Christopher Wren helped reintroduce classical influence to England after which event?

Christopher Wren helped reintroduce classical influence to England after which event?

• A. The Fire of London, 1666
• B. The Great Plague of London, 1665
• C. The Restoration of 1660
• D. The Battle of Hastings

Answer: (C)

The Restoration in 1660 set the stage for renewing English architecture in a classical idiom. With the monarchy restored, royal patronage returned and a more cosmopolitan cultural climate reopened doors to Continental styles. Christopher Wren rose to prominence under this revived patronage, embracing a classical vocabulary in his designs. The Great Fire a few years later then provided the dramatic opportunity to rebuild London in that idiom on a grand scale, but the environmental shift that allowed this reintroduction was the Restoration itself.

The Restoration in 1660 set the stage for renewing English architecture in a classical idiom. With the monarchy restored, royal patronage returned and a more cosmopolitan cultural climate reopened doors to Continental styles. Christopher Wren rose to prominence under this revived patronage, embracing a classical vocabulary in his designs. The Great Fire a few years later then provided the dramatic opportunity to rebuild London in that idiom on a grand scale, but the environmental shift that allowed this reintroduction was the Restoration itself.