Abstract
William Whewell’s work on historical science has received some attention from historians and philosophers
of science. Whewell’s own work on the history of German Gothic church architecture has been
touched on within the context of the history of architecture. To a large extent these discussions have
been conducted separately. I argue that Whewell intended his work on Gothic architecture as an attempt
to (help) found a science of historical architecture, as an exemplar of historical science. I proceed by
analyzing the key features of Whewell’s philosophy of historical science. I then show how his architectural
history exemplifies this philosophy. Finally, I show how Whewell’s philosophy of historical
science matches some developments in a science (biological systematics) that, in the mid-to latenineteenth
century, came to be reinterpreted as a historical science. I comment briefly on Whewell as a
potential influence on nineteenth century biology and in particular on Darwin.