Battle of the Styles

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The Battle of the Styles is a term used to refer to the conflict between supporters of the Gothic style and the Classical style in architecture. In Britain this led to public debates between Decimus Burton and Augustus Pugin. In France it led to controversy over the work of Viollet-le-Duc. The "battle" arose from the Gothic revival of the late 18th Century, when the supremacy of Classicism as the embodiment of taste was challenged.

Later in the century the revival of vernacular architecture led to an increasing palette of styles from which architects could choose, including Queen Anne style and "Tudorbethan" models. Numerous stylistic options led to a debate about prefabricated stylistic options in architecture, which eventually mutated into the Arts and Crafts style and then into Modernism.