On the History of the Palladian Architecture in British Colonies. On the Example of the Singapore Architecture in the First Half of the 19th Century

Abstract

The article deals with the history of the spread of the Palladian tradition in the architecture of the British colonies. The reasons why the spread of the architectural style was not ubiquitous are revealed in detail. A list of English colonial possessions and a brief description of the specific policy conditions that influenced the architecture development in each of the regions are given. Specific examples demonstrate the change processes in the Singapore architecture. The selfless activity of F.Raffles, the Governor of Singapore, who was passionate about A.Palladio’s ideas in architecture, is described. Examples of projects of public buildings and private mansions are considered. Different periods of style transformation are highlighted; certain examples demonstrate the specific influence of local building materials, climate, public sentiment and social order on architecture. The question of the neoclassicism influence on Palladian architecture and the emergence of neo-Palladian design during the eclectic period is raised. Also, the description contains examples of architectural projects from other countries in the region, in particular Sri Lanka and Burma. Some of the examples go beyond the chronological period of the first half of the 19th century in order to demonstrate the establishment of the Palladian tradition in some countries of Southeast Asia. Colonial Palladianism is evaluated on the example of the architecture of Singapore and India.