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The ‘Englishness’ of English Domestic Architecture

Part 2 Dissertation 2020
Samuel Bush
University of Kent | UK
The concept of social class has dominated the English psyche since the Norman Conquest introduced a higher form of society. Known or unbeknownst, the notion of social hierarchy governs the way in which English people lead their lives, causing them to monitor their behaviour. Having grown up in a lower-middle class family in England, the idea of social class has always been present in my life, most advertently expressed through the presentation of my mother’s house – which, although modest, is always kept as though guests are arriving imminently.

The emphasis English people put on their houses stems from the fact that they are used to distinguish one’s position on the social spectrum, and have been for hundreds of years. The obsession with social class that the house facilitates is also responsible for characteristics that can be observed in both the English people and their art and architecture – most notably picked up on by Nikolaus Pevsner with his The Englishness of English Art (1955). Foreign and domestic perceptions of ‘Englishness’ are well documented throughout history. Alongside the development of the English house, the aim of this dissertation is to elucidate how qualities of ‘Englishness’ are manifested in our domestic architecture.

Samuel Bush

Tutor(s)
Manolo Guerci
2020
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