<P> It was Wren who presided over the genesis of the English Baroque manner, which differed from the continental models by a clarity of design and a subtle taste for classicism . Following the Great Fire of London, Wren rebuilt fifty - three churches, where Baroque aesthetics are apparent primarily in dynamic structure and multiple changing views . His most ambitious work was St Paul's Cathedral, which bears comparison with the most effulgent domed churches of Italy and France . In this majestically proportioned edifice, the Palladian tradition of Inigo Jones is fused with contemporary continental sensibilities in masterly equilibrium . Less influential were straightforward attempts to engraft the Berniniesque vision onto British church architecture (e.g. by Thomas Archer in St. John's, Smith Square, 1728). </P> <P> Although Wren was also active in secular architecture, the first truly Baroque country house in England was built to a design by William Talman at Chatsworth, starting in 1687 . The culmination of Baroque architectural forms comes with Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor . Each was capable of a fully developed architectural statement, yet they preferred to work in tandem, most notably at Castle Howard (1699) and Blenheim Palace (1705). </P> <P> Although these two palaces may appear somewhat ponderous or turgid to Italian eyes, their heavy embellishment and overpowering mass captivated the British public, albeit for a short while . Castle Howard is a flamboyant assembly of restless masses dominated by a cylindrical domed tower which would not be out of place in Dresden or Munich . Blenheim is a more solid construction, where the massed stone of the arched gates and the huge solid portico becomes the main ornament . Vanbrugh's final work was Seaton Delaval Hall (1718), a comparatively modest mansion yet unique in the structural audacity of its style . It was at Seaton Delaval that Vanbrugh, a skillful playwright, achieved the peak of Restoration drama, once again highlighting a parallel between Baroque architecture and contemporary theatre . Despite his efforts, Baroque was never truly to the English taste and well before his death in 1724, the style had lost currency in Britain . </P> <P> In the Holy Roman Empire, the Baroque period began somewhat later . Although the Augsburg architect Elias Holl (1573--1646) and some theoretists, including Joseph Furttenbach the Elder already practiced the Baroque style, they remained without successors due to the ravages of the Thirty Years' War . From about 1650 on, construction work resumed, and secular and ecclesiastical architecture were of equal importance . During an initial phase, master - masons from southern Switzerland and northern Italy, the so - called magistri Grigioni and the Lombard master - masons, particularly the Carlone family from Val d'Intelvi, dominated the field . However, Austria came soon to develop its own characteristic Baroque style during the last third of the 17th century . Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach was impressed by Bernini . He forged a new Imperial style by compiling architectural motifs from the entire history, most prominently seen in his Karlskirche in Vienna . Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt also had an Italian training . He developed a highly decorative style, particularly in façade architecture, which exerted strong influences on southern Germany . </P>

When did french baroque architecture reach its peak