Exploring building history
Pattern, Principle & Place: William Morris & Co Wallpapers & Wall Hangings at Wightwick Manor
Introduction There are houses that preserve a moment, and then there are houses that embody one. Wightwick Manor, the Victorian house near Wolverhampton now in the care of the National Trust, belongs firmly to the second category. Built in two phases between 1887 and…
SAGRADA FAMILIA: The Passion Facade – Stone, Suffering & Sacred Art
If you visit Barcelona and only see one building, it will almost certainly be the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia.[1] Rising improbably from the Eixample grid, its spires seem to belong to a world between cathedral and coral reef. But for all its fantastical beauty,…
CHISWICK HOUSE: A Palladian Manifesto in Stone
Few buildings in England can claim to have fundamentally altered the course of the nation’s architectural history. Chiswick House, the compact neo-Palladian villa in west London designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, between 1726 and 1729, is one…
Kitty Fisher in Somerset: A Diary Entry & a Besotted Earl
Kitty Fisher in Somerset A Diary Entry & a Besotted Earl An Unexpected Entry Among the papers preserved at Montacute House in Somerset, the diaries of Edward Phelips V offer an invaluable window into the daily life of a Georgian country gentleman. Phelips, born in…
Kitty Fisher: Georgian London’s First Media Celebrity
Kitty Fisher Georgian London’s First Celebrity Featured Image: Nathaniel Hone, Kitty Fisher, 1765. Oil on canvas, 749 × 622 mm. National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG 2354). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Humble Beginnings Catherine Maria Fischer was born on 1…
MONTACUTE HOUSE BALUSTRADE: Individual Masons at Work
Surrounding the east court of Montacute House is a balustrade, an elegant feature idea that made its way from Renaissance Italy. Often used for loggias and balconies, it has been applied at Montacute as a running feature on top of a wall. The balustrade is punctuated…
Exploring Building History
Exploring Building History is a non-commercial site. It is my own personal musings on architectural history. There is wealth of built heritage in England, and as I explore and think about what I see, I post my reflections on this site.