Routledge Revivals
2 total works
First published in 2017, Rome: The Shaping of Three Capitals explores the impact of political history on the built environment of the Eternal City.
The book divides Rome’s history into three main periods: the rulership of the early kings from the 8th to the 6th centuries BC; the period of Etruscan culture and architecture up to the end of the Roman Empire in 5th century AD; and, the 6th century to 1870, when Rome stood as the ecclesiastical capital of the Catholic Church and the temporal state of the Papal States. The final section of the book examines the Risorgimento, the unification of Italy, and the development of the fascist state; a time when Rome became the capital of Italy and endeavoured to establish a new empire.
Exploring political instability and change, Balchin demonstrates the strong connection between politics and the physical shaping of the city through an examination of the successive styles of architecture, from Classical to Modernist.
Originally published in 2014, The Shaping of London chronologically examines the likely impact of wars, dynastic struggles, demographic change and economic growth on the physical fabric of London. The book traces the evolution of architectural style in London within the context of politics and economics, it looks at architecture over broad periods from Romanesque to Jacobean, and from Palladian to Victorian. Looking at the changes of London from 1066 to 1870, Balchin argues that London was created through a mixture of kings, merchants, governors and industrialists, which has lent itself to the creation of notable buildings, and public places in London and in turn their spatial dispersal has helped to determine the shape and areal extent of the metropolis.