Architect Sir Christopher Wren
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This paper will discuss the life of Sir Christopher Wren and his work as an architect. Special emphasis will be placed on Wren's importance as an architect in London following the Great Fire of 1666. Christopher Wren was born in East Knoyle, England, in October of 1632. In his early life, Wren pursued a career in science and astronomy. After distinguishing himself as an excellent student in mathematics, the 25-year-old Wren became a professor of astronomy at Gresham College in London. A few years later, Wren took a position as professor of astronomy at Oxford University. It was not until the 1660 s that Wren began a career in the field of architecture. In 1661, King Charles II appointed Wren to serve as assistant to the Surveyor-General to His Majesty's Works (Weaver 43). The Surveyor-General was a Minister to the King responsible for all public construction throughout England. In 1663, Wren was commissioned to design the Chapel of Pembroke College in Cambridge, and in 1665 he was commissioned to design an inner court for Trinity College in Oxford (46). Thus, Christopher Wren's career as an architect was well established by the mid-1660 s. Wren was never formally trained in architecture. He learned the craft on his own through his personal studies and observations. There were two basic influences on Wren's style as an architect: the Palladian style which was popular in England during the time, and the Baroque style which was popular in France. The Palladian st
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on as well. In the end, more than half of the city of London was destroyed: "it was found that an area of four hundred and forty-three acres, which had been closely covered with houses, churches and public buildings, had been devastated; and the damage was computed at the vast figure of eleven million pounds sterling" (Dutton 26).
King Charles II appointed Wren to act as commissioner for the rebuilding of the city. In this capacity, Wren quickly developed a plan for rebuilding the city in which the downtown streets would have been laid out in a grid-like pattern set off by circular piazzas (Weaver 54). Although this plan was not accepted by the King, Wren nonetheless continued to be influential in the subsequent rebuilding of the city. In 1669, Wren's work in the rebuilding of London became even more influential when he was promoted to the position of Surveyor-General to His Majesty's Works. Wren was most influential in the rebuilding of many churches throughout London. In all, Christopher Wren was responsible for the reconstruction of over 50 London churches which had been damaged or destroyed by the Great Fire. Of these, Wren's most important contribution as an architect is undoubtedly found in his work on St. Paul's C
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Approximate Word count = 2038
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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