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The Gothic Architecture of Bartram-Haugh

Uncle Silas

Bartram-Haugh’s grandeur, neglect, and hidden spaces turn a family residence into a landscape that anticipates and enables violence.

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The Moonlit ApproachThe Moonlit Approach from "Uncle Silas". The Moonlit Approach Grandeur and Decay Maud approaches a richly decorated house whose fallen trees, weeded court, and darkened windows make its magnificence…
The Moonlit Approach Grandeur and Decay Maud approaches a richly decorated house whose fallen trees, weeded court, and darkened windows make its magnificence feel deserted. An Enchanted Threshold The contrast between noble architecture and neglect makes Bartram-Haugh seem less like a home than a castle in a Gothic romance.
The Unused GalleriesThe Unused Galleries from "Uncle Silas". The Unused Galleries Space Without Welcome Closed rooms, dusty passages, locked barriers, and unlit galleries reveal that much of Bartram-Haugh is unused or…
The Unused Galleries Space Without Welcome Closed rooms, dusty passages, locked barriers, and unlit galleries reveal that much of Bartram-Haugh is unused or inaccessible. Isolation in Architecture The house’s scale makes it easy for its inhabitants to lose one another, while its internal barriers mirror the social isolation imposed on Maud.
The Blind CourtyardThe Blind Courtyard from "Uncle Silas". The Blind Courtyard A Neglected Enclosure Maud looks down into a grim inner courtyard overgrown with weeds and surrounded by high walls and dirty windows.
The Blind Courtyard A Neglected Enclosure Maud looks down into a grim inner courtyard overgrown with weeds and surrounded by high walls and dirty windows. A Future Prison The enclosed space first functions as a source of unease and later becomes the place where Madame de la Rougierre’s buried body is found.
The Room of CharkeThe Room of Charke from "Uncle Silas". The Room of Charke A Room Marked by History Maud visits a chamber associated with Tom Charke’s death, its stripped panelling seeming to preserve the…
The Room of Charke A Room Marked by History Maud visits a chamber associated with Tom Charke’s death, its stripped panelling seeming to preserve the investigation’s unresolved question. The House as Evidence The room’s hidden construction later helps explain the apparent impossibility of the old murder and the new attack on Maud.
Architecture of EscapeArchitecture of Escape from "Uncle Silas". Architecture of Escape A Concealed Route Maud escapes through galleries, stairs, and an open back entrance while conspirators focus on the room where Madame…
Architecture of Escape A Concealed Route Maud escapes through galleries, stairs, and an open back entrance while conspirators focus on the room where Madame has been killed. Space Reclaimed The same complicated house that enabled secrecy gives Maud a momentary route out, turning architectural confusion from threat into opportunity.
On Maud’s first arrival at Bartram-Haugh
During Maud’s first explorations of the house
During Maud’s first visit to the upper floor
During Maud’s solitary exploration of Bartram-Haugh
On the night Maud flees Bartram-Haugh