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i/AW6-6Ml/eV£ i, A HISTORY OF W \Me\wibig4A INDOWS It/ik/POuJ which established standards of house construction. These 'Rate Houses' were distinguished by size and by structure and laid the blueprint for expansion. Another important piece of legislation was the Window Tax, first introduced in 1697 and levied at intervals until its repeal in 1851. Since the larger the house, the more windows its structure could support, the number of windows in a property was considered an effective scale by which to measure the status and wealth of a household. The tax capitalized on the popularity of the sash window and fell most heavily on the middle classes. Bricked up or blind windows, which can still be seen today, were an attempt to lighten the burden of the tax. By the end of the eighteenth century, tall narrow sash windows had become almost universal. Elegant and of considerable size, they flooded the interior with light. Light, is important in mediaeval churches as a symbol of divine spirit, was now associated with' the calm rationality of the age of enlightenment. Glass was now fully transparent and windows often incorporated window seats where people could sit to enjoy the view. The landscape was changing too; informal 'Picturesque' gardens and parks created romantic vistas which contrasted with the severe, symmetrical and disciplined lines of the architecture. Nineteenth-century Revivals At the turn of the nineteenth century, the momentum of classicism had dissipated into a general fascination with 'antiquarian' styles and exotica. Travel became easier and styles were often adopted after a Grand Tour. In addition to the Greek revival which formed the basis for the severe Empire style throughout Europe, ideas for shapes were borrowed from gothic architecture, from Ancient Egypt and even from China and India. Window styles reflected this wealth of influence. The neo-gothic style prompted a revival of the art of stained glass and coloured glass panels remained popular throughout the century. Living rooms were often now sited on the ground floor, stressing the connection with the outside world, and the English adopted French windows - pairs of glazed doors which opened out onto a balcony or garden. But even such a diversity of influences pales alongside the stylistic vicissitudes of the Victorian era. Architects liked to show off as varied a set of references and sources as it was possible to find. Window shapes expressed every conceivable fashion; particularly popular were rounded, arched Italian windows, pointed neogothic types, stained glass and the angled bay, usually located at ground level or extending through two storeys. The burgeoning industrial economy increased the demand for glass; improvements in technology meant that it could be made more cheaply. In the 1840s the excise tax on glass was repealed and in 1851 the Window Tax was abolished. Despite the resulting availability of glass, the Victorians had an ambivalent attitude to light. It was seen as a prerequisite for healthy working conditions, yet was all but excluded from domestic interiors. The Pre-Raphaelite artists of the late ninteenth century had a passion for mediaeval decoration, and in particular for stained glass, which lent an ecclesiastic flavour to their highly moral work. Harmony by Frank Dicksee (1853â€"1929) shows a romanticized interpretation of a domestic interior, its dramatic stained glass window partly shaded by a carmine red half curtain. 15 u) A cG h e, r 6 \ CZâ€"CV b cAK. L cowrcv ewj VJ t net * js fix#