Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Globe Theatre

(Encyclopedia)Globe Theatre, London playhouse, built in 1598, where most of Shakespeare's plays were first presented. It burned in 1613, was rebuilt in 1614, and was destroyed by the Puritans in 1644. A working rep...

Delvaux, Paul

(Encyclopedia)Delvaux, Paul, 1897–1994, Belgian painter. Delvaux, influenced by Magritte and Chirico, created meticulous surreal compositions based on Renaissance ideas of perspective and peopled with self-absorb...

Dobson, William

(Encyclopedia)Dobson, William, 1610–46, English court painter. After the death of Van Dyck, Dobson was made court painter to Charles I and did some interesting court portraits. Some of his works are close to the ...

Cook, Sir Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Cook, Sir Joseph, 1860–1947, Australian statesman, b. England. A leader of the Free Trade party, he served as prime minister (1913–14) and later as minister of the navy (1917–21) and high commis...

Chiltern Hills

(Encyclopedia)Chiltern Hills, range of chalk hills, c.45 mi (70 km) long and 15 to 20 mi (24–32 km) wide, S England, NW of London, extending NE from Goring Gap. Its highest elevation is Coombe Hill (852 ft/260 m)...

Sedley, Sir Charles

(Encyclopedia)Sedley, Sir Charles, 1639?–1701, English dramatist and poet, b. London. Famous for his wit, he was a member of the intimate circle of young rakes at the court of Charles II. He wrote several plays, ...

Pratt, Matthew

(Encyclopedia)Pratt, Matthew, 1734–1805, American portrait painter, b. Philadelphia. After he was an apprentice to his uncle, a painter in Philadelphia, he practiced portrait painting and then studied under Benja...

Saint Martin-in-the-Fields

(Encyclopedia)Saint Martin-in-the-Fields, church in London, England, on Trafalgar Square; built 1721–26 by James Gibbs. It has a Corinthian portico and elaborate spire. It is the prototype for many colonial churc...

Saint Thomas, city, Canada

(Encyclopedia)Saint Thomas, city (1991 pop. 29,990), S Ont., Canada, S of London. Originally the center for a rich agricultural area, it became a rail and manufacturing center beginning in the late 1800s. Motor veh...

Woking

(Encyclopedia)Woking wōˈkĭng [key], district (1991 pop. 84,000), Surrey, SE England. Woking is primarily a residential suburb of London. There are printing, rubber, and packing industries. Of interest is a mosqu...

Browse by Subject