We all love a bit of property porn, don’t we? Staring at pictures of houses we couldn’t afford in a million years, or that belong to a totally different time or place. Luckily for architecture addicts like me, Instagram is a great portal to get an insight into these types of places. And historical architecture is particularly special as it invokes a certain type of feeling. Be it a Palladian mansion or a Victorian Gothic Revival Church, historic buildings are living symbols which give us as people an identity, collective memory and, perhaps most importantly, a history. Here’s a round up of the best accounts to follow on Instagram for historical architecture.
(N.B. All the pictures in this post are taken from the respective Instagram accounts, and all copyright etc belongs to the account owners unless otherwise stated)
Nicholas Keeble (@Nicholas.keeble)
Nicholas is an historic building and planning consultant from Herefordshire. I’m presuming he manages to take photos of all the beautiful buildings that feature on his Instagram account during travels with work. I love this account for two main reasons. One – the quality of photography is just as good as the chosen subjects. And two – its not all about big fancy buildings, there’s a lot of wonderful Welsh vernacular buildings featured too.
Colin Gray (@colin_awg)
Colin describes himself as a ‘Purveyor of old buildings, beard enthusiast, accomplished cook, interior designer, stylist, dealer of period furniture & textiles’. His passion for all these things come across in his Instagram account. There’s also lots of travels to the picturesque Cotswolds, complete with a ton of ‘the loveliest building material in England’ – the famous Hamstone. Oh, and be prepared to fall in love with Colin’s oh-so-cute dog Hetty!
Rupert Dixon (@Rupert.dixon)
This is THE account to follow if you love stately homes and the suchlike. Rupert is a London based artist whose work is inspired by the architecture of grand buildings. The mix of interior and exterior shots is just right, and (in my opinion) its one of the most aesthetically pleasing historical architecture accounts out there! I mean, just look at this picture of The Queen’s Staircase at Hampton Court Palace, with its breath-taking ceiling by William Kent.
Camilla Beresford (@camillaberesford)
One of the very few ladies in this field that I could locate on Instagram, Camilla is a landscape historian based in London. Camilla is naturally interested in the houses and buildings that sit in the landscapes she thoroughly researches, and its great to find an account that displays the often fundamental relationship between houses and their estates or gardens. A beautiful account to follow.
The Irish Aesthete (@the.irish.aesthete)
The Irish Aesthete is run by Robert O’Byrne, a writer and lecturer specialising in the fine and decorative arts and former vice-president of the Irish Georgian Society, an organisation established to promote the protection of Ireland’s architectural heritage and decorative arts. I don’t know much about Ireland or Irish history, but this account provides a great insight into its historical architecture. A great blog site accompanies the Instagram account.
Buildings with Pheobe (@buildings.with.pheobe)
Pheobe is a buildings fanatic studying an MSc in Architectural Conservation at the University of Edinburgh. I visited Edinburgh last winter and fell in love with it, so the fact this account features so much of the city’s beautiful architecture, both from the Old and New Towns, really appeals to me. Pheobe’s only been running her Instagram account since the start of the year, but its already one that I look forward to seeing.
Architectural Photos (@myarchitecturephotos)
This Instagram account run by a mysterious anonymous person does exactly what it says on the tin – its an account devoted to photos of architectural features. What I love about this account is the sheer variety of features it shows, demonstrating that architecture really is everywhere. There’s photos of ceilings, staircases, churches, shop fronts, doors, courtyards, streetscapes, houses, columns, windows, stained glass – the list is endless!
Now this account features a whole other level of architectural gorgeousness – it only features the most sumptuous, ornate and luxurious interiors and exteriors from all over the world. If this account was a beverage, it would be the most expensive champagne in the finest crystal glass. The only problem with this account is that it makes me dream of a lifestyle I could never afford in a hundred million years!
Gary Lawrance Architect (@mansionsofthegildedage)
Gary Lawrance is an architect from New York, and a bit of an expert of Gilded Age Mansions tbh. I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for these massive, American nouveau riche mansions that sprouted up in the late 19th Century in places like Newport and The Hamptons on the East Coast of America. Basically, I think I’ve watched The Great Gatsby too many times.
Architectural Heritage and Ruins (@forgottenheritage)
Forgotten Heritage is the Instagram account of multi-award winning historic and architectural photographer Matt Emmett. Unlike the other accounts featured here, Matt’s work focuses entirely on deserted historic sites and their often haunting beauty. This isn’t one of those usual urban explorer accounts – this is so much more. If you like Matt’s work, don’t forget to check out his website and book as well.
Architectural Historian (@architectural_historian)
The fab account Architectural Historian is run by architectural enthusiast Matthew Wood (his personal account is well worth a follow too). This account is the best one to follow if you like the detail and history behind the images. Matthew also makes great use of the Instagram stories feature to take his follows on a sort of ‘mini-tour’ of the places he visits. Definitely a must-follow.
I hope I’ve introduced you to some great new people to follow, but If there’s some fab Instagram accounts for historical architecture that I’ve missed out, let me know in the comments below.