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The Georgian Group Guides
I kard
MOULDINGS
A Brief Guide to Georgian Mouldings Cornice
Arehitrave
Column,
Shaft
Base.
Pedestal
Fumes 1 asi 2 Discaaat Showine
hie Revaion Berwees THe
Proroarions oF THE Cuassieat
Ones (Lars) ann Those oF tHe
Dowsne Wats (ote) (Baoan
Man
HIS SHORT GUIDE is intended asa general introduction tothe subject
designed as an outline of the basic forms and development of moulding
tudience alike,
{or house owners, architects, craftsmen and the interested lay
‘The illuseations included below, taken for the most part from Georgia
publications, serve as a useful pictorial reference. The mouldings they
demonstrate are by no means stable for every location in the house, nor do
they represent every posible permutation ofthe classical vocabulary. For those
seeking to repair or re-create Georgian mouldings, perhaps the most important
section of this guide isthe last page, with its lis of suggested pattern-books and
modern sources. Before yout begin, always consule an expert with no
commercial interes, Your local District oF Borough Council Conservation
Officer, or anti
Protection of Ancient Buildings, should be able to help in choosing reliable and
organisation suchas English Heritage or the Society forthe
experienced joiners or plasterers for such work.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT.
Us ‘THE LATER 17th CENTURY mouldings were not decorative
pieces inserted into the completed shell ofa building, as they are today.
Instead they were used to decorate intogeal structural features that were exposed
is, newel staircases and so
to view — ceiling beams, door and fireplace surrour
‘on, By definition, these structural mouldings were heavily three-dimensional;
this quality remained characteristic of mouldings Forsome time after they ceased
to have a structural function and were merely mailed on or ‘applied
‘The earliest type of applied mouldings in common use were the box cornice
and "bolection’ moulding linking ewo adjoining planes, both of which were
‘common by 1700, In many cases mouldings were carefully placed to correspond
tothe vertical intervals of the classical column: thusthe skirting corresponded to
the base, the dado to the pedestal and the cornice to the entablarure. This
architectural allegory held true throughout the Georgian era and beyond.
However, as the 18th cennury progressed architects were increasingly
concerned to conceal all of the real structural elements of a building:
accordingly. mouldings became fatter and less pronounced, and surface
decoration took the place of depth. From the mid-18th century onwards, plaster
became widely used for embellishing the surface of mouldings, and was often
applied to a wooden base moulding. On doors raised and fielded panels
gradually fell out of favour, On staircases the efforts to conceal the basic
structure were reflected in an increasing slenderness of the balusters and less
‘cmphasis on newel posts, Tamed balusters were out of fashion by the end of the
century, and were replaced by thin, square-section ‘stick’ balusters: iron
balusters could be used at intervals to strengthen the stair. Newel posts
the Early Georgian period, were seldom allowed to project above the handrail:
in late Georgian houses they were dispensed with altogether (although for
reasons of practicality and economy they remained in use for tortuous servants’
stairs)
By the eatly Georgian period mouldings were often employed simply to
cover a structural joint or an unsighely transition between diferent planes —
allowing the parts beneath fo settle and move, as well as providing a more
visually cohesive display of light and shadow. Virtually all mouldings were, in
sulting ina less
contrast to the practice ofthe preceding century. painted
heavy and more refined effect (often ruined by the modem fashion for
indiscriminate stripping of old woodwork). By the end ot the century many
‘mouldings had become light and grace and were of comparatively low reli
—a development influenced by genuine classical models but largely facilitated
Cornice
Wall
Dado rail
Skirting by technological advances in architectural construction. By 1800, however, the
Greck and Egyptian styles — brought a renewed emphasis on solidity and
‘weight. One effect of this seems to have been the popularity of the reeded
sulin often used with paterac (mal square panels) atthe comers —a form
academic
-oclassicism — expressing itself in the revivals of the
frequently found on Regency chimneypieces, comices and architraves of
between ¢.1780 and c.1840.
For the purist, the Georgian period was the golden age of the applied
‘moulding, In Victorian Britain the design and siting of mouldings became less
influenced by academic considerations, as thei classical origins were forgotten
(or deliberately ignored. The resuls were sometimes quite crude or even rather
bizarre, and many Victorian mouldings bear litte resemblance to their supposed
Georgian antecedents,
Lies Catabtature Rat Lavtins.n
cunt 3 “Prontss FoR Winpows,
Doors NicHes on Cunaney PECs
1759, ros Wastan” CuHaanens
Tresrse (Te Bruns Linen)
