controversial ideas about his faith. Major changes in society, such as the abolition of slavery and
the industrial revolutions, focused Ruskin on industrial capitalism and the ‘social economy.‘ Praised by Ghandi (Gandhi, 1993) and widely renowned, he was considered a social reformer by
writing about man’s need to return to a simpler time, with direct reference to the industrial
revolution, and a need to live with consideration for your fellow man. Interestingly, an element
of morality and spirituality remains throughout Ruskin’s work, even though he lost his faith at
forty. This complements his views on an idealistic society suggesting his morals run deeper than
what he considered to be shallow faith. A choice was made in Ruskin for this extended analysis,
for although not an architect himself, he had, especially after World War 2, a strong influence
over the pioneers of modern architecture, such as Charles Voysey and Frank Lloyd Wright. (Landow, 2000)
THE SEVEN LAMPS OF ARCHITECTURE
In 1849, Ruskin offered a moral code he considered public architecture should follow. Formed
of seven demands that Ruskin aptly named ‘Lamps’ in reference to Britain’s industrial
revolution forming these criticisms as a beacon for Ruskin to lead architecture into the light from the dark age. Ruskin’s first tentative steps into architectural criticism had a mixed
response, for it seemed outrageous that he should be worthy of judging another’s work, in a
field which he had little experience in. Nonetheless, there is evidence of the Ruskinian style being adopted in William Butterfield’s All Saints, Margaret Street Church. Construction details were confirmed by the publication of Ruskin’s book in May, but by August the plans had been
revised to incorporate the following, very specific ‘Lamps’. (Landow, 2011)
The first, the ‘Lamp of Sacrifice,’ deals with the premise that architecture, most specifically churches, but essentially all constructions, should serve as proof of the communities’ dedication
to God. The second, the ‘Lamp of Truth’, considers the honesty of a building, with handcrafted
materials displayed naturally, so the observer is aware of the construction process. The ‘Lamp
of Power,’ has ideas about the massing of buildings and implementing nature to produce
impressive structures that consider the physical effort of construction. The ‘Lamp of Beauty’ aspires towards divinity being expressed through embellishments and decoration of the buildings. The ‘Lamp of Life,’ presents the idea of hand crafted architecture, and the enjoyment of the masons and artists involved in construction. Similarly, ‘The Lamp of Memory,’ introduces
the idea that buildings should respect local culture and the surrounding community. The final Oliver Baldock |The Essay
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