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Architectural drawings at Blickling Hall
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 April 2016
Extract
In 1986 Caroline Stanley-Millson and John Newman published an important article in Architectural History drawn from the extensive Jacobean building accounts for Blickling and in so doing added very considerably to our understanding of the house. This catalogue of architectural drawings at the house continues the story from the death of Sir Henry Hobart, 1st Baronet, in 1626 up to the early twentieth century when for more than thirty years Blickling ceased to be the principal residence of its family. The only drawing to survive from the Jacobean building period (No. 1), Lyminge’s design for a banqueting house in the east garden, is illustrated in the earlier article.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain 1991
References
Notes
Abbreviations
- NNRO
-
Norfolk and Norwich Record Office
1 Architectural History, Vol. 29 (1986), pp. 1-43.
2 Ibid., Fig. 5.
3 Harris, John, ‘The Prideaux Collection of Topographical Drawings’, Architectural History, Vol. 7 (1964), Fig. 8CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
4 NNRO NRS 16007 31F9. Burrows also rebuilt the gable at the north end of the east wing in August and September 1695. The iron ties bear the initials of the 4th Baronet and Elizabeth Maynard his wife.
5 The map, by James Corbridge, hangs in the house.
6 Phibbs, J. L., Blickling Hall Survey (1981), p. 16 Google Scholar. Kent worked at Houghton for Walpole in 1726-31, at Raynham for Townshend c. 1731 and was involved in the design of Holkham for Coke in 1734.
7 Harris, ‘The Prideaux Collection ...’, Fig. 7.
8 Soane Museum shelf 46A. I am grateful to John Harris for drawing this account to my attention.
9 NNRO NRS 22 702 Z 64.
10 Colvin, Howard, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects (1978), pp. 447-48Google Scholar. Wearing, Stanley J., Georgian Norwich. Its Builders (1926), pp. 11–36 Google Scholar. A certain William Ivory (not to be confused with Thomas’s son) who had purchased the freedom of the City on 15 January 1730 is described as a ‘joyner’.
11 NNRO NRS 21089 72XI.
12 James, D. E. Howell, ‘Matthew Brettingham’s Account Book’, Norfolk Archaeology, XXXV (1971)Google Scholar. He was also working in 1750-51, cf. Draper, M. P. G., Marble Hill House (1970), pp. 43–44 Google Scholar. Brettingham’s account book is in the Public Record Office C108/362.
13 Described in Maddison, J. M., Blickling Hall (1989), pp. 32–34 Google Scholar.
14 Croker, J. W., Lady Suffolk’s Letters (1824), Vol. II, pp. 304, 307, 310Google Scholar.
15 NNRO NRS 14 630.
16 NNRO MC 3 284.
17 This act is recorded in an inscription on the front: MARY ANNE COUNTESS OF BUCKINGHAM-/DAUGHTER OF SIR THOMAS DRURY BART/BEQUEATHED HER JEWELS TOWARDS THE/EXPENCE OF ERECTING THIS FRONT/ANNO DOMINI MDCCLXIX.
18 NNRO NRS 14625.
19 NNRO NRS 1425.
20 NNRO NRS 14630 29 DI.
21 NNRO NRS 14625.
22 NNRO NRS 19180 33E7.
23 NNRO NRS 14625, cf. also NRS 8650 21C4. Copeman’s letter to Lord Buckinghamshire of 14 August 1773 describes the imminent completion of the carpenters’ work.
24 NNRO NRS 14625.
25 NNRO NRS 19180 33E7.
26 Ibid.
27 NNRO NRS 14630.
28 NNRO NRS 19180 33E7.
29 Ibid.
30 Ibid.
31 Draper, Marble Hill House, p. 50.
32 NNRO NRS 19180 33E7.
33 NNRO NRS 14625.
34 Ibid.
35 The Red Books of Humphry Repton (facsimile, 1976). The Red Book for Tendring is in a private collection.
36 NNRO MC3/365 477X.
37 John Ivory the mason was still working for Buckinghamshire in January 1790 when he provided a chimneypiece for his study NNRO MC3 365 477X.
38 On 4 February 1790 Mr Stone the builder was to be given Lord Buckinghamshire’s Orders respecting the temple’ and on 23 April Copeman was able to write to his employer, ‘The alteration is finished at the Temple and I am persuaded that your Lordship will like it — if it has not been mentioned, her Ladyship will be agreeably surprised’. NNRO MC3 365 477X.
39 Lewis, W. S., Horace Walpole’s Correspondence (1944), Vol. 12, p. 5 Google Scholar.
40 The Bonomi letters and accounts have been recently deposited at NNRO and are not yet catalogued.
41 In the Blicking collection and illustrated in J. M. Maddison, ‘Blickling Hall, Norfolk 1’ Country Life, 17 March 1988.
42 In the Blickling collection.
43 Illustrated in Carter, G., Goode, P. and Laurie, K., Humphry Repton Landscape Gardener 1712-1818 (1982), Col. pl. 5 Google Scholar.
44 Colvin, Dictionary, p. 120, and NNRO NRS 10807 25D2.
45 Lord Lothian met Butterfield on 25 November 1851 (information from Lothian’s diaries held at Blickling). Cf. NNRO MS 18273 33B1, and Thompson, Paul, William Butterfield (1971), pp. 464, 465 and 470Google Scholar.
46 G. Fisher and H. Smith, John Hungerford Pollen and his Decorative work at Blickling, in National Trust Year Book 1975-6, pp. 112-19.
47 Benjamin Woodward paid Pollen for stained-glass designs in 1858 and spent two days at Blickling in July 1860 (NNRO MC3/141). The books were removed from the library in this month preparatory to the start of work. James Powell and Sons of Whitefriars were billed in 1862 for making the stained glass for Lady Lothian’s sitting room in 1860 (now to be seen in the east window of Erpingham Church) and for the coats of arms completed according to Pollen’s cartoons in September 1861 for the north window of the Long Gallery (NNRO MC3/159 466X7). O’Shea received payment in September 1860 (NNRO MC3/141), a total of £43 for work between 11 January and 27 June 1861 (NNRO MC3/147). For the problem of over expenditure see NNRO NRS 18275 33B1.
48 The correspondence between William Burn, Lord and Lady Lothian and Robert Parmeter the agent between 1864 and 1866 is held in the NNRO and is as follows: NRS 19373 42A4. Two letters from Burn to Lady Lothian in March concerning the servants’ rooms in the west wing and west front: MC3/263/1. Three letters from Burn to Lady Lothian one of which (15 July 1864) estimates the cost of works to the main building at £2,222 and to the west wing £4,315. Another (7 January 1865) deals with the structural problems of the west front wall. Burn’s demolition of the rear portions of the west wing is related in Parmeter’s letter of 13 September 1864 (NRS 18275 33B1). Rising costs are mentioned in his letter of 18 January 1865. By 2 February 1865 the problems of the west wall seemed less serious but the real costs greatly exceeded the estimates. On 25 May 1865 (MC3/263/11) Burn described to Lady Lothian his proposals for the new staircase and lifts. In the same month he was considering the alteration of the east wing. The building of the moat wall is discussed in Burn’s letter to Lady Lothian of 18 September 1865 (MC3/263/17) and on 4 October (MC3/263/18) he supplied estimates for the drainage of the west wing, the lowering of Lime Tree Walk, fitting out the Brew House and Wash House and various other minor works with Messrs Lucas.
49 A tender for ‘Pleasure Ground Improvements’ was advertised in November 1863 (NNRO MC3/167). Messrs Bussey billed for work carried out the previous year ‘for extending the width of terraces to make the north side flush with the moat wall on the N. side of Hall’, ‘For increasing slope of Terrace’ and ‘For extending walk on north side of Pleasure Grounds and filling up an old one’ and ‘For carting mud over piece reclaimed from the Lake’ (NNRO MC3/167 466X7). James Horstead, an Aylsham bricklayer was paid for various works in 1864; taking down the old boat house and the summer house, building the moat wall and repairing one of the bridges. Iron railings for the edge of the moat were supplied by J. Salmon the local blacksmith in 1864 (NNRO MC3/171 466X8, MC3/167 466X7).
50 NNRO MC3/264, Nesfield’s specification.
51 This is explained in Wyatt’s letter of 3 March 1871, recently deposited in the NNRO. Bartram’s bills for 1871/2 are in NNRO: MC3/159 466X8; MC3/193; MC3/213. For his work in 1875 see MC3/222. Austin and Seeley’s bills for ornamental stone features in 1875 are MC3/222 and in 1876/7 MC3/226.
52 Adams’ specification is NNRO MC3/547 516X4. Immediately after the 1874 fire in the east wing advice was taken on the installation of a fire fighting water supply. See bill for consultation by Easton and Anderson in 1875 (NNRO MC3/226).