Soffits versus Crockets
A war was waged in brick and lime,
Throughout Victorian abodes –
A battle fought in seminars
Of finials and glazing-bars.
It seemed so vital at the time –
For who defined the building codes
Controlled the future, wrote the book,
On how our homes and cities look.
The round opposed the pointed arch,
The column pushed against the pier,
As Classical and Gothic taste
Were drafted, pressed, and laid to waste.
With footslog critics on the march
To make their case and boo or cheer –
With so much breath and ink well-spent,
As up and up the buildings went.
But in the end, the Romans won –
The Gothic stalled, and fell from grace
Despite its use in school and hall,
It still felt churchy, overall.
Beneath Edwardians, its run
Was looking tired and losing pace –
Which was a shame, because its fuss
Was far more fun than serious.
As the following century
Dragged on, it ditched the Grecian-born –
As Classical found it was too
Of little use for shiny-new.
So buildings lost all sensory adornments,
All their locks were shorn –
And so the Battle of the Styles
Saw losses shared across the aisles.
Rhyming Couplets 