Architecture is a powerfully expressive art form, one used throughout history by powerful patrons seeking to impose ideals on an uncertain world with the reassuring solidity and permanence of bricks and stone.

All seven wonders of the world are architectural and 80% of the Unesco world heritage list is cultural – created as opposed to natural. More often than not, these lauded sites were originally intended to impart the lasting authority of a particular worldview on to human consciousness.

The Great Wall of China not only marked the country’s borders but demonstrated the might and power of the Ming Dynasty. The Statue of Liberty represents American freedom, patriotism and opportunity. And the Acropolis stands as a universal symbol of classical spirit and civilisation – the beginnings of western democracy. Our own Stonehenge communicates its message less clearly now than when it was built, but still holds a certain fascination and weight of authority in both the landscape and the national consciousness.

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