Hindoo style

Hindoo, an archaic spelling of Hindu, is a term used in architectural history to refer to Western imitations of Indian architecture in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The use of archaic spelling parallels the term "gothick" used to refer to imitations of medieval architecture at the same period.

One of the earliest examples of Hindoo style can be seen in the façade of Guildhall, London (1788-1789) and the style gained momentum in the west with the publication of the various views of India by William Hodges and the Daniell duo, (William Daniell and his uncle Thomas Daniell) from about 1795. One of the finest examples of Hindoo architecture is Sezincote House (c. 1805) in Gloucestershire. [Roehr, Susan N., "Sezincote: The 'Hindoo' Aesthetic in British Architecture, 1795-1820.", M.A. Dissertation, University of Oregon, 1994.] Other notable buildings using the Hindoo style of Orientalism are Casa Loma in Toronto, Sanssouci in Potsdam, and Wilhelma in Stuttgart. [ [http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?entry=t1.e2267&srn=4&ssid=934398476#FIRSTHIT "Hindoo" A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. James Stevens Curl. Oxford University Press 2006. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Northumbria University. 15 November 2006 ] ]

The term "Hindoo" in this context simply means "Indian". Many of these buildings use typically Islamic rather than Hindu architectural forms.

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