On a Grander Scale: The Outstanding Life and Tumultuous Times of Sir Christopher Wren

by Lisa Jardine

Everything Sir Christopher Wren undertook, he envisaged on a grander scale -- bigger, better, more enduring than anything that had gone before. A versatile genius who could have pursued a number of brilliant careers with equal virtuosity, he was a mathematical prodigy, an accomplished astronomer, a skillful anatomist, and a founder of the Royal Society. Eventually, he made a career in what he described disparagingly in later life as "Rubbish" -- the architecture, design, and construction of public buildings. Through the prism of Wren's tumultuous life and brilliant intellect, historian Lisa Jardine unfolds the vibrant, extraordinary emerging new world of late-seventeenth-century science and ideas.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Architecture, Art, British Literature, Science

624 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2002

About the author

Lisa Anne Bronowski (Jardine) was a British historian of the early modern period. From 1990 to 2011 she was Centenary Professor of Renaissance Studies and Director of the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters at Queen Mary, University of London. Since 2008 she was Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)] She was a Member of Council of the Royal Institution, but resigned from that post in September 2009. On 1 September 2012, She relocated with her research centre and its staff to University College London (UCL) to become the first director of its Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in the Humanities.

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep my harcopy edition as a research tool for my own 17th Century writing. It gives a wonderful sense of the era and as I love reading history books anyway, its dryness doesn't spoil my enjoyment.
It has some hidden jewels too, I mean how many people know the Monument to London's great fire was construcetd mathematically as an observatory to look at the stars?

An amazing story about an amazing man.

[Brian Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had long been wishing to read more about Christopher Wren and bought this book at St. Paul's Cathedral in July 2022. It's a grand book, though not the easiest read.

Wren did far more than architecture; he was a pioneer of astronomy and meteorology. His physics and astronomy discoveries dovetailed at the end of his career with Newton, who took them to their logical end. Wren was a pioneer of early bromatology and designed the Great Monument to the Fire of 1666 as a telescope and an experimental lab.

Clearly, Wren is most recognized for his achievements in architecture, specifically with St. Paul's Cathedral. That is covered here, though Jardine expects her readers to be well versed in architectural jargon.

All in all, it felt a bit too clinical for me to give it the full five stars. But if you want to know how Wren built a career in the shadows of a Civil War and catastrophic fire damage, this is currently the best book out there. It's not even a biography per se as much as a career biography, and I learned quite a bit. Appreciators of St. Paul's will love it, as well as those who love London architecture.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Wren was born in 1632 and died in 1723. He was born when Charles I was king, and died during the reign of George I.

'Visitor, if you require a tomb, look down. If you require a monument, look around you.' This was the tombstone inscription proposed by Sir Christopher's son, and it would have indeed distinguished more carefully the man from his work.

Sir Christopher Wren was one of an immensely talented group of Restoration scientists and architects who flourished in the late 17th century. His architectural achievements include St Paul's Cathedral and many of the significant buildings built (or rebuilt) in London after the Great Fire in 1666. Much of his scientific work was done in collaboration with Robert Hooke and while it is perhaps less visible to non-scientists it is highly significant.

This is not a book so much about Sir Christopher himself as it is about the span and influence of his public life. Those with an interest in Restoration science will recognise Boyle, Newton, Hooke, Flamsteed and Halley amongst others. Those with an interest in the Stuart dynasty will recognise some of the dynastic failings which impacted on the execution of some of Sir Christopher's architectural designs.

This is an ambitious book and one which could have benefitted from more careful editing. The first name of the first Earl of Clarendon (Edward rather than Henry) is likely to be known by most interested in this period and is a relatively minor issue but it jars.

I would recommend this book to those with an interest in 17th century science and architecture in its own political setting. Ms Jardine provides extensive notes and a comprehensive bigraphy for those who want to read either more widely or in more detail.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really IS a book both about Mr. Wren and his times - a lot of time and effort goes into explaining the world he was living in to explain the man himself.

The focus of the book is very clearly Mr. Wren's public efforts, if you want anything even slightly gossip-y you will have to look elsewhere (for example, his two marriages is handled on some two pages (of 500)). It is a rather dry book, but if you are interested in early modern science history and/or architecture it's a gem. An extra bonus is that many contemporary sources are quoted fully, it's not just a half sentence here and there, it's pages of original text (with original spelling) which is quite a treat for any history buff who can't access the original texts.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a amazing what one man can do after living on the run in political exile and with no formal education to become a genius not only in his time, but for many years to come.

Jardine does an exceptional job explaining his time and peers.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5? Do you want to hear a lot about the Order of the Garter & even more about King Charles I? The intro of this book is for you. While focused somewhat on Wren, it jumps around constantly to give one (too much) context (e.g. long texts of letters) & background on all the supporting characters and big historical events that occurred while he lived, trying to tie it all together with Charles I, political upheavals, and all of that. I understand why- his life scope is immense - hence the grander scale of the title. But the constant digressions and rabbit trails made this very hard for me to get into & finish. Many bits feel repetitive - I think it would have benefited from a Dramatis Personae section instead of repeatedly referencing people & what they did, and maybe cut down on the letters (or referenced snippets but collected the full texts into an appendix). Awed by the amount of research that clearly went into writing it- but better editing/organizing would have made this more manageable & enjoyable. That being said - it’s definitely informative, and parts of it are interesting! Does make me want to go see churches! And certainly learned a lot about the world of Sir Christopher Wren, as promised. “Architecture aims at Eternity.”

[Oren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but I wouldn’t recommend reading it right after reading Jardine’s The Curious Life of Robert Hooke. They’re almost identical books. Same story. Tragedy when Charles I is beheaded. Royalist Families lose their wealth and were extorted by Parliament as a form of penitence for them. Hooke and Wren were both deeply affected. But ended during these dark times, virtuosi like Hooke (who was also close with Robert Boyle), Wren, and others left for their countryside homes and tried to lay low and avoid attracting attention, occupying their time with doing many experiments.

Then the Restoration occurs and the royalists that supported Charles were made very wealthy. Some were enobled. The charter for the Royal Society is granted and they get down to businesses with their scientific research.

The books seem identical bc Wren and Hooke were themselves so similar.

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstandingly researched book. The painstaking and deep research of Lisa, the author, makes the book a unique and possibly the most accurate account of Sir Christopher Wren. It perfectly covers his life, attempts to shed a light into his internal thoughts, and what drove him to be such an outstanding man. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in Sir Christopher Wren.

But if learning about him does not interest you, the read is not for the faint of heart. It is dry, tends to jump timelines, and omits important context that is considered "common knowledge" (the Popish plot, rise and fall of Cromwell, etc). It is an incredibly researched book that is not meant to be taken as a quick or leisurely read.

[Dee S · Rating 3 out of 5]

After visiting London I was interested in learning more about the Architect , Sir Christopher Wren who built St Pauls Cathedral and many of the other beautiful buildings in England. I started to read this book in earnest getting through the first 100 pages but thenmoved to skimming and taking in the wonderful sketches and paintings in the text.
This was more of a history book than a biography. The painting and drawings in the book were well worth borrowing the book from the library. Sir Wren was an amazing man- architect, mathematician, astronomer and founder of the Royal Society.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ive seen enough of this dude, thanks.

De opzet was verwarrend, de focus lag wel heel erg op Robert Hooke af en toe? Ik hoef zijn seksleven niet te weten, thanks? Ook dwaalde ze af en toe enorm af met diepe biografieën van andere mannen.
Wel een hoop dat ik nog niet eerder las in andere papers, wat een toegevoegde waarde was.
Wel dik.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I found this book essentially unreadable. The author took the approach to biography of compiling as many facts of about the subject's life as possible. Needs a thematic narrative.

[Alexis Kaelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. It often felt like the book was more about the "tumultuous times" than the "life of wren." I had hoped to learn more about his methods, his creations, his influences and practice.

[JodiP · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed Jardine in the past, but she gets far too bogged down in detail in this book. About half of it is direct, lengthy quotes from original sources, which I began to skip over quite early on. I felt I never really got a great sense of what Wren accomplished. It also was oddly repetitive: how many times did I need to read that he was important in the Order of the Garter? Also, the structure of the book was maddening: chapters were arranged around other people in his life, so you'd be reading along about the 1660 or '70's then be headed back to the 1650s in the next chapter. It got quite confusing, although this became less of an issue in the last third of the book. Certainly, the rebuilding of London received short shrift. It was good to have him placed in the hisotrical context, and this I did appreciate. I did not finish her epilogue, where she tied every thing together.

[David Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story, with much rich detail. A mess of a book with poor focus, repetition, and confusing jumps of chronology. My true rating would be 2.5.

Jardine frequently recounts the lives of Wren's contemporaries and collaborators, which is effective in establishing that he was by nature an ideal partner rather than a lone genius, but she does so at what feels like excessive and intrusive length within the body of the text. An appendix of brief biographies of these individuals would have been better.

She makes extensive use of long block quotations, and given the florid style of the period, it can be difficult to pick out the essential points. She also presents some of same quotations multiple times--including one six-line quote that appears on p. 429 and p. 436.

The author clearly knows a great deal, and makes interesting arguments. But she needs an editor.

[Michael Pryor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a light read, this work brings to life an extraordinary man. Wren lived in turbulent times, was talented in so many areas, created some of the most iconic buildings of all time, and finally died in his nineties - and just about everyone agreed that he was a lovely man. Remarkable.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little lacking in terms of plot/ narrative. But well-researched and the subject is certainly interesting.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional updated biography. Long overdue. Wren was one of the most interesting characters in a nation experiencing an intellectual renaissance.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book!

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting biography at its best.