_Later English Architecture_ Probably the most important name associated with English architecture towards the end of the eighteenth century is that of Sir William Chambers, who died in 1796. Chambers, who at one time held the position of Surveyor General in the Board of Works, was one of those concerned in the establishment of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. During his professional career he executed commissions in various parts of the country, his principal work being Somerset House, which was commenced in 1776. Another name associated with this period is that of George Dance, who designed the Mansion House of the City of London, which was built during the years 1739-53. Dance died in 1768, and was succeeded by his son, who was the architect of Newgate Prison, the site of which is now occupied by a modern building. A pupil of Sir William Chambers, James Gandon, had the distinction of carrying off the first gold medal given for architecture by the newly-founded Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. He designed, among other works, the Customs House, the Four Courts, and the building which is now the Bank of Ireland, all at Dublin. _French Influence on Europe_ Throughout this necessarily brief summary it will be noted that attention is mainly given to the architectural development in France and England. The rest of Europe was similarly affected more or less, both in the Gothic period and in the revival known as the Renaissance, in which the initiative was taken by France early in the seventeenth century. From which period may be dated the decline in Italian taste. French feeling, both as to form and detail, is apparent in not only Dutch and Flemish work, but in the more southern parts of Europe, particularly the phase known as Rococo. Even in England, though the architectural traditions of Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren became national in character, French feeling is evident in much of the decorative work, as in the designs of Chippendale and his contemporaries; with the exception of the brilliant period of Grinling Gibbons, whose distinctive manner and robust treatment survived, and constituted a school of carving typically English and unique in its artistry and craftsmanship. CHAPTER III MOULDINGS In Architecture the edges of projecting courses are softened into curved profiles, sometimes enriched with details, which are technically known as mouldings. These are invariably a stumbling-block to the beginner, presumably due to want of appreciation of their purpose, which properly understood, is indicative of their desirable employment. [Illustration: No. 134. Forms of Mouldings.] Mouldings are an important factor in effect, not only in Architecture, but in structural form generally. In flat decoration they have to some extent their corollary in borders, the proportionate widths of which are governed by similar rules.