Columns and Country Houses - Telling the Difference

Have you ever noticed that a lot of country houses seem to have columns as some part of their decoration or structure? Well despite it seemingly feeling like all country houses have this architectural detail, it is only those of neo-classical design which use them – that is, houses that have used classical Greek architecture as their inspiration. This was particularly popular in the 18^th century when the manor house of the Elizabethan era fell out of popularity and owners wanted homes that were bigger and featured lighter rooms with large windows and an airy feel, although there was also a revival of the Greek style in the 19^th and 20^th centuries and even today columns may be used for architectural detailing on important or high status buildings.

There are three main types or ‘orders’ of column – doric, ionic and Corinthian . . . 

(photo credit: tribunesandtriumps.org)

. . . don’t worry, these names meant nothing to me too when I first started my masters but I am going to show you the difference so that next time you visit a country house with friends you can wow them with your column knowledge (embrace the inner geek!)

Doric:

It begins as you would expect with the simplest of columns. They will have some simple detailing at the top or ‘capital’ as it’s called where it meets a plinth or roofline but that is it. This detailing consists of plain rings, perhaps two or three which get slightly larger until it meets the plinth. In Greek architecture the main trunk was fluted but in more modern times the trunks have also become plain and round. The bottom can sometimes also have the same detailing as the top or if it is to be in keeping with the classical Greek style, it would be straight to the floor. They also widen as they go down the column, meaning the bottom will be larger than the top. These are often the largest of columns and in a country house setting these may be used for structural as well as aesthetic reasons to hold up the roof of a portico or entrance way.

Here is a really good example of doric columns at Chatsworth House's Entrance Gateway.

Photo Credit: By David Wilmot (daramot) (http///flickr.com/photos/david_wilmot/9578022/) [CC BY 2.0 (http///creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ionic:

The middle column is as you would expect, somewhere between the simple and the flourished. This column will usually be fluted down the trunk but it is at the capital of the column where the difference can be seen the most. Here you will find scrolling detail, often making the top of the column appear square. The bottom of the column is usually finished with simple round detailing, showing how it straddles both styles. It is also straighter and doesn’t finish at the bottom as wide as a doric column.

At Houghton Hall in Norfolk, ionic columns are one of the main architectural features of this side of the Hall. Here the architect has added a plinth and pediment above in keeping with the neo-classical design.

Photo credit: By Hans A. Rosbach (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Corinthian:

This column is the most detailed and extravagant style and would be the most expensive to have as part of a classical Greek building or for use in a country house setting as a talented stonemason would be required to fashion the detailed stonework. Again, the main trunk of the column may be relatively simple, although it is uncommon to find a smooth trunk, most have the fluted lines; however again it is the capital of the column where the detail sets it apart from the others. There is no set design that one must use for the top of the column but the most popular seem to be leaves and small scroll designs. These are often very large and may be up to a metre high on top of the column. In some country house settings, architects have used Corinthian columns to detail the front exterior of the building. In these cases, the columns are there for an aesthetic reason rather than for structural purposes and so the columns may only be a half column – this is a little difficult to explain in words – imagine cutting an orange in half and then setting the open straight end against a wall; the result is an orange that looks as though it is stuck in the wall – this is the effect some architects used on country houses. The reason? It cuts down on cost (you only need to buy half the total number of columns) and also it means the face of the building can be flatter. Some architects also turned their columns into square’s rather than rounded, again so it could fit in with the design of the rest of the house.

Here at Castle Howard you can see they have used corinthian columns to make the stonework more detailed and impressive. This is also an example of what I mean about using one 'face' of the column for aesthetic reasons rather than requiring the whole thing for structural support. You can also see that the columns have been made square rather than round, again to fit in with the design of the house.

(photo credit: By Andrewburdett (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Some buildings even used all three column designs, although because they have a set order in terms of style and level of decoration, they always appear with doric on the bottom, ionic in the middle and Corinthian at the top. The most famous example is on the colesseum in rome:

However for an English contemporary version, this picture of the Banqueting House in London shows the use of ionic and corinthian columns. 

(photo credit: By en/User/ChrisO (Own work) [GFDL (http///www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http///creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons)

In classical Greek architecture these columns would have a series of plinths above and below to create order and symmetry in the design – however this hasn’t always been used in country house architecture and so for the purposes of keeping this post to a reasonable length I haven’t mentioned them, but if you are interested then a simple Google search will enable you to explore more.

So the next time you’re at a country house or stately home, keep an eye out for columns and see if you can work out which they are:

doric – simple

ionic – scrolls at top

Corinthian – detailed and fancy. . .