Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Historical Place of Workship

I was buzzing around on the net and this image of a beautiful church ceiling caught my eye. I decided it was worth a bit of investigating to discover more about this elegant and architecturally detailed place of worship.

This is the Unitarian Church in Charleston, South Carolina.



The gothic revival architectural style church was originally built in 1772. The style is referred to as English Perpendicular Gothic Revival.



The fan-vaulted ceiling is painted a light sky blue and is highlighted by the elaborate white details.

James Oliver photography


James Oliver Photography


In 1886 an earthquake struck and demolished the church's top tower. The new tower was built with a modified design to the original structure, to ensure that stability to the building was maintained.










The beauty of the church was challenged again when Hurricane Hugo hit the area of Charleston. The roof was lost during the storm, but the repairs were carried out with the specifications of the Thomas Silloway who had originally repaired the church over 100 years prior in the design style set out by Francis Lee.
 In 1973 the church was declared a National Historic Landmark.

2 comments:

  1. Oh yes! I've been studying this style in my Architectural History class. It's beautiful. Especially the all white version (top image). It is over the top but how great would it be to see intricate designs in residential homes? Thanks for sharing. Viv xx

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  2. These ceilings are simply stunning! It's fascinated how architecture and living spaces can affect people's perceptions and emotions. Great interesting article! Thanks for sharing!

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