Mouldings of the Georgian and Wren Period

Renowned British architect Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723) firmly established the English Baroque architectural style in England. With his predecessor, Inigo Jones, Wren laid the groundwork for the neo-classicism of the Georgian period (1714–1837) that followed. While architecture of the English Baroque style shows a lightness, freedom, and delicacy compared to the Tudor style that preceded it, Georgian period architecture became more solidly and boldly neo-classical.

Christopher Wren and English Baroque Architecture

Wren lived through a turbulent period in English history, spanning the reign (and downfall) of Charles I, the English Commonwealth under Oliver and Richard Cromwell, the Restoration under Charles II, the Great Plague of 1665, and the Great Fire of London in 1666. The rebuilding that followed helped define his architectural legacy and the direction of English design for generations.

Wren is credited with popularizing the bolection moulding, a transitional moulding functioning to retain a panel with its frame. More broadly, his disciplined use of classical detail and moulded profiles established a language of architectural refinement that carried directly into Georgian interior and exterior millwork.

Georgian Architecture and Classical Order

The Georgian period that followed saw the expansion of the British Empire, the American and French Revolutions, and the continued development of neoclassicism in English architecture and that of its colonies. English Palladianism grew from the seeds planted by Inigo Jones and Christopher Wren, and it blossomed with the support of Lord Burlington.

Georgian mouldings reflect this ordered classical approach, favoring proportion, hierarchy, and confident architectural profiles. In millwork, this translates to confident cornices, ordered entablatures, and well-composed trim packages where mouldings support structure and proportion rather than overwhelm it. Lavish and elegant, the architecture of the Georgian era owes part of its sophistication to Wren’s influence.