Heritage consultants James Wenn and James Syrett say knowledge about these meanings appeared to decline around the time of the First World War, when aristocrats who knew about them were sent to fight and die in the trenches. Garnet crystals adopt the shape of a rhombic dodecahedron – a shape which also appears in many important buildings. Researchers James Wenn (left) and James Syrett say they have re-discovered forgotten meanings contained in shapes in UK architecture (Byrga Geniht/PA)The shape also features in the coronation pavement inside Westminster Abbey, and the pair say an explanation of its significance influenced an element of the King’s coronation in 2023. The pair say that knowledge of the significance of these shapes appeared to decline around the First World War. Mr Syrett said that, following their re-discovery about meanings in UK architecture: “We can now say we’re as sophisticated a culture as Ancient Rome, Aztec America, Ancient Egypt.

Source: The Times December 31, 2025 15:41 UTC