Architecture

British architecture is a rich tapestry woven over centuries, reflecting the island nation's history, culture, and evolving tastes. The architecture of inns in Britain is as wide and varied as the architecture of many other notable buildings around the country. Many modern towns still boast buildings of real character, some of which need a lot of searching for, but it's the British villages which often best show some of the most notable historical buildings. To this day, many styles of brickwork are used to create differing effects on walls. Laying bricks in different styles is known as 'Brick Bonding'. Our criteria for listing inns worth visiting is largely based around food and drink as that’s predominantly what they’re there for, however if an inn is worth visiting due to the building itself, we are happy to recommend it but we will try to mention if all they sell is weak, fizzy Danish lager - not that this is a problem, many people caught COVID and lost their taste buds so it doesn’t matter what they drink any more. The oldest pub in the UK may be medieval architecture but there are so many that claim to be ancient when in reality it was a marketing ploy by a previous owner or more likely by one of the big brewco’s trying to boost profits, we aren’t able to confirm or deny the age of any particular pub. There are some that are housed in spectacular buildings with real character such as the Royal Standard of England in Buckinghamshire or the Head of Steam in West Yorkshire - These are just a couple of our favourite inns.

Age

Pre-Roman and Roman Britain

Pre-Roman

Iron Age architecture in Britain (roughly 800 BC to AD 43) was shaped by practicality, community life and the materials readily available in the landscape. It’s a fascinating blend of engineering ingenuity and cultural expression. Roundhouses were the most iconic structures. These were circular dwellings with timber frames, wattle-and-daub walls, and thatched conical roofs. The circular shape helped withstand strong winds and evenly distributed heat from the central hearth. Floors were often compacted earth, and interiors were divided into zones for sleeping, cooking, and storage. Hillforts were another hallmark of the period. These were large, enclosed settlements built on elevated ground, surrounded by ramparts and ditches. Some, like Maiden Castle in Dorset, were vast and complex, housing hundreds of people. While often seen as defensive, many hillforts also served as community hubs or symbols of tribal power. In addition to homes and forts, Iron Age Britons constructed granaries, animal enclosures, and workshops, often within the same settlement. The use of dry- stone walling and timber palisades was common, especially in regions like Scotland and Wales. What’s remarkable is how these structures - built without mortar or modern tools - were so well adapted to their environment. Some roundhouse foundations and hillfort earthworks are still visible today, silent witnesses to a vibrant prehistoric world.

Roman

Introduced Roman architectural styles, including villas, temples, and public baths. Roman walls and roads remain prominent in many cities. • Materials: The Romans introduced extensive use of stone, brick, ceramic building material and mortar on a large scale. While timber and local materials were still used, especially in rural or less significant structures, monumental and public buildings increasingly relied on these more durable Roman methods. • Geometric Forms and Planning: Unlike the organic, circular forms of pre-Roman dwellings, Roman architecture emphasised rectangular plans, straight lines, and grid layouts for towns. This allowed for more efficient use of space and the creation of organised urban centres.

Engineering:

• Roads: A vast network of paved roads criss crossed Britain, essential for military movement, trade, and communication. These were engineering marvels, often laid with multiple layers and built to strict alignments. • Aqueducts and Drainage: Romans brought advanced water management systems, including aqueducts to supply fresh water to towns and forts, and sophisticated drainage and sewer systems for sanitation. • Hypocaust Systems: Underfloor heating systems, known as hypocausts, were a luxurious innovation, heating villas and bathhouses by circulating hot air beneath the floors and through wall cavities. • Vaulted Ceilings and Arches: Though less extensively preserved in Britain than in Italy, Roman construction relied heavily on arches, vaults, and domes for structural integrity and impressive spans.

Variety of Building Types:

• Fortifications: This is arguably the most visible legacy. From temporary "march camps" to permanent stone forts and the massive linear barriers like Hadrian's Wall, Roman military architecture was robust and strategically designed. • Towns and Cities: Romans established new towns (like Londinium, Verulamium, Camulodunum, Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester), and Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter)) or developed existing settlements. These featured characteristic public buildings: • Forums and Basilicas: The civic heart of any Roman town, comprising a large open square (forum) surrounded by public buildings, including the basilica (a large hall for legal and administrative functions). • Bathhouses: Essential for Roman social life, offering bathing, exercise, and relaxation facilities. • Temples: Dedicated to Roman gods and sometimes to local deities, often built in classical Roman styles. • Amphitheatres and Theatres: For entertainment and public gatherings. • Villas: Rural estates ranging from modest farmhouses to lavish, elaborate residences for the wealthy elite (both Roman and Romanised Britons). These often featured mosaics, wall paintings, and hypocausts, showcasing a Mediterranean lifestyle. • Lighthouses: Evidence of Roman maritime structures exists, such as the lighthouse at Dover Castle. The Romans brought a diverse range of building types, reflecting their highly organised society: The Romans left England in 410.

5th Century

Medieval Architecture

Anglo-Saxon

5th Century - 1066

Gothic cathedrals, Norman castles, and Romanesque churches. No datable document of English architecture exists from before the 7th century, but excavations have proved in places as distant from one another as Tintagel and Llantwit Major in Cornwall and Whitby in Yorkshire that early monastic establishments were of the Egyptian coenobitic type. Most English villages date back to around the 10th century, when settlements usually consisted of a church or manor house where cottages and huts grew around the central area, often around a village green or pond. Medieval architecture can still be seen in many villages. The Tithe Barn stored produce for the clergy. Farmers were required to donate one tenth (tithe) of the annual harvest to the church. Tithe Barns have a large roof space by supporting the roof by using crucks - large curved timbers, with large entrance doors big enough to accommodate ox wagons. Church Towers seem to have made their appearance in the 10th century. They are either at the west end or placed centrally between nave and chancel. Churches of timber, which must have been the rule in the earliest centuries, still went on as late as the 11th century. Many churches of the later 11th century have Anglo-Saxon side by side with Norman motifs.

Norman

11th - 12th Century

Influenced by the Normans, this period saw the construction of massive stone castles and cathedrals. What is called Norman architecture in England is not the art of Normandy but that brought by William the Conqueror to England. The Norman style in fact begins just before the Conquest, with Westminster Abbey as rebuilt by Edward the Confessor. The church is the focal point of most villages and many different styles can be seen. Many have spires rising from the tower which also vary from pyramidal, polygonal or conical and can be made from stone or timber and covered in shingles or lead. With the power and wealth of the church came the funds and desire to create some stunning architecture. Not only Abbeys, Cathedrals and Churches, even many Almshouses had superior architectural detailing.

Gothic

12th - 16th Century

This style is renowned for its soaring arches, stained-glass windows, and intricate stonework. Westminster Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral are prime examples. The Gothic style reached England fist by means of the CISTERCIAN order around the mid 11th century. English Gothic, the so-called Early English style, begins with Wells and Lincoln cathedrals. English castles are primarily castles with keeps. These keeps were not normally used domestically, but great halls, chapels, etc. were also built. A reform of the defensive system was brought about by the Crusades, in England. Spatially the Decorated style favours the unexpected vista, especially in diagonal directions. Principal works are the east parts of Bristol Cathedral and Wells Cathedral. No other country has anything as novel, as resourceful and as lavish as the English Decorated style. The Perpendicular style beginning in London c. 1330 and reaching a full climax in the Gloucester chancel in 1337-57. Once it had been established, went on without major changes for 250 years, and it can be argued that the Elizabethan style in England is more Perpendicular than it is Renaissance. Henry VIll and his court favoured the Renaissance style, which was impressively promoted in the crafts by Holbein's designs. But the Renaissance in England remained until about 1550.

15th Century

Tudor and Elizabethan Architecture

Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries.

Timber-framed houses, grand manor houses, and the influence of the Renaissance. Timber framing dates back to medieval times but its use expanded dramatically as techniques became more widespread. Often known as 'half timbered' it refers to a method of construction in which walls are built of interlocking vertical and horizontal timbers. The spaces are filled with non structural material such as wattle & daub or lath & plaster. The framing itself consists of a 'wall plate' at the top supported by posts with infill studs and cross rails. Sometimes the first floor is 'jettied' - overhanging the lower storey. Due to the quality of Timber framed buildings, many can still be seen all over the country, although they are more common in the south. Some towns and villages have a high number of timber framed buildings such as York - North Yorkshire, Chester - Cheshire, Shrewsbury - Shropshire, Warwick - Warwickshire and Pembridge - Herefordshire.

Tudor

1485 - 1603

Marked by timber-framed houses, often with intricate carvings and decorative details.

Elizabethan

1560 - 1600

This period saw a resurgence of classical influences, with grand manor houses featuring symmetrical facades and ornate interiors.

Jacobean

1603 - 1625

The second phase of Renaissance architecture in England

17th Century

Baroque and Georgian Architecture

Stuart architecture

Elegant town houses, stately homes, and the balance of classical forms. The universal acceptance of classical architecture came only with the time of Sir Christopher Wren. Stuart churches are a rarity. They also become more frequent only at the time of Wren and are largely the result of the Fire of London. The range of forms used by Wren is immense. It goes from the noble classical simplicity of the dome of St Paul’s to the dramatic Baroque of the west towers of St Paul's and of Greenwich and the Hampton Court plans, to the brick domesticity of Kensington Palace and even to the Gothic Revival of a few of the dry churches.

Baroque

1625 - 1720

Influenced by continental European styles, characterised by dramatic curves, ornate details, and a sense of grandeur. • St. Paul's Cathedral: A masterpiece of Baroque architecture designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

Georgian

1714 - 1830

This style is known for its symmetry, balance, and restrained elegance. Georgian terraces and squares are a common sight in many British cities. Georgian architecture is classical in its major exteriors; but on the smaller domestic scale it still has the sensible plainness of the Queen Anne style. Interiors are more elaborate than exteriors; here also Palladianism was the rule at first, but it was handled with greater freedom and verve. A brief phase of Rococo followed about the middle of the century: then the enchantment of Robert Adam's delicate decoration captured nearly everybody. Grecian interiors were rare until about 1820, but Victorian licence and exuberance are already heralded in certain Regency interiors (Brighton Pavilion). England had been first in the Industrial Revolution (and the size of the new mansions and size and frequency of the new churches bear witness to England’s unprecedented industrial and consequently commercial prosperity). The first iron bridges belong to England (TELFORD, BRUNEL), and the largest iron and glass conservatories (PAXTON, BURTON)

19th Century

Victorian Architecture

A diverse range of styles, including Gothic Revival, Neoclassical, and Art Nouveau. Victorian architecture is not all licence and exuberance. At the other end of the scale is the respect for the past, a historicism taken very seriously as a matter of religious or social responsibility. Victorian church architecture is almost entirely Gothic, though in the 1840's there was a passing fashion for neo-Norman and neo-Early-Christian or neo-Italian Romanesque. During the early 19th century, the romantic medieval Gothic Revival style was developed as a reaction to the symmetry of Palladianism. By the middle of the 19th century, as a result of new technology, construction was able to incorporate metal materials as building components. Structures were erected with cast iron and wrought iron frames.

Victorian

1837 - 1901

A diverse period, encompassing Gothic Revival, Neoclassical, and other styles. Victorian architecture is often characterised by its ornate details, elaborate facades, and a focus on domestic comfort. Other Revival styles include: Jacobethan (1830–1870; the precursor to the British Queen Anne Revival style) Renaissance Revival (1840–1890) Neo-Grec (1845–1865) Romanesque Revival Second Empire (1855–1880) British Queen Anne Revival (1870–1910) Scots Baronial (predominantly Scotland) British Arts and Crafts movement (1880–1910)

20th Century

20th Century and Beyond

Functionalism, minimalism, and the use of innovative materials. Great Britain still excels in architecture with the well known names of Sir Richard Rogers (The Lord Rogers of Riverside) and Sir Norman Foster (The Lord Foster of Thames Bank) although the period between the 1950’s and 1970’s should largely be forgotten when planners were all taking mind bending drugs! Contemporary British architecture is known for its innovation, environmental focus, and adaptive re-use of historic structures, bringing a dynamic blend of tradition and futuristic vision to cities across the UK. Contemporary British architecture continues to redefine cityscapes with an emphasis on adaptability, environmental responsibility, and communal spaces, creating buildings that are as functional as they are beautiful.

Modernism

1901 - 1945

The 20th century brought a shift towards functionalism and minimalism. Iconic modernist buildings like the Barbican Centre and the Lloyd's Building emerged.

Postmodernism

1950’s to 1990’s

A reaction to Modernism, characterised by eclecticism and historical references. This style reacted against the austerity of Modernism, embracing eclecticism and historical references.

Contemporary

A blend of traditional and modern elements, with a focus on sustainability and innovative design. Contemporary British architecture continues to evolve, blending traditional and modern elements. • The Gherkin: A contemporary skyscraper designed by Norman Foster.

Architects

Key figures in British architecture