The love of the past

Abstract

Abstract This chapter considers the love of the past as a manifestation of architectural style. It argues that revivals and nostalgia are the two most enduring themes in British architecture. The use of past styles elaborates on the people’s understanding of British architecture and what it means to a diverse public. The chapter then provides an overview into the dominance of social elites who accumulated their wealth in a global context through colonization, slavery and the slave trade, and the appropriation of wealth by looting. It goes on to consider different interpretations of the country house.