Some examples of external colouration on English brick buildings, c. 1500–1650

The application of coloured limewashes as external surface finishes on many historic English buildings largely determined the original appearance and intended effect of their architecture. As the final stage in the process of construction, limewashes were more than the thin cosmetics which created the skin‑deep beauty of the building; they could articulate and emphasize chosen architectural elements, or conversely suppress the busy individual units of mural maonry in favour of revealing the entire building in a monolithic homogeneity of colour and texture. This paper examines some English brick buildings of c. 1500‑1650 with which the author is familiar, and asks of the surviving evidence to what extent, how and why colour was applied.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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