Mar 16, 2026
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...
Feb 28, 2026
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...
Jul 24, 2024
The subject for the dissertation for my master’s degree was on Late-Tudor & Early-Stuart Gatehouses in Central Southwest England. The study of them introduced me to the ‘shell-headed alcove’ or ‘niche’. Several of them have the feature built into them. They are at...
Apr 8, 2024
When I was researching Tudor and early-Stuart gatehouses in the central southwest of England, one of the common features that occurred was the shell-headed niche. The niche whether empty or filled by a statue becomes a significant architectural device in England from...
Nov 7, 2023
From the 16th century the expression of neo-classicism is beloved by gentry. They wish to demonstrate their education and taste in elaborate ways. Tomb monuments are a fixed mechanism of doing this. Neo-classical taste is a trying to hark back to beyond the Gothic,...
Aug 23, 2023
The 18th-century Grand Tour must have been exciting time for young patricians seeking to discover the ancient world first hand in Rome. If they could put aside the temptations of pleasurable diversions, then serious learning and procuring a collection were attainable....
