The English House

The English House is a book of design and architectural history written by Hermann Muthesius and published in 1904. Its three volumes provide a record of the revival of English domestic architecture during the later part of the nineteenth century. The main themes he discusses are history, form and decor.

A single-volume edited English language translation was published in 1979. The first full English translation was not for over a century, in 2007.

In Part I, Muthesius discusses the individuals involved in the parallel development of architecture and the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Muthesius argues that the Pre-Raphaelite’s study of nature instigated the fall of the then dominant Academic art. Critic John Ruskin introduced the synthesis of artistic creation, nature and construction, which became a guiding principle of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

William Morris translated Ruskin’s ideas into practical craftsmanship. Morris established communal craft workshops and the formation of the Century Guild increased awareness of this movement. Growing support enabled the establishment of the Art Worker’s Guild in 1884 which was the first visible sign of the 'new art'. The movement grew stronger as the number of artistic craftsmen who were graduates of the South Kensington Schools increased.

Domestic architecture of the late nineteenth century was a mix of classicism, renaissance and gothic styles and therefore needed redefinition. This meant abandoning ideas of fine architecture and designing with the focus on practical considerations.

Muthesius describes Norman Shaw as an architect whose style was constantly evolving and thus occasionally resulted in several styles influencing one design. He offers Leyes Woods as an example of Shaw’s gothic and classical influence and Lowther Lodge as an example of baroque influence in his domestic designs. Through Bradford Park (sic) Shaw resolved the issues facing the small house in the late nineteenth century by combining the principles of aestheticism and practicality.

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