Doric, Ionic and Corinthian
Many of our Scarborough buildings built in the19th Century have ornamental columns at the entrance door. These columns are a throwback to the days of the Grand Tour; a preoccupation of the aristocracy that went on to shape ideas of culture and sophistication in Victorian times. Part of the classical revival, these classical architectural motifs were used to symbolise civic virtue and local nationalism.
The Grand Tour was an educational trip around Europe primarily associated with the British nobility and the landed gentry of the 17th Century. Their exposure to classical antiquity and the renaissance caused influence in British polite society and it became very fashionable to have a Temple of Apollo or a Parthenon in the grounds of your country estate. It later became the norm in the education of architects and artists to study the architecture in the classical places of Europe and soon less grand doorways and shallow porches were given classical ornamentation and graceful stone moldings, and classical columns started to pop up over the place in the Classical Revival of architecture. Many of the buildings on North and South Cliff are an excellent example of this.
There are three common types of columns and they are distinguished by their capitals; the piece of stone work at the top of the Column and their type can be described simply, as flat, scrolled and fancy. These designs are not architectural whimsy, they belong to Greek traditions spanning many thousand years, and have played a crucial role in distinguishing schools of thought and the search for the perfect ratio and proportion in art and architecture.
The stone columns on entrances and porches evoke the legend of two ancient bronze columns from The Old Testament. These two mysterious columns had names and they were called ‘Jaichim’ and ‘Boaz’, names in Hebrew for ‘Jehovah establishes’ and ‘in strength’. The two columns stood at the entrance porch to The Temple of Solomon in ancient Jerusalem. They were the objects on which the secret knowledge for rebuilding a civilisation, were inscribed. Both columns are dedicated to the sun and moon.
Solomon’s right hand column ‘Boaz’ is thought to represent the growth of the waxing sun, and ‘Jaichim’ Solomon’s left handed column is thought to represent decay and the waning sun. These ideas were borrowed by the Freemasons. There is a great argument for which column was on which side. Which direction the author facing when giving the account of this legend lead to religious schism and the origin of the superstition of the ‘unlucky left hand and lucky right right’.
After the secret knowledge was carved onto the biblical columns, according to medieval scripture, one column was found by the Greek Philosopher Pythagoras and the other column found by the alchemist Hermes Trismegistus, after the destruction of the First Temple of Solomon by Nebuchadnezzar in 587BC.
The Temple of Solomon was reputedly based on The Golden Ratio, a simple mathematical ratio found in nature which later influenced our civilisation through art, music and architecture. This ratio became the sign or ‘logos’ for classical harmony and civic virtue placed as proportion and ornamentation of the buildings of the 19th century. ‘Logos’ means ‘word/reasoning’.
The three types of columns, or three types of orders are ’Ionic’, ‘Doric’ and ‘Corinthian’, symbolising wisdom, strength and beauty. The Doric Order has a simple flat squat capital. A good example of this type of column can be found on the lower floor of Scarborough Library or on many of the Victorian stone shelters on the North and South Bays. The Ionic Order has a distinctive spiral scrolls or volute which may have originated from natural forms of the nautilus shell. Again an excellent example of this can be found on Scarborough Library and also at the entrance of the Post Office building on Aberdeen Walk. The last order is the Corinthian Order. It’s capital has an elaborate floral design. The leaves on this design are those of the acanthus plant, which is common in the Mediterranean and thought to represent immortality. Excellent examples of this can be found on Westborough Methodist Church and on the Crown Spa Hotel.
Each order of architecture was also linked to music. The Ionians and Doricians where heavily influenced by Egyptian culture and specifically Egyptian culture of sacred music. The Greek Ionian philosopher Plato in his book; Laws says that the ideal city will be created by music. He stated that each citizen must practice the correct songs and dances based on Egyptian laws of harmonies and these songs we to be repeated to maintain the enchantment that will maintain the perfect city. He felt that songs where charms, which linked the divine proportions of ratio in architecture with that of harmony in music.
When documenting English rural songs, the 19th Century English Folk song collector Cecil Sharp wrote, “two thirds of our English folk songs are in the major Ionian mode. The remaining third are divided between Aeolian, Mixolydian and Dorian modes.”
The writer John Michel explains this, “these old folk songs were clearly originally the work of classically educated composers, probably monastic. Cistercian monks from the 12th Century retired to the loneliest most barren districts of Europe living in the utmost simplicity spending every possible moment in prayer and chanting. Their angelic harmonies produced a corresponding order in the countryside around them.” John Michell argued that prior to the Roman invasion, Britain was divided into twelve ‘Druid Colleges’ with Glastonbury at its centre. He explained that each area was given a note which would form the basis of music to be played at certain times of the day corresponding with the music in other areas. This music on a constant cycle charmed the land. An early meeting in York a few years ago took me past York Minster. The doors were locked but the choir inside could be heard in the street as the sun came up. The meeting felt much easier.
Other excellent examples of columns around our town include the columns along the Esplanade, Red Court, and the streets off the Esplanade such as Albion Road. Examples further in town include St Nicholas Cliff, Westborough, and on the porch ways on Westborough, Falsgrave, Westborough Methodist Church and Fairchild’s old cheese shop on Victoria road.
Regarding the classical revival I refer again to last months Hunter S Thompson quote, “They had the momentum; they were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, you can go up on a steep hill, say where Birdcage Walk meets the Esplanade and look north across the south bay, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark on the high Victorian terraces — that place where the beautiful wave of commerce finally broke, and rolled back”.
See how many you can spot on the buildings, porches and entrances around town. Maybe sing a note as you pass and see if it resonates and hums back.