Matthew Brettingham
Matthew Brettingham | |
---|---|
Born | 1699 |
Died | 19 August 1769 |
Occupation | Architect |
Buildings |
Matthew Brettingham (1699 – 19 August 1769), sometimes called Matthew Brettingham the Elder, was an 18th-century
Born in Norwich, into a family of craftsmen, Brettingham worked initially as a surveyor, gaining experience through jobs for the city's civic authorities. Work included restorations at
In addition to designing their country houses, Brettingham developed a substantial practice in the construction of town houses for the aristocracy. Major commissions included Norfolk House and Cumberland House. Drawing inspiration from Italian urban palazzo, and from Andrea Palladio's rural villas, he created a style and arrangements of rooms perfectly suited to the lavish entertaining undertaken by the mid-18th century nobility. Here, as in the country, he was ultimately superseded, and his reputation eclipsed, by the rise and success of Robert Adam. Brettingham died in 1769. His son, Matthew Brettingham the Younger, also pursued an architectural career.
Early life
Brettingham was born in 1699, the second son of Launcelot Brettingham (1664–1727), a
Local contractor
During the early
Architect
In 1734, Brettingham had his first great opportunity, when two of the foremost Palladian architects of the day,
Brettingham was commissioned in 1742 to redesign
In 1745, Brettingham designed Gunton Hall in Norfolk for Sir William Harbord, three years after the former house on the site was gutted by fire.[17] The new house of brick had a principal facade like that of Hanworth Hall, however, this larger house was seven bays deep, and had a large service wing on its western side.[18] His commissions began to come from further afield: Goodwood in Sussex and Marble Hill, Twickenham.[2][19]
In 1750, now well-known, the architect received an important commission to remodel
The Euston commission seems to have brought Brettingham firmly to the notice of other wealthy patrons. In 1751, he began work for the Earl of Egremont at Petworth House, Sussex. He continued work intermittently at Petworth for the next twelve years, including designing a new picture gallery from 1754, and a pair of lodges, originally called Gog and Magog but renamed the Gohanna lodges in honour of Lord Egremont's prize-winning racehorse, in 1756–1763.[22] Over the same period his country-house work included alterations at Moor Park, Hertfordshire;[23] Wortley Hall, Yorkshire;[24] Wakefield Lodge, Northamptonshire;[a] and Benacre House, Suffolk.[27][2][19]
London townhouses
From 1747, Brettingham operated from London as well as Norwich. This period marks a turning point in his career, as he was now no longer designing country houses and farm buildings just for the local aristocrats and the Norfolk gentry, but for the greater aristocracy based in London.[28]
One of Brettingham's greatest solo commissions came when he was asked to design a town house for the
But it was the design of the interior of Norfolk House that was particularly influential, coming to define the layout and ground plan of the London town house for the next century.[30] The floor plan was based on an adaptation of one of the secondary wings he had built at Holkham Hall.[32] A circuit of reception rooms centred on a grand staircase, with the staircase hall replacing the Italian traditional inner courtyard or two-storey hall. This arrangement of salons allowed the circulation of guests at large parties; having been received at the head of the staircase they were able to move through the reception rooms without having to double back on later-arriving guests. The second advantage was that while each room had access to the next, it also had access to the central stairs, thus allowing only one or two rooms to be used at a time for smaller functions. Previously, guests in London houses could only reach the principal salon by progressing through a long enfilade of minor reception rooms. In this square and compact way, Brettingham came close to recreating the layout of an original Palladian villa. He transformed what Andrea Palladio had conceived as a country retreat into a London mansion appropriate for the lifestyle of the British aristocracy, with its reversal of the usual Italian domestic pattern of a large palazzo in town, and a smaller villa in the country. As happened so often in Brettingham's career, Robert Adam later developed this design concept further, and was credited with its success. However, Brettingham's plan for Norfolk House was to serve as the prototype for many London mansions over the next few decades.[30][33]
Brettingham's additional work in London included two more houses in St. James's Square: No. 5 for the
Kedleston Hall
In 1759
Brettingham moved on to other projects. In the 1760s, he was approached by his most illustrious patron, the
Legacy
Its royal occupant may very well have made York House the pinnacle of Brettingham's career. Built during the 1760s, it was one of his last grand houses. His last country-house commission was at Packington Hall, Warwickshire.[52] In 1761, he published his plans of Holkham Hall, calling himself the architect, which led critics, including Horace Walpole, to decry him as a purloiner of Kent's designs.[c][2][54] Brettingham died in 1769 at his house outside St. Augustine's Gate, Norwich, and was buried in the aisle of the parish church.[1] Throughout his long career, Brettingham did much to popularise the Palladian movement.[55] His clients included a Royal Duke and at least twenty-one assorted peers and peeresses. He is not a household name today largely because his provincial work was heavily influenced by Kent and Burlington, and unlike his contemporary Giacomo Leoni he did not develop, or was not given the opportunity to develop, a strong personal stamp to his work on country houses. Ultimately, he and many of his contemporary architects were eclipsed by the designs of Robert Adam. Adam remodelled Brettingham's York House in 1780 and, having supplanted both Brettingham and James Paine at Kedleston, went on to replace Paine as architect at Nostell Priory,[56] Alnwick Castle,[57] and Syon House.[58]
Brettingham's principal contribution to architectural change was perhaps the design of the grand London town house; often with unremarkable exteriors, Brettingham replaced the traditional long Baroque
There is no evidence that Brettingham ever formally studied architecture or travelled abroad. Reports of him making two trips to Continental Europe,[62] are the result of confusion with his son, Matthew Brettingham the Younger.[3] That he enjoyed success in his own lifetime is beyond doubt—Robert Adam calculated that when Brettingham sent his son on the Grand Tour (1747), he went with a sum of money in his pocket of around £15,000 (£2.56 million in 2024), an enormous amount at the time.[28] However, part of this sum was probably used to acquire the statuary in Italy (documented as supplied by Matthew Brettingham the Younger) for the nearly completed Holkham Hall.[63] Matthew Brettingham the Younger wrote that his father "considered the building of Holkham as the great work of his life",[64] and it is perhaps the building for which he is best remembered although the exact nature and extent of his contribution continues to be a matter of scholarly debate.[65][66][67][68]
Notes
- ^ Wakefield Lodge, a hunting lodge for the Dukes of Grafton, is generally attributed to William Kent.[25] However, as at Holkham, exact attribution is uncertain. In a paper for The Georgian Group published in 1993, Richard Hewlings suggests Brettingham may have had considerable input, perhaps executing Kent's initial designs.[26]
- ^ The architectural critic, Benjamin Forgey, in a review of the Kedleston exhibition at the Octagon Museum in Washington D.C. in 1987, drew a contrast between the Brettingham/Paine north front, and Adam's south façade; "the north front, its pedimented centerpiece and symmetrical wings designed mainly by Brettingham and/or Paine (but with a few telling alterations by Adam), is an impressive neoclassical exercise, strong, simple, clear. The south front, designed by Adam in 1760, is a vastly more muscular, more original undertaking, with projecting domed rotunda, sweeping double staircase and powerful Corinthian columns combined with elegant surface decorations".[47]
- ^ A portrait of Brettingham by John Theodore Heins Senior, showing him holding a drawing of the Triumphal Arch at Holkham, is held in the library of the Royal Institute of British Architects.[53]
- ^ The panelling from the music room at Norfolk House, decorated by Giovanni Battista Borra, survives in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.[59]
References
- ^ a b c "Matthew Brettingham the Elder". Parks&Gardens UK. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lucas, Robin (2008). "Matthew Brettingham the Elder (1699-1769) - Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Howell 1964, p. 345.
- ^ a b Howell 1964, p. 346.
- ^ "Norfolk Architects: Matthew Brettingham (1699-1769)". Norfolk County Council. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Margaret, Saturday Market Place (Grade I) (1211336)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Howell 1964, p. 348.
- ^ Howell 1964, p. 349.
- ^ Colvin 1995, p. 155.
- ^ Colvin 1995, p. 157.
- ^ Historic England. "Holkham Hall (Grade I) (1373659)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Nicolson 1965, p. 247.
- ^ Historic England. "Heydon Hall Park and Gardens (Grade II*) (1000187)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Colvin 1995, pp. 155–157.
- ^ Historic England. "Langley Park School (Grade I) (1306509)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Hanworth Hall (Grade I) (1049863)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Gunton Park (Grade II*) (1049868)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Gunton Park, park and gardens (Grade II*) (1000331)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Colvin 1995, p. 156.
- ^ Historic England. "Euston Hall (Grade II*) (1376940)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "The History of Euston Hall". Euston Hall. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Gohanna Lodges". Giles Jollands Architect. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Moor Park and Orangery/Stable block (Grade I) (1173698)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Wortley Hall with Attached South-Front Terrace and Steps Including Attached Retaining Wall and Steps (Grade II*) (1192585)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Wakefield Lodge (Grade II*) (1371656)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Hewlings 1993, p. 43-61.
- ^ Historic England. "Benacre Hall Stables (Grade II) (1032108)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ a b Howell 1964, p. 350.
- ^ Girouard 1978, p. 196.
- ^ a b c Girouard 1978, p. 197.
- ^ Robinson, John Martin (10 June 2018). "Norfolk House: The lost London palace that was razed to the ground, recreated 80 years on". Country Life. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Girouard 1978, p. 195.
- ^ Sheppard 1960, pp. 187–202.
- ^ "5 St James's Square" (PDF). BDG Sparkes Porter. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "13 St James's Square (Grade II*) (1235824)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Sheppard 1960, pp. 99–103.
- ^ Sheppard 1960, pp. 136–149.
- ^ City of Westminster (25 October 2007) Minutes of Planning Applications Sub-Committee 3 Archived 2008-04-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 10 March 2008.
- ^ Taylor, David (30 December 2021). "Hidden wonders in London's Piccadilly". Construction Index. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ a b National Trust 1998, p. 10.
- ^ National Trust 1998, p. 7.
- ^ a b Jackson-Stops 1990, p. 94.
- ^ Jackson-Stops 1990, p. 96.
- ^ Harling 1969, p. 126.
- ^ a b Jackson-Stops 1990, p. 95.
- ^ a b National Trust 1998, p. 9.
- ^ Forgey, Benjamin (21 November 1987). "Robert Adam's World of Details". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Plan of the principal floor of Kedleston Hall (as built) – Item NT109257". National Trust. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ "Cumberland House, 86 Pall Mall". Sir John Soane's Museum. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Sheppard 1960, pp. 364–367.
- RIBA. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Packington Hall (Grade II*) (1116473)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Matthew Brettingham the Elder (1699–1769)". Art UK. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Wilson 1984, pp. 175–176.
- ^ Centre for Urban History, School of Historical Studies, University of Leicester (25 June 2007) Architecture: The Classical Style Archived 2007-10-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 7 March 2008.
- ^ Historic England. "Nostell Priory (Grade I) (1262071)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Alnwick Castle (Grade I) (1371308)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ "Syon House, Brentford, Greater London: designs for the interior and the park for the 1st Duke of Northumberland, 1761-69". Sir John Soane's Museum. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- V&A. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Colvin 1995, pp. 156–157.
- ^ "Matthew Brettingham the Elder (1699–1769)". Art UK. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ a b Burnet 1886, pp. 287–288.
- Royal Academy. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Colvin 1995, p. 154.
- ^ Schmidt 2015, pp. 83–108.
- ^ Goodall, John (4 September 2022). "The creation of Holkham Hall". Country Life. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Goodall, John (28 August 2022). "Holkham Hall: There are few places a modern visitor can get so close to the realities of life on the grand scale in 18th century Britain". Country Life. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- RIBA. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
Sources
- Burnet, G. W. (1886). "Brettingham, Matthew". In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 6. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 287–288.
- ISBN 0-300-06091-2.
- ISBN 0-300-02273-5.
- Harling, Robert (1969). Historic Houses. Conde Nast Publications.
- Hewlings, Richard (1993). "Wakefield Lodge and Other Houses of the Second Duke of Grafton" (PDF). The Georgian Group. 3: 43–61. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- Howell, James D. E. (1964). "Matthew Brettingham and the County of Norfolk". Norfolk Archaeology. 33, Part III (3). doi:10.5284/1077966.
- ISBN 1-85145-383-0.
- Lucas, Robin (2008). "Brettingham, Matthew, the elder (1699–1769)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008.
- ISBN 0-600-01651-X.
- National Trust, ed. (1998). Kedleston Hall.
- Schmidt, Leo (2015). "Holkham Hall: An Architectural 'Whodunnit'". Architectural History. 58: 83–108. S2CID 194901745. Retrieved 18 November 2023. (Subscription required)
- Sheppard, F. H. W. (1960). St. James Westminster, Part 1. Vol. 29. Survey of London.
- Wilson, Michael I. (1984). William Kent. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-7100-9983-5.
External links