The book I read to research this post was The Gothic Revival by Michael J Lewis which is a very good book which I borrowed from the library. At one time Britain had more abbeys & monasteries than any where else on the planet. Almost all of them lay as ruins by the 18th Century because Henry the 8th looted & raided them. These buildings as well as churches & cathedrals of the period were of the gothic style. By the 18th Century the gothic style represented a lot of what was great about the British Empire. However it wasn’t just the architecture of that period that were revived. The works of Shakespeare became more popular as well as many poets of that period. It was seen as a golden age. When the Houses of Parliament were built they done in a gothic style in the 17th Century. It became common for wealthy people to have houses particularly in victorian times that looked like castles. When Pennsylvania Penitenary was built it was almost a copy of Ludlow Castle in England which meant it was quite foreboding for anyone imprisoned there. Saint John the Divine’s Cathedral in New York which I think is still unfinished & is one of the biggest cathedrals in the world is done in a gothic style. What is interesting about its construction is they have hired people from Harlem & trained them as stonemasons as they do the job which is what they did in the old days when they built the great gothic cathedrals. I must admit if ever I go to a city I always seek out its cathedrals because I love walking around them. I think my favourite cathedral is Coventry which is quite modern but my favourite gothic cathedral is Gloucester.
