Министерство образования и науки РФ
Государственное общеобразовательное учреждение
средняя общеобразовательная школа №306
с углубленным изучением английского языка города Санкт-Петербурга
РЕФЕРАТ
по теме: Санкт-Петербург как отражение Англо-Русских отношений
18-19 века
Выполнила:
ученица 8 «А» класса
Смирнова Варвара
Руководитель:
Чеснокова О.А.
преподаватель английского языка
САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГ 2011
Аннотация
В декабре 1990 Комитет Всемирного наследия ЮНЕСКО включил исторический центр Санкт-Петербурга и связанные с ним группы памятников в Список всемирного наследия ЮНЕСКО. Это было очень важное решение, которое помогло сохранить в Санкт-Петербурге исторически значимые места, отражающие культуру и традиции разных стран.
В течение многих лет образ Петербурга формировался под влиянием различных исторических событий. С момента возникновения города Британия не только делилась своими традициями, но и помогала молодой столице приобрести европейский стиль. Британцы внесли огромный вклад в процесс становления Петербурга как важного промышленного и культурного центра. «Британские» здания того времени и сегодня являются историческими памятниками прошлого. Тем не менее, существует мнение, что некоторые из них не представляют никакой ценности, нарушают панораму города и должны быть перепрофилированы, перестроены или снесены.
Проблема старых зданий – одна из важнейших в современной жизни города. С одной стороны их восстановление и содержание требует большого количества денег, с другой стороны они помогают нам сохранить историю. История Санкт-Петербурга – это история Англо-русских отношений прошлых веков, запечатленных в каменном убранстве города.
Данная исследовательская работа поможет лучше понять британцев и их роль в жизни Санкт-Петербурга 18-19 века, так как вопрос толерантного отношения и уважения к людям разных национальностей является одним из важнейших аспектов современной жизни.
Contents
Introduction……………………………………………………………………….3
1. St. Petersburg as a Phenomenon of Russia………………………………………5
2. The First Britons in Saint Petersburg……………………………………………6
3. The First British Enterprises in Saint-Petersburg………………………………..9
4. The Russian History with an English Accent…………………………………..11
4.1. The Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace……………………………………...11
4.2. The Sergei Palace……………………………………………………….12
4.3. The Anglo-Russian Hospital in the Dmitri Palace……………………...17
5. The Lost Past - The Cable Factory of M.Edwards and T.Cavos……………….20
6. St. Petersburg and Great Britain today…………………………………………22
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...24
Resources………………………………………………………………………….25
Introduction
In December 1990 UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee included the historical centre of Saint-Petersburg and the group of architectural monuments in the World Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO. It was a very important decision for the city as it helped Petersburg preserve significant places which reflect the culture and traditions of different countries of the 18-19th centuries. Actually about 10% of all historical monuments of Russia are situated there. They make Saint Petersburg a unique city-museum with a special European atmosphere.
For many years a lot of countries created Petersburg’s image and it was Britain which not only brought English culture to the city but also helped it progress in the Western way. The Britons did a lot to make St. Petersburg an important industrial and cultural centre. A lot of “British” buildings constructed at that time are historic symbols of the past. Although there is an opinion that some of them are not of great importance, they “spoil” the image of the city and that’s why they can be restructured, destroyed or reconstructed. Thus House No. 56 on the English embankment was originally acquired by the British community over 250 years ago. Now it is no longer a place of worship but an ordinary souvenir shop. The English shops which flourished at the end of the eighteenth century in various parts of the city and in particular the English Shop at the end of Nevsky Prospect have recently disappeared.
The problem of old buildings is essential for St. Petersburg. From the one hand they demand a great amount of money for their maintenance but from the other hand they help us keep history. The early period of the Anglo-Russian relationship, its influence on the development of Saint-Petersburg in the 18-19th centuries and the importance of Britain’s help to Russians during the World War I is not covered enough. It is necessary to define if old buildings can be considered a historical and cultural heritage for people.
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The material of this research work will be useful for better understanding the Britons and their role in the life of Saint-Petersburg as the question of tolerant attitude and respect to other nations is of great importance nowadays.
The aim of this research work was: by means of special literature, TV programs, newspaper articles, documents about city historic places to find out the level of Britain’s influence on the life of Saint-Petersburg from the time of the foundation of the city up to the beginning of the 20th century.
Our tasks were:
1. collecting and studying the information on the topic;
2. revising the information;
3. making conclusions;
4. making the presentation of the results;
5. presenting the research work in English class and at the school history conference.
Resources: special literature, TV programs, Internet, historic documents.
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1. St. Petersburg as a Phenomenon of Russia.
The foundation of St. Petersburg was a so-called milestone which changed Russia’s destiny. St. Petersburg became a bridge which connected the country with Europe. The new Russian history started. It was St. Petersburg which favored the creation of the navy, development of science, culture and education and many other innovations in the country. Britain played a great role in this process. [Слайд 1]
The association of Britain with St Petersburg goes back to the first days of the city, but it was truly cemented only in 1723 when the city became the empire’s trading centre.
At the end of the 17 century Peter I came to England to learn the theory of ship-building. He spent there 3 months. Peter I visited palaces, castles, theatres, museums, Oxford University, Greenwich observatory, the English Royal Society, the National Mint. Also he met with Isaac Newton. The tsar was satisfied with the acquaintance with the country. He wrote to Russia: “The English island is the best and the most beautiful in the world”. [9] Peter I called his visit to England very helpful as he used to say that he would have remained just a carpenter if he hadn’t learnt from the Englishmen. [Слайд 2]
His visit to England was important not only for himself but also for other countries as well. A famous British historian of the 19th century Thomas Macaulay wrote about Peter I’s three-month visit to England: “His voyage began a new epoch not only in the history of his country but also of ours and of all mankind”.[9]
Actually it was the beginning of “a new epoch”. The tsar and his assistants started recruiting Britons. There were a lot of military men, engineers, physicians and constructors among them. Peter I greatly appreciated talented specialists and many Englishmen received important official posts in St. Petersburg. The development of Saint Petersburg in the Western way began.
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2. The First Britons in Saint Petersburg
In the 18th century the population of Saint Petersburg was 250 thousand people and about 2000 of them was English. It was only 0,2-0,3% of the whole population but the Briton’s role in the life of St. Petersburg was significant.
The Britons settled in St. Petersburg mainly on the English Embankment. Soon a small but prosperous colony was formed here. It preserved national English features, the language, the culture and the life-style. There was a real cult of British products, skills and knowledge. The Britons affirmed that all things for daily life and comfort (and even coal) were to be imported from Britain. Lately most of them tied their lives to the new Russian capital. [Слайд 3]
Among Englishmen in Saint-Petersburg there were a lot of outstanding seamen because Peter I understood the role of the navy for any state. Peter I often quoted the statement: "A ruler that has but an army has one hand, but he who has a navy has both."[9] Sir Alexander Gordon (an admiral), Christopher O’Brian (a rear-admiral), Richard Brown (the shipbuilding superintendent of the Baltic Fleet), Thomas Sanders (Vice Admiral) did a lot for the development of the Russian navy and made Russia an outstanding maritime power.
The English played a great role in the creation of the Admiralty even six years before the beginning of its construction. In 1698 two prominent English shipbuilders, Joseph Nay and Richard Cousins signed contracts with Peter I and came to Russia. There they participated in the development of the Admiralty shipyard and construction of the Baltic Fleet. The ships that they built were the best for that period and substantially strengthened the Russian naval power.
Also it was the time of the development of trade between Russia and Britain. Englishmen imported textiles, watches, tin tableware, snuff-boxes, machines, coal, steel, leather, paints, fish, coffee and other merchandise. English furniture was especially fashionable. It was ordered at London workshops and Russian furniture-makers were also sent to England to learn.
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Soon the first major trade agreement between Russia and Great Britain was signed, according to which Great Britain received the status of most favored nation. For almost two centuries Britons played the leading role in Russian foreign trade.
Not only English goods were in great demand in St.Petersburg. British physicians were always popular on the banks of the Neva. The personal doctor of Catherine II was the Englishman Dr.Rogerson. When the empress decided to be vaccinated against smallpox to be an example to other people she invited the well-known English doctor Thomas Dimsdale for this purpose. The vaccination was a success and the grateful Catherine showered the doctor with gifts of diamonds and furs, plus £12,000 and a life annuity of £500. He was also bestowed with a hereditary barony of the Russian Empire, which is still held by the family. She later bought houses in Moscow and St Petersburg, which Dr. Dimsdale used as vaccination hospitals.
In 1881 in the city there was organized the Military Medical Academy
and its first president was “a great English doctor and administrator J. Wylie”.[9]
He managed to create the health care system in Russia. He was also the founder of medical periodicals and organized the publication of the “Military Medical Magazine”.
The empress Catherine II sincerely admired the cultural achievements and traditions of Great Britain. She began to study the English herself and in a short time English became the second important foreign language after French. The popularity of it was directly connected with the fashion for English tutors and governesses. The reading of Byron and Shakespeare in the original was considered not only a sign of good taste but also deep knowledge of literature.
One more English “fashionable trend” appeared in the middle of the 18th century in Saint Petersburg. It was the beginning of the period of English landscape parks. So English gardeners Charles Sparrow, father and son Bush,
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James Meaders and William Gould came to the Russian capital and created almost all the best parks there and in its suburbs: Gatchina, Pavlovsk, Petergoff, Tsarskoe Selo.
The second half of the 18th century was the period of the most active scientific and cultural exchanges between England and Russia. One of the best traditions of that time was investing in Russia European innovations by the Britons, whose activity was in very different fields.
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3. The First British Enterprises in Saint-Petersburg
After the defeat of Napoleon Britain enjoyed a strong place in Europe councils. Its strength was in industry and trade and the navy which protected this trade. Due to all these factors new Anglo-Russian enterprises came into being in St. Petersburg. [Слайд 4]
A rather big group of Britons in Russia was represented by industrial and
textile manufacturers. Charles Gascoigne, a Scottish engineer, designed the Izhora Plants in Kolpino not far from Saint-Petersburg and founded the “St.Petersburg Cast-Iron Plant” (nowadays the Kirov Plant) and Matthew Clark, an English innovator, became its first director.
Charles Bird was a prominent engineer and businessman. It was Saint Petersburg where he founded the first private mechanical and casting plant. Bird created the archless ceilings for the New Admiralty docks, constructive elements for the St. St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the bas-reliefs for the Alexander Column. In 1815 the first Russian steam ship named Elizabeth was built at his plant. Soon it started regular runs from St. Petersburg to Kronhshadt. The first steamship company was established by Bird the same year
Mac McPherson is known as the founder of the Baltic Plant. In 1857 the first steam machines for the wooden frigates Oslyabya, Peresvet and Ilya Muromets were manufactured there. Soon there was made the first metal ship - the gunboat “Opyt”.
James Thornton, an English manufacturer, founded “The Factory of James Thornton” (nowadays “Nevskaya Manufaktura”) which was the most “English” enterprise in the Russian capital with workshops, residential houses, food-store and a church.
Essen-Steinbock-Fermor, a Scottish merchant, was the founder of the Russian Passage department store, a large European-style trading centre.
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He decided to construct a centre of trade, culture and entertainment in the same building, the first in the world. “Passage” included a restaurant, a hotel and a concert hall with permanent orchestra and gypsy choir. It was one of the most fashionable places in Saint-Petersburg at that time.
In the 19th century Britain was at its most powerful and self-confident state. After the industrial revolution Britain was the "workshop" of the world and it shared its achievements with an open hand with Saint Petersburg.
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4. St. Petersburg’s Palaces – the Russian History with an English Accent
Eduardo Chillida, a Spanish sculptor, one of the greatest artists of the 2nd half of the 20th century wrote: “The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao looks like a great adventure”. [15] St. Petersburg’s museums not only “look like a great adventure” but also they are an outstanding historic encyclopedia. “Turning over the pages” of this encyclopedia everyone can find the signs of English life-style not only in the famous enterprises of the city but also inside its palaces, cathedrals and mansions.