Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings and structures, combining practical function, construction and aesthetic expression. Throughout history, architectural styles have shaped not only buildings but also furniture, metalwork, ceramics and the decorative arts, as designers borrowed columns, pediments, arches, mouldings and ornament from the buildings of their time.
British architecture has passed through a series of distinctive styles, including Gothic, Tudor, Jacobean, Baroque, Palladian, Georgian, Regency, Victorian Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts. Many architects also designed interiors and furniture, among them William Kent, Robert Adam and Augustus Pugin, creating unified schemes in which rooms and contents shared a common language. For collectors, an understanding of architecture helps in recognising the period and influences behind an object. Architectural antiques, such as fireplaces, doors, panelling, columns, ironwork and garden ornament, preserve fragments of historic buildings and are prized for bringing authentic character to both period and contemporary homes.
