We have just returned from a marvellous trip accompanying Abraham Thomas’s lecture tour, The Grand(er) Tour: Architectural Imagination Beyond the Classical World, with the Royal Oak Foundation. It was wonderful to meet old friends and new in New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Boston and Chicago. Each city was very welcoming and we were spoiled with the weather – and look forward to coming back soon!
A huge thanks to the ladies of the Royal Oak Foundation for organizing an incredible tour and to Abraham for his fascinating lectures on the influence on architecture from places outside the Greco-Roman sites and sights of the traditional Grand Tour. For centuries, architects have used travels to fuel their cultural and artistic education but starting in the 19th century architects often travelled further afield, venturing to regions such as Southern Spain, the Middle East, Japan, China and India, seeking inspirational sources from Ancient Egypt or the Islamic world. Abraham spoke fluently of architecture by the likes of Owen Jones, Edwin Lutyens, Charles Voysey, William Burges and Louis Khan and the influence that their Grand(er) Tours had on their oeuvre.
Please see below for a few highlights from this wonderful trip…
