Unbuilt Oxford

Yale University Press, New Haven, first paperback edition, 1983. Laminated illustrated wrappers, 4to,. 18,198 pp, 190 ills, plans. From the blurb: "The city of Oxford has one of the most remarkable concentrations of beautiful buildings in Europe, and the story of its unbuilt edifices is a fascinating addition to the history of architecture. This book by Howard Colvin explores the most interesting of the many abortive building schemes in Oxford - from the missing nave of New College Chapel in the fourteenth century, through the projects of such major and influential architects as Wren, Hawksmoor, Gibbs, Wyatt, Pugin and Jackson, to the unexecuted designs of the twentieth century. The great merit of this book is that it places a very famous architectural environment firmly in the context of English architectural ideas. It also discusses the success and failure of Oxford dons as patrons of architecture and the role of both amateurs and master craftsmen in the designing of Oxford buildings. Some of the highlights include an attempt to reconstruct the original design for Cardinal College (now Christ Church),; some bold speculations about Wren’s design for the Sheldonian Theatre; a presentation of many splendid baroque designs by Hawksmoor; the story of Pugin’s designs for Balliol College and of other visionary nineteenth-century projects; the history of the extraordinary designs for Nuffield College and other notable twentieth-century failures by historicist and modernist alike. Copiously illustrated both with contemporary architectural designs and with specially made plans and drawings, this book is both visually attractive and elegantly written - an original and entertaining contribution to the architectural history of Oxford. Howard Colvin is a fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford, add the author and editor of several books on British architectural history - most notably A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 (1978)." Contents: Preface; I. Gothic Uncertainties; II. Retarded Renaissance; III. The Limits of a Private Purse; IV. Dr. Clarke’s Portfolios; V. Hawksmoor’s Oxford; VI. Indecision at Magdalen; VII. Pugin and the Battle for Balliol; VIII. The Two Museums; IX. Jackson and the Jacobean Revival; X. Oxford and the Modern Movement; Sources and Bibliography; Index. Bookplate of Keble College, Oxford on front inside wrapper, otherwise Very Good.