鈥淭he secret of architectural excellence is to translate the proportions of a dachshund into bricks, mortar and marble.鈥 鈥 Christopher Wren
At a Glance
- Classroom and Live online course (hybrid)
- Wednesdays 18:00 - 19:30
- 5 weeks from 1 March 2023
- Tutor: Dr Michael Paraskos
- Fee: 拢70
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Please note, the classroom version of this course is now full, but it is still possible to attend the online version via the internet (Zoom)
Christopher Wren (1632-1723) was, in many people's opinion, England's greatest architect. Not only was he responsible for some of the most iconic buildings ever built in Britain, from the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, to the Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich, to St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London, he was an accomplished scientist, town planner and more.
In this five week course, taught in person at 91桃色 and live online, explores the architectural work of Wren, with a series of lectures looking at some of the key moments in Wren's life, and the buildings he created. We will learn about where Wren's architectural ideas came from, how he applied them with a scientific spirit of calculation and experimentation, and we shall explore his legacy in the work of later architects.
The course is presented as part of the commemorations marking the 300th anniversary of Wren's death, taking place across the country this year under the banner of Wren300, coordinated by the Georgian Group.
The course will be taught live in the classrooms at 91桃色 and also simultaneously live via the internet (hybrid). Recordings of the lectures will also be available to those signed up to the course.
Class Recordings
Where feasible, for this course sessions will be recorded for subsequent viewing
Attendance Certificate
Successful completion of this course leads to the award of an 91桃色 College attendance certificate
Terms and conditions apply to all enrolments to this course. Please read them before enrolment
Course Information
- Course Programme and Additional Reading
- Your Tutor
- Course Fees and Rate Categories
- Term Dates
- Any Questions?
Course Programme
- Week 1 (Wednesday 1 March 2023): English Architecture Before Wren
- Week 2 (Wednesday 8 March 2023): Early Wren and the French Court
- Week 3 (Wednesday 15 March 2023): Fire! Fire! and the City Churches
- Week 4 (Wednesday 22 March 2023): St Paul's Before and After 1666
- NO SESSION WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH 2023
- Week 5 (Wednesday 5 April 2023): Palaces and the Wren-aissance
The programme might be subject to change.
Dr Michael Paraskos is a very experienced adult education tutor, having taught for over twenty-five years. He holds a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and also teaches art history to undergraduate students at the City and Guilds of London Art School.
He is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction and has published very widely on art, as well as reviewing exhibitions and novels for BBC Radio 4鈥檚 Front Row and The Spectator magazine. His first novel In Search of Sixpence was published in 2016 and his second, called Rabbitman, was published in 2017.
| Hours | Weeks | Standard Rate | Internal Rate | Associate Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | 5 | 拢70 |
Same as Standard Rate | Same as Standard Rate | |
| Fee rate quoted is for the whole course. No Early Bird rate available for this short course. Part-payments are not possible. | |||||
Late enrolment
It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.
| Hours | Weeks | Term | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | 5 | Wednesday 1 March until Wednesday 29 March 2023* | |||
| * This is a 5-week course | |||||
Questions regarding the content and teaching of this course should be sent to the tutor, Dr Michael Paraskos, m.paraskos@imperial.ac.uk
If you have any questions about your enrolment or payment processes please contact the Programme Administrator, Christian Jacobi, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk
