Building Up: Lives of 18th Century Colonists According to Goldfield, colonists of the 18th century did their utmost

to achieve similar homes as those in England. Their desire was to build a society comparable to the one they had left excluding the religious persecution, political and economical issues they had known in Europe. However, they did not want to lose the niceties of the society they had known, along with the styles in which they had lived. These mentalities lead them to emulate current English fashions, one of which was the architecture of their homes. The similarities between English and colonial homes were similar. As noted in current and older photos from the National Park Service, colonists did their best to achieve similar facades for their homes. These included columns in front of their homes, large porches, sometimes wrap-around and elaborate details on their front door frames and windows. Wealthy colonists came closest to achieving these similarities, but not all had the income or the right architects to achieve what their English neighbors had. Some colonists, like William Randolph, were unable to achieve every architectural whim during their lifetimes. This might have been due to finance, and so their descendents would add a new addition to their family homes with each new generation. This might have been a commonality of the time, but another marked difference between structures, was that while American colonial faades incorporated English columns, they brought them out, rather than having them flat against the front, like the English. One such example is Nostell Priory, which has its columns flat against the faade. Similarities between the two extended to the almost farm-like quality some homes took. It is not atypical, given that in both New and Old England people farmed. The roofs of the homes are barn-like and look rough. Like their English counterparts, colonists built their homes on substantial amounts of land or enough land, so that their homes were not side-by-side. Those in

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England were able to have homes in the country as well and had similar architecture. Other similarities extended to the materials colonists used to build their homes. Like homes in England, some of theirs were made of brick, wood and some with marble floors and such, depending on the wealth of the colonists. Unlike English homes, colonial homes were not as elaborate as Bodiam castle with its moats and turrets. The reason for this was that while colonists wanted to be civilized and as fashionable as the English, they were people in transition and without the funds to achieve homes as grand as the English. In summation, Goldfield was correct in his deduction that colonists aspired to be as English as they had been in England, but with so many new responsibilities and lack of funds, they were unable achieve English architecture. It would also stands to reason, that while colonists did not always achieve English architecture, their homes were plausible imitations. The likelihood of this was in that these colonists were English transplants. Colonists lived in England, at one time, and knew what they had left behind. Fashions changed with time, but the core fundamentals were the same and so Goldfield is correct in connecting colonists with those who lived in England. It would also make sense that their homes would change with the influence of other European immigrants, along with the needs of climate and so on.

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