. (1956), "The Egyptian Revival", ''Architectural Review'', May 1956. pp. 242–254.
External links
*Littlewood K. (1999) "Rhymney's Egyptian revival images and interpretations of the Bute Ironworks", ''National Library of Wales Journal'' 31 (Summer
*Packer J. A.(2012) ''Influences of Ancient Egypt on Architecture and Ornament in Scotland''
* World Digital Library
The World Digital Library (WDL) is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress.
The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume ...
presentation o
''Description de l'Egypte, ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Egypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. Antiquitiés'' or ''Description of Egypt: Antiquities, Volume One (Plates): Or, Collection of Observations and Research Conducted in Egypt During the Expedition of the French Army. Second Edition''.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Latin for "Library of Alexandria"; arz, مكتبة الإسكندرية ', ) is a major library and cultural center on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt. It is a commemoration of the Library ...
. An extensive survey of Egypt's archeology, topography, and natural history. ''Royal Edition'' 1821–29.
{{Revivals, state=collapsed
01
.
Historicist architecture in the United Kingdom
British architectural styles