Mirror of Great Britain

In studies of seventeenth-century British architecture, the term 'Britain' has more often than not been used as a synonym for England. The geographical and political reality was far more complex. Following the accession of James I, there was a personal union of the Crowns of Scotland and England. Wales existed as a principality and Ireland's status was under negotiation throughout the century. Further afield, colonies in the New World had their own relationship to Great Britain. In this book, based on a Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain symposium, emerging and established scholars examine the multi-faceted national identity of British architecture in the seventeenth century. Ten essays studying buildings across the British archipelago and the Atlantic world examine how different architectural forms and features were employed to articulate political and social realities and aspirations. From royal palaces through fortifications to vernacular dwellings, the dynamics between the different parts of Britain were expressed through, and shaped by, architecture.