Ammonite order

The Ammonite order is a special kind of design used in buildings. It has tall, thin posts called columns with lines running up them, called flutes. On top of each column is a special piece called a capital that has spiral shapes called volutes. These spirals look like ancient sea creatures called ammonites, which are fossils found in rocks.

This style was created by an architect named George Dance. He first used it on a building called the Shakespeare Gallery in London in 1789. The building was later turned into the British Institution, but it was torn down in 1868.

Other buildings in London also used the Ammonite order. For example, buildings on Old Regent Street used this style around 1818. An architect and fossil fan named Amon Wilds used it on his house in Lewes. His son, Amon Henry Wilds, also used this style on houses in Brighton in the early 1800s.