The Architecture of the Louvre

The building of the Louvre Palace is one of the longest and most complex in the history of European architecture. The Louvre was originally a fortress built in the 12th century, which later became a royal residence and was expanded and embellished over the next two centuries.  

The transformation into a renaissance palace began during the reign of Francis I, who in 1527 had ordered the demolition of the round keep within the square quadrangle. It took another twenty years, however, before the king returned his attention to the Louvre and hired Pierre Lescot to replace the medieval building.

The first section of the new courtyard palace was built in 1547-51, by which time the crown passed to Henry II. The courtyard has since quadrupled in size and several of the facades have been altered, but the original Lescot wing has survived mostly intact. The relief work is mostly attributed to Jean Goujon, though the statues in the niches are from the 19th century.

Lescot clearly modelled his facade on the courtyards of Italian palaces, though the result is both more ornate and complex. The projections introduce a vertical element to the composition, which is absent in most Italian examples. Arranging the facade in this way would later become typical of French architecture, but doesn't seem to have been the original intention. Lescot was following the French tradition of creating a projection in the facade to accommodate the staircase. He wanted to place it in the centre but this became difficult when the king insisted on having a reception hall across the entire ground floor. The ramp of the staircase was therefore pushed to one side, but Lescot still kept the central frontispiece of the original design and introduced a third for the sake of symmetry. The idea of having a ground-floor arcade with recessed windows may have come from the project to build a new city hall, which began in 1533. The roof is the first known mansard, which would also become a staple of French classical architecture. The break in angle of the sloping roof was probably used to diminish its visual impact.

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Work began on a second wing in 1553. This was to be known as the Queens' wing and was intended primarily as living quarters for a future queen and the queen mother, who had been widowed when Henry II died in a jousting accident in 1559. Its now more commonly referred to as the Charles IX wing. The decoration had not been completed when Lescot died in 1579 and the attic floor was removed in the 19th century. Lescot also built a tower-like pavilion (Pavillon du Roi) at the corner of the two wings but this has not survived.
  

The queen mother, Catherine de Medici, ruled France to varying degrees during the reigns of her three sons: Francis II, Charles IX and Henri III. She apparently didn’t like the still half-medieval Louvre very much and chose instead to build an entirely new palace to the west, outside the city walls. Construction on the Tuileries palace began in 1564 to designs by the architect Philibert de l’Orme, while work on the Queens' wing at the Louvre came to a halt the year after and would only be completed during the reign of Henri IV.

Nevertheless, work at the Louvre did not stop completely and the idea of a long gallery to link the Louvre with the Tuileries appears to have originated during this time.

The first step in this plan was the little gallery. A little bridge-like structure, which spanned across the moat, connected it to one corner of the Louvre courtyard. The ground floor design appears to be from 1566-67, but the first floor was only completed by Henry IV and its design was probably only finalised during his reign. The original architect is not known but could have been Philibert de l’Orme or Pierre Lescot, who after all was still the architect in charge of the Louvre. The gallery was rebuilt after a fire in 1661 to a revised design by Louis le Vau but some elements of the original was restored by Felix Duban in the mid-19th century.

The little gallery was initially built as a ground-storey terrace overlooking the Louvre gardens. The use of black marble strips on the Doric pilasters suggests some influence from de l'Orme's design of the Tuileries palace, though the result is more conventional. The decoration of the frieze may also point to de l'Orme in adhering to a 'correct' formula for the Doric order, though the decoration in the spandrels of the arches has been seen as indicative of Lescot's style. The absence of pilasters in some of the bays on the ground floor is due to le Vau's rebuilding in the 17th century, while the dormers and the frontispiece is the result of 19th-century restoration.

Meanwhile, Jean Bullant took over as architect of the Tuileries when de l’Orme died in 1570. Catherine de Medici soon lost interest and work ground to a halt after 1572, though plans to expand the palace were made.

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Things really started to pick up with the end of the religious wars and the ascension of Henry IV. The Queens' wing was finally completed, the first floor of the little gallery was built in 1594-96 and the 400-metre grand gallery between the Louvre and the Tuileries was achieved by 1606.  

The job of designing the grand gallery was given to two architects, resulting in two different designs. The first section has been attributed to Louis Métezeau, who designed a two-storey building with a mezzanine between the ground and first floors.



The composition feature alternating triangular and segmental pediments, except over the main entrance, where a more elaborate frontispiece is introduced. Paired columns and a balcony also adds emphasis to this part of the facade, which has been named Porte Barbet de Jouy after a 19th-century curator.

Certain changes have been made to Métezeau's original design. The three-storey pavilion at one end, adjoining the little gallery, was built by Louis le Vau in the 17th century. A corresponding pavilion at the other end was later added for symmetry. Most of the statues and the ornament in the pediments and central frontispiece is due to a mid-19th century restoration effort.

The rest of the grand gallery was originally designed by Jacques Androuet du Cerceau, but his work was demolished in the 1860s. The earlier facade consisted of colossal pilasters, which can still be seen in copy on the Rivoli wing built under Napoleon I, while the new river facade is closer to Métezeau. 

At the transition between the two different sections stood Pavillon Lesdiguières, which still exists though it is now incorporated into a wider composition, known as les Guichets du Carrousel.  The pavilion was previously named after the lantern at the top of its cone-shaped roof.

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After the assassination of Henri IV, a second Medici queen became regent and royal building works shifted to the new Luxembourg Palace. It was only after Louis XIII came of age that attention returned to the Louvre.

Work began in 1624, on a scheme that apparently originated with Henri IV: to quadruple the size of the Louvre courtyard. The north walls of the fortress were razed and a pavilion was built adjoining the Lescot wing. A new wing, which has since been named after its architect, Jacques Lemercier, was then built as a further extension.

The Clock Pavilion (Pavillon de l’horloge) is named after a clock that was later inserted into the facade. The design of the caryatids has been attributed to Jacques Sarrazin and were executed by sculptors Guérin and De Buyster.

The Lemercier wing (right) is identical to the original Lescot wing (left), except in the details of the relief work, which was mostly completed in the early 19th century. However, at least one of the motifs on the ground floor have been attributed to Gerard van Opstal and dated to 1638.    

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Louis XIII died in 1643 and his widow, Anne of Austria, moved the royal residence across the street to a palace originally built for Louis XIII’s chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu. This building is still known as the Palais Royal. Anne of Austria was forced to flee Paris due to a revolt of aristocrats, and the Fronde, as the conflict was known, was only ended in 1653. Anne of Austria subsequently moved back to the Louvre and employed a new architect named Louis le Vau.

One of his first jobs was to rebuild the little gallery after a fire in 1661, turning the first floor of that building into the Galerie d'Apollon. He also also built new sections to the north and east of the gallery; creating the vestibule Rotonde d'Apollon, Pavillon du Salon Carrée and Cour de la Reine, which is now called Cour du Sphinx.

He then turned his attention to the completion of the main courtyard. The north and south wings were both built following the same lines as the earlier work by Lescot and Lemercier. Le Vau's main contribution seems to have been the river front, which he intended as a counterpoint to his work on the Collège des Quatre-Nations on the other side of the Seine.

Work continued on the north wing and some progress was also made on the final east wing. Meanwhile, the Tuileries Palace had been expanded in 1659-61 and le Vau and his assistant François d'Orbay redesigned the facade there in 1664-66.

But the Louvre was soon to take a new direction, which would undo much of le Vau's work. He was challenged in his role as chief architect and the work was stopped. In 1665, the Italian architect and sculptor Bernini was invited to Paris and submitted designs. But in the end, the east front was designed by a committee of three members: Louis le Vau, Claude Perrault and Charles le Brun. Le Vau died in 1670 and the east facade, known as the Colonnade, is mostly attributed to Claude Perrault, though le Vau's successor François d'Orbay may also have played a significant role.

In 1964-67, the moat in front of the east front was redug and surrounded with a balustrade. It had been filled in during construction in the 17th century.

The colonnade is taller and wider than the other wings, and in 1668 work started on a completely new facade for the river front to match it, even though Le Vau had completed work here as recently as 1663. Perrault apparently also produced a design for the north wing, though this was only completed at a later stage. 

All work on the Louvre was stopped by the end of the 1670s when Louis XIV made Versailles his permanent residence. The three new wings were all left in a state of incompletion. The new riverside facade by Perrault was just a screen that had been built in front of le Vau's previous south front and the colonnade and north wings both lacked roofs. 

Not much happened in the 18th century, but the east wing's courtyard facade was restored by Jacques-Germain Soufflot and Jacques-Ange Gabriel around 1756. It was the first to use a full top storey instead of an attic. This was according to the existing design by Claude Perrault, who had apparently intended to use a new order for the columns. Just as De l'Orme had done in the 16th century at the Tuileries, he named his invention the French order. Using any of the existing orders above the composite of the first floor would have been considered incorrect, according to the rules of classical architecture. Lemercier got around this problem by using caryatids, but Perrault's French order was never used and the columns that were made are Corinthian.



Despite the intention to complete the courtyard, the project slowed due to a lack of funds. Much of the relief work was still to do, but the decoration of the central pediment seems to have been completed during this period, by sculptor Guillaume Coustou.

Some restoration work was also done to the other wings, which were finally roofed.

Some of the initial decoration on the north wing was done in 1668 by the sculptor Etienne le Hongre and his team. The architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot worked on the central passageway around a century later, but it was only in the early 19th century that Perrault's design was finally completed. The decoration of the pediment is dated to after the Bourbon restoration and was the work of a sculptor named Montpellier in 1815.

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Despite the efforts to complete the Louvre under Louis XV, the courtyard was still a bit of a mess by the time Napoleon came to power. It had been designated as a museum in 1793 and a collection had started to grow based on art works confiscated from the aristocracy and the church. The newly-elected emperor added to the collection by bringing art works back from his overseas campaigns and he chose the Tuileries as his power base.

The first order of business was to complete the courtyard, which Napoleon's architects Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine largely achieved in 1804-1810. 

Percier and Fontaine were also responsible for harmonising the facades of the courtyard. This meant that some of the attic storeys had to be removed and some of the 16th-century relief work by Jean Goujon had to be sacrificed. Some of this was used to decorate other parts of the Louvre and examples can still be found over the doors in the passageway of the east wing. 

It seems that all the corner pavilions and the central pavilion of the south wing were also removed during this period. Pavillon d'horloge was the only of Louvre's five towers to survive. 

Percier and Fontaine had also built the Arc du Carrousel in front of the Tuileries palace in 1806-08. The design is based on the Arch of Constantine in Rome and originally featured the horses of St Mark, which were returned to Venice in 1815 and replaced with a quadriga by Francois Joseph Bosio in 1828. The horses of St Mark were originally taken by the Venetians from Constantinople in 1204 and date to between the second to fourth centuries.

The name carrousel first appeared in 1662 and refers to the military drills, which were staged in front of the Tuileries palace.

From 1810, Percier and Fontaine turned their attention to the completion of the grand design, which was to unite the Louvre and the Tuileries into one super-palace. Whole residential areas between the palaces had to be cleared before work could start on a gallery along the new street of Rue de Rivoli. Construction lasted on and off until 1824 and stretched from the Tuileries to Pavillon Rohan, which was completed around 1816.

Percier and Fontaine's facade on Cour du Carrousel is a copy of Androuet du Cerceau's original design for the west section of the grande galerie. The renaissance version was later demolished, so the facades on the opposite sides of Cour du Carrousel no longer match. The decoration in the pediments were added in 1857. Work to replace Percier and Fontaine's copy was subsequently started in the 1870s but was this was never completed.

The facade on Rue de Rivoli is quite different and has a similarly austere design as the buildings on the opposite side of the street, which were also by Percier and Fontaine. The statues in the niches are all of military leaders. The first eight were installed around Pavillon de Rohan in 1854-57 and 1869. The rest followed between 1916 and 1928 and were among the last statues to be added to the Louvre's facades. Some statues were ordered as late as 1936 but were never actually used.

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Some work was carried out during the reigns of Louis XVIII, Charles X and Louis Philippe; but it was under Napoleon III that really ambitious plans were developed, beginning in 1852. The architect Louis Visconti worked out a plan for the completion of entire Louvre-Tuileries complex and work was continued after his death in 1853 by Hector-Martin Lefuel.

Visconti's plan was to narrow the space in front of the Louvre west front, by adding three new pavilions to flank the existing pavilion that had been built in the early 17th century. This space was named Cour Napoleon and the work was completed in 1857.



The Louvre west front had been completed by Lescot and Lemercier in the 16th and 17th centuries and was practically bare of any decoration. The original plan seems to have been to keep it in that vein, but Lefuel decided in 1856 that it needed to harmonise with the new facades of Cour Napoleon.

The pavilion was, therefore, covered in relief in 1857. The pediment features a bust of Napoleon I, in a composition by Antoine Barye and Pierre Simart. The idea of an arcade with statues of key figures in French history seems to have originated with Fontaine and Percier. Visconti had planned for the statues to go under the arches, but Lefuel modified this by having them stand on top of the arcade instead.

One of the the new pavilions can be seen on the right: Pavillon Daru. Also seen, in the corner, is the polygonal front of Galerie d'Apollon, which is the same facade le Vau had built around the time of the fire in the little gallery in 1661. A copy on the opposite side of Cour Napoleon was added by Percier and Fontaine earlier in the 19th century and is now known as the Rotonde de Beauvais.

The new facades on the north and south of Cour Napoleon both have three pavilions each. Like Lemercier's original Pavillon d'horloge, the central pavilions are domed.  On the north, Pavillon Richelieu is decorated with a pediment from 1857 by Francisque Duret, which depicts France as the protector of science and art. Its counterpart across the courtyard is Pavillon Denon.



The other pavilions have coned roofs, much like the original corner pavilions of the Cour Carrée, which were first built by Lescot in the 16th century and copied by other architects but were eventually removed. Pavillon Turgot stands at the point where Cour Napoleon widens into Place du Carrousel. Its counterpart on the other side of the courtyard is Pavillon Mollien. Opposite the previously mentioned Pavillon Daru is Pavillon Colbert.

Lefuel also added decoration to Pavillon de Rohan on the side facing Place du Carrousel. The rich decoration of the pediment depicts France seated below the imperial coat of arms, surrounded by two figures representing science and labour. The letter N and Napoleonic bees are dotted across the entire composition.



The remaining section on Rue de Rivoli includes yet another pavilion, which stands opposite the facade of the Palais-Royal, where Anne of Austria held court in the mid-17th century. It is named Pavillon de la bibliothéque. The caryatids were sculpted by Astyanax Bosio, who was a nephew of the previously mentioned Francois Joseph Bosio.

At this point, the whole complex was finished. But in 1861-69, work resumed. Pavillon de Flore was redesigned and much of the grand gallery was demolished and replaced. Lefuel also pierced the river facade with the Grands Guichets.

The Grand Guichets were built in 1866-69. It incorporates the old Pavillon Lesdiguières (right) with a copy added for symmetry, named Pavillon La Trémoille. This meant that some of the relief work that had been completed in 1855 to harmonise with Pavillon de Rohan on the opposite side of Cour du Carrousel had to be removed. The river front originally featured an equestrian bronze statue of Napoleon III. It was removed only days after the proclamation of the third republic in 1870. The current statue, from 1877, shows Apollo riding Pegasus. The statues on either side of the central arch represent the navy and the merchant navy.

Lefuel created a new facade on Cour du Carrousel in 1861-66. It consists of an attic floor, which clearly draws inspiration from the Lescot wing. The relief work explores similar mythological themes as Jean Goujon in the 16th century and the motif of Diana flanked by two dogs also shows up again. The lower parts of the facade are similar in style to the east section of the grand gallery by Louis Metezeau. The Flore wing has two entrances flanked with bronze sculptures of lions by Auguste Cain, from 1867. 

On the far left is a kind of turret, which marks the transition to Pavillon des Etats, which was built during the same period but is closer in style to Cour Napoleon.   

The Tuileries was damaged in a fire during the commune in 1871 and was later demolished. This led to the rebuilding of Pavillon Marsan and the Marsan wing in 1875-79. Lefuel proceeded to rebuild in the same style as Pavillon de Flore and the Flore wing on the opposite side of Cour du Carrousel.

Lefuel would presumably have continued and built something similar to Pavillon des Etats. Instead, the facade ends abruptly at a juncture with the narrower Rohan wing, which still features Percier and Fontaine's copy of Androuet de Cerceau.

Stortorvet

Stortorvet is a central square in Oslo. It was originally developed in the first half of the 18th century but almost all of the buildings from that time have disappeared. One exception is found at the corner of Møllergata where a timber-framed house has stood since around 1700. The church was built in 1694-97 but was substantially altered in 1848-50.  

The three late 19th century buildings on the west side of the square were demolished in late 1950s/early 1960s and replaced with a modern building. They are photoshopped back into existence in the image above.  

This image gives a closer look at the building on the corner with Grensen. It was built in the 1870's by architects Hermann Schirmer and Jacob Nordan. In this image is also visible the remaining house from 1700. 

This building from around 1902 is actually still standing, but the facade has been modernised and the building is almost completely unrecognisable.

An earlier photoshop of the same building.

For more information about historic Oslo, buy my book, Det Tapte Kristiania, here.

Churches in Oslo

Gamle Aker Kirke is the only medieval church in town, not counting the royal chapel at Akershus festning. The exterior was restored by architects Schirmer and von Hanno in 1861. Earlier images from prior to 1861 show the tower shaped quite differently. It survived the many fires of Oslo, because it was not in Oslo. It only came within city limits in 1859. 

As far as I have understood, the church is fairly representative for medieval churches in Oslo. Most of them were built in the 11th and 12the century, and were for the most part pre-gothic. The royal church dedicated to the virgin mother was in brick, not stone, and was at least partially gothic, but the rest of the churches were generally older. In its heyday, Oslo had nine churches, excluding the one above. But after countless fires and plagues, there was only the cathedral left when the old city was finally abandoned in 1624.

The second oldest church in Oslo is from 1796. You could argue that the cathedral is older, since it was originally built in 1697. However, the cathedral was given a completely new look in 1849-50, and doesn't look at all like an 18th century church. In fact, Oslo Kirke looks somewhat similar to what the cathedral used to look like: the tower crowned with a simple pyramid-shape. They are both brick churches, though Old Town is plastered and the cathedral was/is not.

The earliest church on this site was built by the Franciscans in 1290 as part of the cloister that was located here. The church was one of the first in Norway to be built in brick. It was converted to a hospital in 1536 and destroyed during a Swedish attack on Oslo in 1567. A new hospital was built in 1581 and the first floor of this building was used a church. 

A new church was built in 1734, at a time when Oslo was no longer the main urban settlement in the area. However, Oslo retained a small and fairly prosperous community with its own congregation. This church was destroyed in a fire in 1794. Building of the new church was completed two years later. Alterations were made in the 19th century but the church was restored to original in 1934-39.

The cathedral (Vår frelsers kirke) was originally built as the second church of Christiania. The first one was built in 1632-39, but was demolished already in 1686. A great fire had started when lightning hit the spire, but the decision to raze the church was primarily on military grounds (defences of the city were reoriented towards the fortress and, the church happened to be situated too close).

As part of the reorientation, the outer bulwarks around the city were removed, and in one of the earliest sections to be removed, a site was found for the new church. It was built in 1694-97, and much of the yellow brick from the old church was probably reused, originally imported from Leyden in the Netherlands. In 1774-75, the facade was plastered and painted white. 

The church as it looks today, however, is pretty much the work of the German architect Alexis de Chateauneuf. He was originally invited to offer assistance and advice for the rebuilding of the church, but soon offered his own plans, which were adopted in works carried out in 1848-50. The tower was extended, in red brick in contrast to the old yellow, and capped with a new spire. The spire may have been inspired by Kronborg Castle, which de Chateauneuf would have seen on his way from Hamburg. A new gothic portal was added and the vault in the nave were decorated in gothic ribs. The latter was removed during restoration work in 1933-1951. The new chapel to the south, by Arnstein Arneberg, was also added during that period.

The 1840s was a turning point for Norwegian architecture and ushered in a lot of German ideas. Both Linstow and Grosch had recently visited the country and took with them ideas inspired by Schinkel and others about medieval styles and non-plastered brick facades. Heinrich Schirmer also settled in Norway, and supervised the construction work in 1848-50.

It was decided around the time that de Chateauneuf visited the city that a second church needed to be built. The municipality wanted to give the assignment to the German architect, but to be fair to local architects and master masons, a competition was arranged. This was probably the first of its kind in Norway. 

Tullinløkka was one of the first sites to be considered, as this was state-owned property, but it was decided to find a place with a higher terrain. Hammersborg had already been considered as a suitable spot for the various institutions needed for the young state, a Norwegian Acropolis. A wooden church, Christchurch, had also been built in the 17th century as a temporary solution for the new town of Christiania (demolished in the previous century). The municipality bought the property called Sorgenfri in 1849. This included the top of the hill, but for some reason a site further down was chosen. Maybe because the more prominent location included the main house of Sorgenfri while at the lower part there were just some barns that needed to removed. The municipality used the main house as a hospital, and the site was considered twice for a new city hall, in both cases competitions were arranged and winners picked, but nothing was ever built.The plan was also for the church, named Trefoldighetskirken, to lie on the axis of Theatre street, but the owners of the plots were unaware of this or didn't care, so new buildings were built that shifted the angle of the street by the time the church was finished. De Chateauneuf also suggested to completely rebuild Hammersborg. However, the municipality doesn't seem to have ever seriously considered this option.

The church has a dome, apparently inspired by the baptistery in Pisa. The general style is gothic and the size of the towers are reduced to enhance the appearance of the dome. De Chateauneuf developed the plan in 1849-50. He soon left Norway and died in Germany in 1953. Supervision of building work was left to his assistant Wilhelm von Hanno. Due to cost and structural considerations, von Hanno reduced some of the details in de Chateauneufs plan. The church was completed in 1858. 

By that time, yet another church had been built in the same area. The catholic cathedral, St Olav domkirke, was finished in 1856. There were hardly any catholics in the country at that time, but Queen Josefine was catholic and much of the financing came from her as well as donations from various other sources. The architect was Heinrich Schirmer. Meanwhile, von Hanno and Schirmer had become partners and were among the city's most prominent architects in the 1850s. From having only one church, Christiania now had four, if we also count Old Aker Church, bought by the municipality in 1852 and formally within city limits in 1859.

Whereas new churches were built in Christiania, new churches were being built in Aker as well.

Prior the 1850s, there was only one church in the whole of Aker, and this was sold to Christiania in 1852. Therefore, replacement churches were built in 1853-55 and in 1857-60.

Vestre Aker kirke was built on a property at Ullevål. The architect was Heinrich Schirmer and responsible for construction were the master masons Carl, Alfred and Albert Unger, all brothers from Prussia. The combination of German-born architects and masons thus continued. The result is typically German, red-brick gothic.The involvement from Schirmer is a bit unclear when it comes to the second church. It appears that Østre Aker kirke was built by the Unger brothers, according to some designs that Schirmer had developed for the previous church. The second church is located at Ulven. The border between the two congregations went through Torshov and Sinsen and just to the east of Grefsen. Both became Oslo churches when Oslo was expanded to include all of Aker in 1948.

Schirmer also built another church in Aker, completed in 1855. This was the church at Gaustad Sykehus. In this case, however, the project was financed by the state and not Aker municipality. This probably meant there was more money. So, the tower was capped with an ornate copper spire, and sandstone was used in the facade as well as brick. The style is usually described as gothic, though there is a clear influence from dutch renaissance. The building is actually an administration building, but it also contains the church.

In 1859, the city of Christiania was expanded considerably. All of the area known as Bymarken or 'Byens Grund,' as it was called, became officially part of the city. The city even expanded across the river to what was known as 'Landets Grund,' belonging to Aker. There had been a settlement east of the river called Grønland at least since the 17th century, and Aker wanted to get rid of it because it was poor and put a strain on resources. It belonged to the city, it was argued, because the basis for a settlement in the first place was tied to the economic web of the city. Christiania was reluctant to accept this. At some point, it was considered to give Grønland the status of city in its own right, under the name of Akerstad. However, in the end Christiania relented, and even demanded more land from Aker, as it was realised that both sides of the river up to Sagene would be valuable land for factories.

A congregation for Grønland was created in 1861. A competition was arranged for the building of Grønland kirke, won by Wilhelm von Hanno in 1864. The project also included a fire station and a school. The ensemble was completed in 1868-69. The style has been described as romanesque. 

The boundaries for the new congregation was the river and Trondheimsveien in the west (People in Grünerløkka had to cross the river to Old Aker Church) and Strømsveien in the east. Oslo was part of the same congregation though it already had its own church and the boundary between the two was Munkebekken (also known as Nonneelva, Klosterbekken or Hovindbekken).

Three new congregations were created in 1874: Johannes, Jacob and Paulus. 

Construction for Johanneskirken started already in 1868, but took ten years to complete due to difficulties with the foundations. The church was designed by Georg Bull, and built in yellow brick. It was built on the same site as the first church in Christiania. The congregation was for the west part of Kvadraturen and Pipervika. Continuing problems with the foundations meant the church had to be closed at the beginning of the 20th century, and was finally demolished in 1928. Bull was also the architect for Jakobskirken. This church is still there, though it was long threatened with demolition. The plot was purchased by the municipality already in 1824 and was used as a graveyard until 1880. The church was built in 1875. The congregation was for the old communities of Vaterland (including Sagbanken) and Fjerdingen, as well as the still developing, Hausmanskvartalene. Though Bull was the first Norwegian-born in the 19th century to design churches in the capital, there is continuity in style. Bull studied engineering in Hannover and architecture in Berlin. 

On the other side of the river, a community sprang up from nowhere in the 1850s. After 1859, however, this area was subject to the city's building regulations, and it was no longer allowed to build in wood. The owner of the land, Hans Frederik Grüner, had argued for a long time that it was unrealistic to insist on brick. Eventually, he sold most of the land to Thorvald Meyer and Carl Michelet. Michelet sold his share at the end of the 1860s, as dismal demand seemed to prove Grüner right for most of the first decade. In the 1870s, however, Christiania experienced its first spectacular building boom, and Grünerløkka grew rapidly. Initially the congregation in Grünerløkka was housed in the bethel house Hauges Minde at Olaf Ryes Plass, which was completed in 1874-75. The new church was complete in 1877. The architect was Danish-born Jacob Nordan. The name was changed from Paulus to Petrus in 1892, due to the rapid growth of Grünerløkka and Sofienberg. The name Paulus was switched to a newer church. The name changed again in 1962 to Sofienberg kirke.

Originally, the new congregation covered the whole area between the river, Fossveien, Sannergata, the city boundaries of 1859 and Trondheimsveien.

As a side note, I could also mention that a church was built for Krohgstøtten Hospital in 1859, according to a design by Christian Grosch. It was demolished in the 1950s.

City boundaries were expanded again in 1878. The main reason was to stop satellite towns from developing just outside the borders. These were poor areas dependent on the city in terms of employment and commerce. Christiania had always had such communities: Vaterland, Grensen, Vika, Hammersborg etc. It was easier and cheaper to build in wood, so people tended to settle outside the borders to avoid having to build in brick or with timber framing. After 1814, when the city really began to grow, new ones appeared: Enerhaugen, Ruseløkkbakken and Bergfjerdingen. It was thought in 1858 that problem would be dealt with, that the city boundaries were so vast in comparison to the city itself that the distances would discourage any new settlements outside the border. This was obviously a miscalculation. New mini-towns continued to crop up: Kampen, Rodeløkka, Vålerenga. Therefore, a belt area around the 1878 borders also required the use of brick in construction, and this measure actually solved the problem in the end. 

The second expansion of the boundaries in 20 years meant that the city was still inheriting fully fledged communities, requiring amenities and a church. First out was Kampen kirke. A site was cleared due to a fire and construction began in 1879. The church was designed by Jacob Nordan and was completed in 1882. Overseeing construction were master masons J. Paulsen and F. Johannessen. The congregation was officially created in 1880. It covered an area between Hovinveien, Sørligata, Jens Bjelkes gate, Sverres gate, Åkebergveien and Strømsveien up to the city boundaries.

In 1888, the economy slowly started to recover from a long period of stagnation. At the same time, a second generation of Norwegian-born architects began to emerge. It was in this year that Henrik Bull and Christian Fürst won their first competitions in Kristiania (Fürst won the competition for Sagene kirke). Both of them were still residing in Berlin, and they sent in respective proposals from abroad. As such, this was similar to the beginnings of the career of Christian Grosch, who sent in a winning proposal for Christiania stock exchange while still in Copenhagen, back in the 1820s. Bull was also second generation in a more direct sense, as he was Georg Bulls son.

The crisis of the 1880s had brought construction at Grünerløkka to a standstill. However, development had been so rapid in the 1870s, and was expected to resume, that it was evident that a new church was needed. The Old Paulus Church, completed in 1887, was renamed Petrus and the old name transferred to the new church: Paulus kirke. This way, Grünerløkka and Sofienberg each got a church. They would soon need it, as many of the city's new arrivals settled there, In 1886, Grünerløkka had only 13 600 inhabitants. In 1900, there were 22 000. Sofienberg had 7 800 in 1886, but 21 000 in 1900. Several of the most populous streets in the city were in Grünerløkka. Thorvald Meyers gate, Markveien and Toftes gate were three of only five in the entire city, with a population in excess of 3000. 

The new church was completed in 1892. The boundaries to Petrus was established in 1897, and followed Toftes gate, Helgesens gate, Teglverksgata, Verksgata, and Fagerheimsgata, to Sannergata. Verksgata doesn't actually connect to Fagerheimsgata, but there seems to have been plans for a square to bridge this gap: Christies Plass. There is football field there now, called Dælenenga.

The congregation for Sagene was established already in 1880. In fact, Sagene had been a separate community for hundreds of years. As far back as the 1500s, there had been a settlement making a living from the sawmills along the river. When Christian IV established the city of Christiania, Sagene was the suggested alternative for people who could not afford to build in brick. What was known as Sagene back then was much more extensive, and stretched almost as far south as Grünerbrua. At the beginning of the 1800s, there were about as many people in Sagene as in settlements such as Vaterland, Vika and Grensen. Northern and Eastern Sagene was outside Bymarken, but was transferred to Christiania from Aker in 1859. Nonetheless, new settlements in places such as Moløkka, just on the outskirts of the new boundaries were still being built in wood, until the boundaries shifted again in 1878. 

The site selected for Sagene kirke had previously belonged to Dannevigsløkka, outside Bymarken but inside the boundaries established in 1859. The plot and what would later become the park Graabeinsletten, was apparently owned by the municipality for some time, as it was used to store gravel from the 1850s onwards. As mentioned previously, the church was designed by Christian Fürst, who also had designed the new church for Arendal, completed in 1888. A this time, Fürst was an assistant at Paul Wallots office in Berlin, and was possibly involved in some way in the design for the German Reichstag. The altarpiece at Sagene is a copy of the altarpiece from the cathedral of Antwerpen.

The next church to be built in Oslo was in Vaterland, in 1899. The architect was Heinrich Jürgensen and the style has been described as Venetian late-gothic. Unlike the predecessors, the facade was plastered with only some of the detailing in exposed brick, and the church was not free-standing but incorporated into a city block. It was a so-called småkirke, an idea created in Britain and adopted in Denmark. The point was to have small congregations, so as to create a closer bond between the church and the working classes. This may also give some insight as to why the municipality was so keen to build new churches in the east, as the dangers of moral degradation were seen as most pressing in those areas. A similar church was built for Tøyen (Halfdan Berle, 1906-07) and in Pipervika (Harald Aars, 1911). Aars also planned a complex with church at the corner of Nordbygata and Lakkegata for the city anniversary in 1924, but nothing came of it. Both Vaterland and Pipervika have been demolished, but Tøyen is still standing. The small churches were also meant as response to the emergence of free and non-municipal churches. Evangelisk lutherske frikirke was built in 1885 by Carl Konopka, and still stands in Lakkegata 47. A catholic church was also built at the back of Urtegata 29 in 1896 by Ole Sverre, demolished in the 1960s.

Although churches such as Vaterland and Tøyen were built in brick and plaster, the new movement for the main municipal churches were for the facades to be dressed in stone. The late 1890s was in many ways the apex of German influence in Norwegian architecture but counter-trends emerged simultaneously dedicated to the creation of a more national style. People such as Hermann Schirmer pointed to the fact that Norwegian medieval churches were dressed in stone, and although influenced by English and Scottish traditions had a character of their own. The first church to be built according to the new principles was Vålerenga kirke in 1902. It is dressed in granite with details in soapstone, and has the tower placed asymmetrically. The architects were Heinrich Jürgensen og Holger Sinding-Larsen. The church was damaged by fire in 1979, and re-consecrated in 1984.

The 1890s was a massive growth spurt for the west, leading to the creation of two new congregations: Fagerborg and Frogner. 

Construction for Fagerborg kirke began in 1901 and was completed in 1903. The architect was Hagbarth Schytte-Berg, who triumphed in a competition among 54 proposals. The church is dressed in granite (details in polished granite), and though the style is clearly medieval, it is usually described as also incorporating elements of jugend. The church is located in Stensparken, at Norabakken. The name Stensparken comes from an estate called Steinn, later Sten. The municipality bought the plot in 1896 from what was then called Reisersens løkke. From 1825 to 1868, it had been used as a rubbish dump and sewage pit, and was probably municipal land during that period. Stensparken was part of Bymarken and was incorporated into the city in 1859. The park was developed from the 1890s to the 1940s.

The congregation was officially created in 1897. The borders to Uranienborg, Gamle and Vestre Aker were Bogstadveien, Hegdehaugsveien, Oscars gate, Pilestredet, Thereses gate and Kirkeveien.

At the same time, new churches were being built in Aker: Ullern and Grorud. Both were by the architect Harald Bødtker, who had become Akers kommunearkitekt. For Grorud, Bødtker collaborated with Halfdan Berle. The congregation for Grorud was only created in 1947. Much older churches already existed at Nordstrand (Jacob Nordan, 1886) and Sørkedalen (Christian Grosch, 1865).

A plot for the planned Frogner kirke was found in 1894, at Gimlehøyden, on a property known as Jørgenslyst or Gimlehøi. The congregation was created in 1898 and a proposal was chosen in 1902. In the 1890s, the church was probably planned as a free-standing structure. But by 1902, it was already decided that it would be built as part of a city block. This was probably a cost-saving measure, the municipality could get some cash by selling of the remainder of the land to developers, and it was possibly also a political gesture to show that modesty also reigned in the west, especially considering the difficult economic climate after 1899. This way, only the front would be dressed in stone, while the back, hidden behind other buildings, could be in plain brick. The competition in 1902 was won by Ivar Næss and the church was finally consecrated in 1907. As with Fagerborg, the facade is dressed in granite, with polished detailing. Næss' original plan was for the church to be pulled back from the street, so that the neighbouring buildings would create a forecourt in front of it. In 1915, when the respective plots were sold, the architects ignored this and pulled back the facades of those buildings too, creating a uniform line. The developers on the other side of the street had also pulled the buildings back from the street, so that Bygdøy allé is much wider in this section than elsewhere.

In 1916, a number of new congregations were created close to the city centre. Most of these do not seem to ever have had a church and were in the end dissolved, due to the dwindling populations in the central parts of the city. Wexel congregation was dissolved already in 1929, while Hauges and Matteus congregation were both dissolved in 1938. In the case of Markus, a church was built and consecrated in 1927. 

The architect behind Markus kirke was Sverre Knudsen, who choose a baroque style instead of the usual medieval. The style is apparently inspired by Swedish architecture, and has been described as nordic neo-baroque with elements of neo-classical. The facades are in plastered brick; stone dressing had going out of fashion ever since Tøyen Småkirke in 1907. The entrance portal is in granite though. Exposed brick had also made a comeback. Lovisenberg was built for Diakonissehuset in 1912 and Harald Aars also designed Vestre Frikirke in 1920. 

A plot was found on a property called Høiens Grunn, located in an area that was built up in the 1890s. The difficult topography had left a gap, but this also meant that the construction of the church would be slow and difficult (1923-27). Some of the bedrock is still there, and the church is accessed via a staircase from street level. 

The original borders of the new congregation were between Pilestredet, Dalsbergstien, Frydenlundgata, Ullevålsveien and Nordahl Bruns gate. A part of Gamle Aker has since been incorporated while a different part has been given to Trefoldighetskirken. 

Majorstuen Church was also built around this time, in 1926, but was only made a full congregational church in the 1960s.

For more information about historic Oslo, buy my book, Det Tapte Kristiania, here.

Soho Square

The square was developed in the late 17th century in the area known as Soho fields, in the parish of St Anne. The name Soho appears for the first time in about 1636 and appears to be derived from a hunting call, and the area had indeed been used as hunting grounds. It had in the previous century been known as St. Giles's Field, later Kemp's Field or Bunch's Close, and belonged in the middle ages to the custodian of the leper hospital of St. Giles in the Fields. It was seized by the crown during the dissolution and became part of the royal park of the palace of Whitehall.

The land was granted on lease to the earl of St. Albans in the 1660’s and was further leased to Joseph Girle, who obtained a licence to build. The lease was nonetheless passed on to Richard Frith who started the actual building, along with his associate William Pym, from 1677 onwards. The square was known as Frith’s square in the early 1680’s, but was soon renamed King’s Square after a statue by Caius Gabriel Cibber of King Charles II was placed at the centre of the square in 1681. The rate books suggest that 14 houses had been completed and were occupied by 1683. This number rose to 23 by 1685 and to 41 by 1691. With the exception of Monmouth House on the south side of the square, all the houses followed an identical brick design: three stories high, with segmental pediments over the doorcases, horizontal bandcourses between the floors and presumably flat gauge arches over the windows. The windows were sash but some of the houses had mullioned-transomed windows in the top storey. The fronts were capped with a modillioned eaves-cornice of wood and the sloping roof had pedimented dormers.

The land was granted as freehold in 1698 to the earl of Portland. However, the south side remained under the ownership of the crown and the last part of these properties was only sold in 1955. The Portland freehold was still subject to the lease agreement made to the earl of St. Albans, which only expired in 1734. The earls of Portland granted reversionary leases and a number of houses were rebuilt or improved after 1734. In 1790, the third duke began to sell the plots off as freeholds, and by 1805 only the garden square remained as Portland property.

Three of the original houses in the northwest side of the square were demolished in 1735 and new ones subsequently built by the carpenter John Sanger. Two of these houses still stand: 38 Soho Square, at the corner of Carlisle Street, and 2 Soho Square. The building between them, 1 Soho Square, was demolished and a new building erected in 1904-05. The new building was designed by E. Keynes Purchase. Sanger's houses are both heavily altered. The shop front of number 38 belongs to the mid-19th century and the facade of 2 Soho Square is hidden under a coat of plaster. 3 Soho Square was built in 1903 to an art nouveau design by Charles H. Worley. The previous building was built for Edward le Neve in 1735 after the demolition of the original house. Numbers 4-6 was erected as one single building in 1801-04 for John Trotter, who used the building as a warehouse and later as the premises for the famous Soho bazaar. Trotter's bazaar was the first commercial building in the square but did not look out of place next to the other residential houses. The shop front was altered in the late 19th century. The original houses on 4-5 Soho Square had been demolished and replaced with new houses in 1726.

The white building in the corner was built circa 1929, replacing a previous house from 1745-48. The previous house had a facade framed with a brick arch capped with a triangular pediment. The second storey windows were Venetian while the windows in the third storey were shaped as a lunette. The Venetian windows had balustraded aprons and ionic columns. The door case was flanked with doric columns and was capped with a triangular pediment. On both sides were flanking windows. The design is thought to be inspired by Robert Taylor. The house was used as residence for the Spanish ambassador and was later occupied by John Trotter. The original houses at 8-9 Soho Square were only demolished to make way for the new French Protestant church in 1891-93. The previous church for Huguenots was located in St. Martin's le Grand but was demolished in 1887 to make way for the extension of the General Post Office. The church was designed by Aston Webb, with a front in brick and terracotta.  The stone tympanum of the central doorway was inserted in 1950. 10 Soho Square was originally built as two separate houses, which were united in 1696. The ground floor has been entirely modernised, and the upper stories have also been changed. Most notable is the addition of painted storey-bands and the window sills have also been lowered. Nonetheless, the house is one of the square's few survivors from the original construction. The building at the corner of Soho Street is from the early 20th century and replaced the original house there. 

On the other side of Soho street, both 12-13 Soho Square were demolished and rebuilt in 1768-69 by Henry Homer. Both were given new street fronts in stucco sometime after 1857. 12 Soho Square still retains the look from the mid-19th century but the corner-building at number 12 has been demolished and replaced with a modern building. 14 Soho Square was probably rebuilt in 1796 but it's unlikely that the original building was entirely demolished. The front was remodelled in the early 20th century with a gabled top storey, but this has since been removed. 15 Soho Square is one of the few surviving houses in the square. The ground floor has since been stuccoed and the top storey is a later addition but the rest of the brick front may be mostly original. It is in yellow brick with red dressings, the windows have flat gauges arches and the floors are separated by moulded brick bands. The four plots 16-19 in the northeast corner have all been demolished and replaced with a new building, presumably sometime in the late 1960's. The previous building at 16 Soho Square was built in 1891 to a design by J. T. Wimperis and Arber. It was by built for Orme and Sons and included showrooms and workrooms with a billiard saloon in the basement. Orme and Sons manufactured billiard-tables. 17 Soho Square was possibly still the original house, though the front was quite altered: with a ground floor in rusticated stucco, wrought-iron balcony on the first floor and a parapet in front of the roof. The demolished house at 18 Soho Square on the east range seems to have been from the mid-19th century, while 19 Soho Square was rebuilt in 1883 by the architect Rowland Plumbe for Burroughs and Watts. It was a four storey red brick building.

The present 20 Soho Square was built in 1924-26 by Ernest M. Joseph for Crosse and Blackwell. The original house was larger than most in the square  and was probably started as two separate houses, subsequently united in the course of construction. Thos assumption is based on the irregular spacing of the windows. The house was seven bays wide and the roof had a balustrade. The house was rebuilt with a new design by Robert Adam on behalf of John Grant, who purchased the property in 1771. Adam rusticated the ground floor and added ionic pilasters to the first and second. He had originally intended corinthian pilasters and a doric porch was also omitted on grounds of economy. The first floor had iron balconies and the facade ws also topped with a frieze executed in the Adam manner and a tall balustrade. The site of 21 Soho Square was also one of two houses that had been united shortly after or during construction. It was briefly the Spanish embassy in the 1770's and was later used as a hotel, probably in reality a brothel. The house was altered or rebuilt for Crosse & Blackwell in 1838-40. The current shopfront is from 1927–28 and designed by M. W. Matts. 

The building on the south corner of Sutton Row is the St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church and was built in 1891 by architect John Kelly. The premises had been used as a catholic chapel dedicated to St. Patrick since 1792. The upper floor of Teresa Cornelys' assembly rooms in Sutton Row was removed to create the chapel. Cornelys had been famous for balls, masquerades and operatic performances but was arrested for failing to honour her debts in 1772. The original house on the square, Carlisle House, was demolished in 1794 and replaced with two new houses. The southern of these still stands and is used as the presbytery to the church.

The building adjoining the presbytery to the south was built in 1913–14 by the architects Taperell and Haase. The next building was erected in 1938–39 and was designed by Gordon Jeeves. It replaced three former houses. Both 23 and 24 Soho Square were rebuilt in 1734–5 by James Surman. Number 23 had a four-storey front with a bowed balcony on the first-floor middle window and a classical doorcase on the ground floor. Number 24 had a porch with doric columns and cast-iron balconies on the first floor, probably from the early nineteenth-century. The original 25 Soho Square was demolished in 1758 and a new house was built for William Robinson. This was the 'Little House' of the two adjoining houses Robinson had built. The'Great House' to the south still stands, though the rusticated ground floor has been altered quite substantially. The two fronts were almost identical with Venetian windows on the first floor. The front of 26 Soho Square is quite narrow but the site extends to the back of 1 Greek Street. The original house on the corner with Greek street was demolished in 1742 but the owner soon went bankrupt. The new house was subsequently built by bricklayer Joseph Pearce in 1744-46. It became the House of St. Barnabas-in-Soho in 1862, created for the relief of the destitute and homeless. A chapel was built and an inscription inserted into a bandcourse of glazed tiles. The inscription was once removed but has been re-introduced. The upper part of the walls also seems to have been partially rebuilt in yellow brick and the roof has been changed to a mansard. Otherwise, the house appears pretty much as Pearce built it.

The building at 27 Soho Square, Nascreno House, was built in 1937-38 by architects Douglas and Wood, but the current neo-look is probably from a later date It occupies the site of the former houses 27-28 Soho Square. The original 27 Soho Square was subdivided into two separate houses around 1790 and was shortly after rebuilt by Richard Pace. The site of number 28 originally belonged to Monmouth House and was only built after the demolition of Monmouth in 1773. A new passageway was laid out through the cleared site, which today is called Bateman's Buildings. 28 Soho Square had a standard brick front with flat arches of gauged brickwork over the windows, a plain bandcourse at first-floor level, and a frieze under the cornice. Both 28 and 29 Soho Square were completed in 1775 on opposite sides of the new passageway. The latter was demolished in 1867 and replaced with an extension for the neighbouring hospital for women. The hospital had occupied the adjoining house of 30 Soho Square since 1851. The original house had been partially rebuilt in 1730 and the two houses were given a common facade in stucco in 1909-10.

The house that originally dominated the south side of Soho Square was Monmouth House and this was also the only house from the beginning to deviate in style from the other houses in the square. It was incomplete when the duke of Monmouth was executed in 1685 and would only be finished by William Batesman in 1719. In the intervening years, Huguenots used it as a chapel and it was also considered as the site for a new church. The facade built for Batesman is usually attributed to Thomas Archer. The front had end bays with corinthian pilasters placed below the ends of a giant broken pediment. These were linked by balustrades to the much smaller central pediment. The porch had corinthian columns and a balustraded balcony. 

The south west corner of the square is dominated by 20th century buildings in a mock-Georgian style. 31-32 Soho Square was built in 1936-37 by architect Gordon Jeeves for Twentieth Century Fox. The previous buildings on the plot had both been rebuilt in the 1770s. 31 Soho Square was a large mansion with a brick front including a rusticated ground ground floor and a porch of ionic columns, both presumably added in the late 18th century. 32 Soho Square was rebuilt in 1773-1775 and may have been the work of Robert Taylor. The front had a Venetian window motif in the third floor. The entrance was flanked with columns and sash windows under an semi-elliptical arch. The windows above were separated by ionic colunms while the Venetian windows had composite. 33-34 Soho Square were both demolished in 1950 and replaced with Parkwood House, designed by Leslie Norton. The same architect built the adjoining building at 35 Soho Square in 1955-56 on very similar lines. 36 Soho Square still stands though it was refaced in the late 18th century. 37 Soho Square, at the corner with Carlisle Street, was rebuilt in 1766 and the shop front is from the 19th century.

West Smithfield & Charterhouse Square

WEST SMITHFIELD

Looking at old maps of London from the late middle ages to early modern age, there is only one open space that really catches the eye. West Smithfield was located just outside the city walls. The location was already used as a horse fair and the Kings Friday Market, when a grant was given to establish a priory and hospital in 1123. A royal charter allowed the priory to set up Bartholomew Fair, an annual three-day event. It was the biggest cloth fair in the country in its heyday, and only stopped in 1855 on grounds of debauchery. West Smithfield was also used as an execution ground and for tournaments. Smithfield was a site for duels and was favoured as a place of torture by theologians. Many people were burnt here: Henry VIII burnt Catholics, Mary burnt Protestants and Elizabeth burnt Anabaptists.

St Bartholomew the Great became one of the biggest churches in London, but was seized by the crown in 1539. The nave of the church was demolished and the cleared area was replaced with a churchyard. The demolished space was subdivided into tenements and developed in the early 17th century. Most of the timber-framed houses were demolished in the early 20th century on grounds of public health. The gatehouse built on top of the old church entrance, on the other hand, was stripped of plaster and the timber frames were revealed and restored.

St Bartholomew the great became one of the biggest churches in London, but was seized by the crown in 1539. The nave of the church was demolished and the cleared area was replaced with a churchyard. The demolished space was subdivided into tenements and developed in the early 17th century. Most of the timber-framed houses were demolished in the early 20th century on grounds of public health. The gatehouse built on top of the old church entrance, on the other hand, was stripped of plaster and the timber frames were revealed and restored.

Giltspur Street was formerly known as Knightsriders Streets from the knights riding to the tournaments in West Smithfield. At the back can be seen the dome of Old Bailey (The Central Criminal Court).

 A formal charter was granted in the 14th for a weekly market. At the same time, the worshipful company of butchers was founded and slaughtering within the city walls was banned. Smithfield consequently developed a market for meat and livestock.

A new market building was designed by Horace Jones and construction began in 1866. It was completed two years later, extended in 1873-76 and further annexes were completed in 1888 and 1899. The four statues represent London, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Dublin. 

Weddel House (left) was increased in height from six to nine storeys just before the Second World War. The other buildings in this view are all Victorian. Number 12 is decorated with an iron shop front with capitals advertising an old pub. Number 11 has giant stone pilasters and spandrels of red brick. Numbers 9-10 is from 1890 and has a flying arch gable linking two dormer windows.

The corner building, number 8, has Gothic-Moorish detailing in windows and roofline.

CHARTERHOUSE SQUARE

Charterhouse Square was originally the outer precinct of the Charterhouse, a Carthusian priory founded in 1371. The Charterhouse became a private mansion in 1538 after the dissolution of monasteries, and was converted to a hospital in 1611. The former outer precinct remained open ground, and was  used as a churchyard. It is usually marked in old maps from before the 18th century as Charterhouse precinct, Charterhouse Yard, Charterhouse Close or Charterhouse Churchyard. 

The ownership of the land stayed with the freeholder of the Charterhouse, but the buildings surrounding the yard became fragmented after the dissolution. The area was initially an aristocratic area but was completely redeveloped from 1688 to 1705, and became steadily middle class. The new residents took the initiative to improve the open space, with crossing walks and trees. This was done in 1715 and 1742 and gave the space the look of a typical London West End square.

17 Charterhouse Square was partly built on top of a medieval gateway. It was built in 1716 for the physician to the Charterhouse, Henry Levett and the cost of building was paid by the Charterhouse governors. The front is in brick with red-brick dressings. The doorcase is of timber and is decorated with corinthian pilasters and a segmental pediment. To the left stood two similar houses but these were demolished before the end of the century. The succeeding houses have also been demolished and the building which stands here today was only completed in 1902, as Charterhouse Hotel.

The Charterhouse was converted into a private mansion in 1545 by Edward North. The great hall and chamber were built during this time. The complex was later altered and expanded when it became an almshouse and school after 1611.  

Most of the houses on the north side of the square were developed in 1810-25; but two of them actually go back to the late 17th century, despite heavy alterations. Prior to this period, there was a large mansion in this corner of the square known as Rutland House. 

The road dividing these houses from the larger building at the back is called Rutland Place and was created in the 1820s. The building was built after the war, despite its mock-Georgian appearance. It was designed by H. C. Wilkerson & Partners in 1957-59. The previous two houses were Georgian in appearance but included some last remaining Tudor elements, such as a fireplace.

Florin Court was built in 1935-37 as a residential development in the art deco style. The architects were Guy Morgan and Partners. The building has a roof garden and swimming pool in the basement.

BARTHOLOMEW CLOSE

Bartholomew Close was called Middlesex Court in the 18th century and Little  Bartholomew Close in the 19th century. The close is dominated by 43 Bartholomew Close, originally built as a warehouse for Israel & Oppenheimer  to a design by Walter Pamphilon. The prior's house was built on this site in 1517 and was later owned by the earl of Middlesex. It was destroyed in a fire in 1830 and replaced with a row of cottages, known as Cockerill's Buildings. These and a few other adjoining buildings were demolished in 1912. On the north side of the Close stood the parochial schools, built in 1888 to the design by Aston Webb.  Also visible from the close is the Lady Chapel of Bartholomew the Great.  The church appearance is a result of a number of alterations, with walls of mediaeval ragstone rubble, freestone dressings, a brick tower from 1628 and 19th century flint.