Peckwater Quadrangle, Christ Church (1705-14), is Oxford’s most substantial set-piece of Palladian architecture.
Designed by the Dean of Christ Church, Henry Aldrich, the principal impression is one of order. The three sides of the quadrangle are identical, the façades palatial. Above the rusticated ground floor, an Ionic Order rises, two storeys high, the stonework crisp even today. In the centre of each elevation is a pediment, pushed forward. The design looks clearly to the London work of Inigo Jones|, and pre-dates the innovations established by Lord Burlington| and his coterie.
That this is found at Christ Church is unsurprising. This is an institution of superlatives: the largest college, with the largest quadrangle; home, even, to Oxford Cathedral. With Peckwater Quadrangle, Christ Church has a groundbreaking piece of Palladian architecture, a model example of the stately eighteenth-century terraced square.
Oxford itself, however, was unsure of the effect of this building: Palladian architecture would continue to battle with the Baroque for the next twenty years. The result is a clash of styles, seen even here: on the right of the picture, the grandiose library (1717-72) jars with the rest of the quadrangle.
Interested?
Find out more about Peckwater Quad and Oxford's architecture with resources from the RIBA British Architectural Library:|
-
Aldrich, Henry (1648-1710) 'Elementa architecturae civilis ad Vitruvii veterumque disciplinam, et recentiorum praesertim a Palladii exempla probatiora concinnata= The elements of civil architecture, according to Vitruvius and other ancients, and the most approved practice of modern authors, especially Palladio … / translated by Philip Smyth,' 2nd ed. Oxford, 1789; -- 3rd ed. Oxford: J. Parker, 1824; First edition (1708?) published only in Latin
-
Pevsner, N and Sherwood, J. 'The Buildings of England, Oxfordshire,' (Harmonsworth, 1978)
-
Summerson, J, 'Architecture in Britain, 1530-1830,' (London, 1953 and later editions)
-
Weeks, James, 'The architects of Christ Church Library,' Architectural History, vol. 48 (2005), p. 107-138
RIBApix images
RIBApix, the RIBA Library's online digital database, is constantly expanding. Why not use www.ribapix.com| to explore RIBA South more, and Palladian architecture in Britain?