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PREFACE.

for nearly half a century the principal guide tothe Architectural Student; and Mr. Rickman’s‘ Attempt to discriminate the Styles of Architec­ ture in England,’ is still the Text-book fromwhich the greater part of the popular works ofthe present: day have been compiled.

“ In referring, however, to these attempts tosupersede Mr. Rickman’s system, it is proper toremark that one observation applies to the wholeof them;—although they propose to change theNomenclature of his different styles, or to sub-divide them, his main division of English Archi­ tecture into four great Periods or Styles, is adoptedby all, and still remains undisturbed. No point,therefore, has been hitherto proposed to he gainedby these alterations, beyond a change of name;and this may be taken as a sufficient reason whynone of these attempts have been successful: menare not willing to unlearn a term with which theyare familiar, however inappropriate, in order tolearn another, which, after all, means the samething.

“ Although, however, Mr. Rickman’s simpledivision of Church Architecture into four Periods,or Styles, may perhaps have been the one bestsuited to his time, and to the elementary stateof the knowledge of the subject possessed by thebest informed Archaeologists of his day, it maywith propriety be questioned how far such a divisionis suited to the exigences of writers of the presentday, or to the present advanced state of know-ledge on the subject.