Download Free The Wren Society Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online The Wren Society and write the review.

Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723) is now mostly remembered as a genius of architecture – but he was also an accomplished polymath, who only came to architecture quite late in life. Most famous as the mastermind behind the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral and more than fifty parish churches after the Great Fire of London, among his countless other projects Wren also designed the Royal Hospital at Chelsea, the Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich, and much of Hampton Court Palace. Replete with colourful images of his buildings, this concise biography tells the story of a man whose creations are still popular tourist attractions to this day, but also casts light on Wren's credentials as an intellectual and a founding member of the Royal Society.
The Great Fire of 1666 devastated the centre of London, with a loss of old St Paul's and eighty-six parish churches. Sir Christopher Wren, working with Commissioners appointed by Parliament, was responsible for rebuilding the cathedral and fifty-one of the parish churches, although the immediate need to start rebuilding made his design for an overall replanning of the City impossible. The work was funded by a tax on coals brought into the City of London. Much has been written about Wren's rebuilding of St Paul's, while the other fifty-ne parish chirches he was appointed to reconstruct are generally overlooked. This is the first modern book to examine them as a whole. Paul Jeffery describes how and when the churches were built, exploring the respective contributions of Wren and of his two principal assistants, Robert Hooke and Nicholas Hawksmoor. The result of their work was a unique set of contemporary churches. While not all are of the standard of Wren's masterpieces, such as St Stephen Walbrook and St Bride's, none is without architectural merit and interest. The second part of the book is a gazetteer of all the churches, including those that no longer exist. The book is heavily illustrated and provides a visual strong record of all the churches. Since they were built the Wren churches have suffered steady losses. St Christopher-le-Stocks was demolished in 1782 to make way for the Bank of England. Others, such as St Dionis Backchurch and St Antholin Budge Row, were lost to Victorian parish rationalisation. Many were destroyed or badly damaged in the Second World War. Only twenty-three of the original fifty-one remain. These are now under threat again, with the Templeman Report's proposal that only four of the existing churches (none by Wren) should be retained as parish churches. They provide a test case of conservation, sitting as they do in the middle of the City of London. The City Churches of Sir Christopher Wren presents a clear case both for their importance and for their preservation.
A biography of Sir Christopher Wren from one of Britain's best writers and historians
A unique interdisciplinary study, this book examines the British and European tradition of the wren hunt, in which a bird ordinarily revered and protected for most of the year was killed around the time of the annual solstice. In focusing on this ancient ritual, Elizabeth Atwood Lawrence draws on her training in cultural anthropology and biology to cast a fresh light on the complexities of human-animal relationships.Following an introductory chapter on animal symbolism, Lawrence proceeds in subsequent chapters to describe the wren both as a biological entity and as the subject of numerous tales and legends, to delineate the details of the wren hunt ceremony and the various meanings ascribed to it, and, finally, to relate the ceremony to important contemporary issues in human-animal interactions and current attitudes toward the living environment. Whereas most other studies tend to concentrate solely on human perceptions of animals and fail to include the animal's role in the relationship, Lawrence's approach shows how the participation of both animal and human determines the symbolic status of the animal -- which in turn influences the treatment of that animal within a particular society.At a time when human destructiveness toward nature has reached tragic proportions, Lawrence contends, it is critical that we understand the processes by which certain cultural beliefs, in combination with observations about the natural history of a particular animal, result in emotional and mental responses that may ultimately determine the fate of that species. The author argues persuasively that the wren hunt -- with its ancient roots, associated beliefs, and complex meanings in thepreindustrialized world -- still has much to teach us.
A fresh look at the Eastern origins of Christopher Wren's architecture In this revelatory study of one of the great architects in British history, Vaughan Hart considers Christopher Wren's (1632-1723) interest in Eastern antiquity and Ottoman architecture, an interest that would animate much of his theory and practice. As the early modern understanding of antiquity broadened to include new discoveries at Palmyra and Persepolis, Wren disputed common assumptions about the European origins of Classical and Gothic architecture, tracing these building traditions not to the Greeks or Germans but to the stonemasons of the biblical East. In a deft analysis, Hart contextualizes Wren's use of classical elements--columns, domes, and cross plans--within his enthusiasm for the East and the broader Anglican interest in the Eastern church. A careful study of diary records reappraises Wren's working relationship with Robert Hooke (1635-1703), who shared in many of Wren's theoretical commitments. The result is a new, deepened understanding of Wren's work. Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
This is the first full-length study on the connections between English architecture and intellectual change between 1660 and 1730. As new ideas developed in post-Restoration England across the realms of politics, culture, academia and morality, so too did architectural expression of these ideas. Power and Virtue articulately engages English architecture with notions of power and virtue in terms of empirical knowledge on the one hand and humanism and virtuosi on the other. Aimed at an academic readership in history and theory of architecture and the history of English architecture, this unique study will also interest those studying the ideas of material culture.
An engaging new history of the Royal Society of London, the club that created modern scientific thought Founded in 1660 to advance knowledge through experimentally verified facts, The Royal Society of London is now one of the preeminent scientific institutions of the world. It published the world's first science journal, and has counted scientific luminaries from Isaac Newton to Stephen Hawking among its members. However, the road to truth was often bumpy. In its early years-while bickering, hounding its members for dues, and failing to create its own museum-members also performed sheep to human blood transfusions, and experimented with unicorn horns. In his characteristically accessible and lively style, Adrian Tinniswood charts the Society's evolution from poisoning puppies to the discovery of DNA, and reminds us of the increasing relevance of its motto for the modern world: Nullius in Verba-Take no one's word for it.
A GHOST OF A CHANCE A voice, an icy, whispering voice, came out of the darkness from all around her; from everywhere, yet nowhere. It could have been born of her imagination, yet Rune knew the voice was the Ghost's, and that to run was to die. Instantly, but in terror that would make dying seem to last an eternity. "Why have you come here, stupid child " it murmured, as fear urged her to run away. "Why were you waiting here For me Foolish child, do you not know what I am What I could do to you " Rune had to swallow twice before she could speak, and even then her voice cracked and squeaked with fear. "I've come to fiddle for you-sir " she said, gasping for breath between each word, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. The Ghost laughed, a sound with no humor in it, the kind of laugh that called up empty wastelands and icy peaks. "Well, then, girl. Fiddle, then. And pray to that Sacrificed God of yours that you fiddle well, very well. If you please me, if you continue to entertain me until dawn, I shall let you live, a favor I have never granted any other. But I warn you-the moment my attention lags, little girl-you'll die like all the others and you will join all the others in my own private little Hell." At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Maev-Ann Wren's major study of health care in Ireland describes a system beset by turbulent political divisions. Analyzing contemporary health care and drawing on the experiences of other countries, the award-winning Irish Times journalist explores t