Abstract:
The British vernacular has been transplanted to many countries, particularly during the height of the British Empire's expansion in the 19th century. For British settlers who emigrated to new British colonies, the change in geographic location required them to adapt and adjust the structure and forms of their houses in order to suit their new environments. Indigenous architecture offered sources of inspiration and solutions for the modification of the British house, such as ways to combat the different climate and how local materials, which were more cost-effective, could be ultilised. Although British settlers were able to remodel the British house to suit their new needs in the colonies, a question remains, why did they see a need introduce and continue! to implement the architectural forms of the British vernacular in these new frontiers. An examination of the influence of British culture on the English society, dictating social behaviours, tastes and rituals in all aspects of daily life, reveals the reasons behind the continuation of architectural tradition familiar to the British settlers, even while they were so far away from home. My thesis explores these themes and ideas through a cross-cultural comparison study of transplanted British vernacular in colonial Singapore and New Zealand during the 19th!century, focusing on two case studies, Burkill Hall and Cotter House.
