[Actual Test] - The history of a British architect IELTS Listening Answer Key & Explanations

[Actual Test] - The history of a British architect

0:00

Presenter: My project is on the nineteenth-century British architect, George Dodds, who used to be famous not just in the northeast of the UK but throughout the country. 1At first, I chose him for my term project because in my early teens, I had always admired Mitten Hall, a mansion he built near my home. Later, I wanted to learn more about the man responsible for it. I thought I'd use the project as an excuse and managed to unearth a wealth of information about architecture and his fascinating life. I thought I'd start today by telling you a little about Dodds himself before looking at a selection of his more substantial buildings.

He was the son of a landscape gardener and had a brief but successful career in his father's business. But the young Dodds started to resent what he saw as his father's old-fashioned approach to landscape. 2Dodds began to spend a lot of time thinking about how he could break with convention, creating buildings in a new relationship with their surroundings. In 1810, Dodds, aged 23 at the time, decided to go to London to study art under the eminent watercolorist Jack Vermos. His friends strongly encouraged him to stay and work in London as architects were highly regarded there, but by 1811, 3he decided to move back to northeast England because he discovered that more clients would hire him for his fashionable ideas from London.

Having a large customer base, the City Council included, Dodds was able to set up an architectural firm of his own. Dodds distanced himself from other builder-architects and gradually established himself as one of the new breed of professional architects. And one of his signature designs was the Royal Arcade, which was commissioned by the city council. Although he never practiced in London, 4Dodds gained a national reputation when he joined the newly formed Northern Architectural Association and was elected to be its first chairman. He retired from active work in his seventies after suffering a stroke from which he never fully recovered.

Dodds died at the age of 77 at his home. Dodds was versatile and could build houses of many different styles that his clients desired. His country houses are too little known, mainly because they are not so large, but they are open to the public and are often still in private hands, hidden behind parkland and trees. One was Mitten Hall, built in 1824 and finished two years later. The outstanding characteristics of Mitten Hall are Dodds's use of beautiful golden sandstone, Grecian-style entrance porticos, and elegant staircases leading to an upper gallery.

The building has a domed ceiling with a glass centerpiece. Even though the quality of the stonework was superb, 5some of the windows seemed to leak on rainy days. 6The building was renovated in 1987 and is now used as a conference center. In 1830, the town council decided to build the Royal Arcade on a site that used to be a corn exchange market and entrusted George Dodds with the design. And the shopping arcade was completed by 1832.

The whole design was intended as an elegant shopping experience and 7was renowned for its grand balcony. Unfortunately, the Royal Arcade was not a commercial success as it was positioned too far from the town center, causing great difficulty in delivery. 8The arcade was demolished as early as the 1880s and is now used as a car park for neighbouring shops today. The final building I want to show you is Morton Gaol, which Dodds completed in 1839. It is a sturdy building with impressive towers based on medieval castles.

However, although beautiful, the jail wasn't 100% functional. More striking was the 9absence of any space for exercise for the prisoners. An extra courtyard had to be added for this at a later date. Morton ceased to be a penal institution in the 1940s when it was scheduled for demolition but was purchased for use as a hotel. That never came to pass.

And as many of you will know, 10it is now run as a transport museum with a collection of vehicles that tell the city's story through transport.

Building and date	Description	Problem with design	Present use of the site
Mitten Hall 1824-1826	Had a dome made of glass	Windows tended to 5 (leak)	as a 6 (conference centre \| conference center)
Royal Arcade 1832	Shopping centre acclaimed for its large 7 (balcony)	Difficult to make deliveries	as a 8 (car park) (for modern stores)
Morton Gaol 1839	Had towers based on medieval castle design	No room for prisoners to do 9 (exercise)	as a 10 (Transport Museum)

Answers For [Actual Test] - The history of a British architect

Answers and detail explain for [Actual Test] - The history of a British architect

Answer Table

Explain

[Actual Test] - The history of a British architect

Questions 1-4

1The speaker initially chose to do her research project on Dodds because she had

2Dodds became an architect because

3The reason for Dodds returning to northeast England was that

4Dodds became well-known nationally when he

Questions 5-10

Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Recommended Listening