A book first published in 1856 and still in print deserves to be called a classic. That’s The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones.
Jones took his inspiration from art and design in the Middle East, India, China and, closer to home, Islamic decoration exemplified at the Alhambra. He was primarily an architect but his two most famous commissions no longer exist. One is the Crystal Palace, created for The Great Exhibition, the other we will come to in a jiffy.
Today he is known as a decorator and his work can be seen in the V&A and Christ Church in Streatham, designed by his brother-in-law, James Wild. The Diocese of Southwark website amplifies:
The building is highly unusual and its individuality makes it an outstanding example of Victorian Church architecture. At Christ Church, Wild bought together many predominately eastern themes. Moorish, Egyptian, Venetian and early Christian elements are fused to form a composition that critics and historians have found hard to categorise. The most influential of Wild’s ideas at Christ Church was his use of coloured brickwork. The main walling is yellow stock brick and polychromatic effect is introduced by use of rubbed and moulded red bricks and light buff coloured gault bricks.
Internally Wild had intended to decorate with wall paintings using Moorish and Islamic geometrical patterns. Some years after the completion of the building, decorations were carried out to the designs of Owen Jones. Jones’s work survives at the column heads and in the apse.
In the second half of the 19th century London’s most famous concert venue was St James’s Hall. It had frontages on Regent Street, Piccadilly and Vine Street – the block where now there is Cordings, the Piccadilly Hotel and a Hawksmoor restaurant. It was the work of Owen Jones.
It was demolished in 1905 and a new St James’s Hall replaced it two years later in Great Portland Street. I pondered on Owen Jones’ influence, alive today in work inspired by him and his Grammar of Ornament, as I queued in the virtual Waiting Room of the Albert Hall to book Proms tickets yesterday morning. This is not quite the Proms but it always puts me in a good mood.
https://youtu.be/5B30kRFz2F4