Old Red Museum is in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The original Romanesque style was popular in western Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. Richardsonian Romanesque, on the other hand, was popular in the late 1800s. It was instigated by architect Henry Hobson Richardson.
The Romanesque style, in general, is known for rounded arches, squat columns, thick stone walls, imposing weight. It gives off a very anchored, weighty and foreboding feeling. (Hence it’s popularity with the castle crowd.)
What is the difference between new and old? Based on my eyeballs and art history background, the more modern Richardsonian Romanesque style has a lot more windows and is more rounded in general. The original Romanesque style was limited on the number of windows that could be pierced in to those thick and plain walls. Modern building techniques support huge and frequent windows all around the new buildings in addition to more daring, rounded ‘chunks’ to the building.
Photos: FlowersFilm for Old Red; Wikimedia Commons for Jerichow
We meet for our tours on the steps of the magnificient Old Red Museum.
