The Georgian style is a type of architecture prevalent in England during the reigns of the first four Georges of the House of Hanover from 1715-1820. This style represents the last flowering of the Renaissance in England and is in effect the Anglicization of the models of the Italian Renaissance introduced by Inigo Jones, reaching its greatest freedom of treatment in the works of Sir Christopher Wren. Its chief characteristic is the suppression of emphasis on the structural elements of the Gothic and the renewal of emphasis on decorative detail. The Georgian style adopted the classical orders, but the canons of proportion were modified, as shown in
Chambers' Treatise on the Decorative Part of Civil Architecture. Many public buildings in London were built in this style: the Treasuty Buildings., the Old Admiralty, Somerset House, the Bank of England. Among the churches are St. Martin's-in-the-Fields and St. Mary-le-Strand. The use of brick had been introduced as part of the Dutch influence under William of Orange, the English having added the use of white stone and white wood-work for decorative detail. The inspiration of this style was reflected in the American colonies by the so-called Colonial style, regarded by many as the highest development of the Georgian.
