Hatchlands Park - a Regency History guide

Hatchlands Park © A Knowles (2014)

Hatchlands Park is a red-brick Georgian mansion in East Clandon, Surrey, built for Admiral Edward Boscawen and his wife Frances in the 1750s. The interiors of the house were designed by Robert Adam and the grounds were re-landscaped by Humphry Repton c1800. The house belongs to the National Trust and is leased to Alec Cobbe, a distant relation of the Irish beauty Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald, wife of Sir Anthony Browne, the original Tudor owner of the estate. Items from the Cobbe Collection of Old Masters and historic keyboard instruments are on display.

Hatchlands Park - side view © R Knowles (2019)

Admiral Boscawen’s house

In 1749, Hatchlands Park was bought by Admiral Edward Boscawen, younger son of the 1st Viscount Falmouth, and his wife, Frances, daughter of William Evelyn Glanville of St Clair, Kent, and great niece of the diarist John Evelyn. Frances later became one of the leading bluestocking hostesses, holding literary salons at her home in South Audley Street.

Having lived in the old Tudor house for some years, the Admiral commissioned a new house in c1756. The exterior was designed in the Palladian style by Stiff Leadbetter, Surveyor to St Paul’s, whilst the interiors were designed in a more Neoclassical style by Robert Adam. This is some of Adam’s earliest work and shows what his designs were like when he first returned from his Grand Tour. Designed around a nautical theme including sea nymphs, anchors, dolphins, cannons and Neptune, the decorations were originally white. Hatchlands boasts a number of beautiful Adam ceilings, friezes and fireplaces, but the work remained unfinished on the Admiral’s death in 1761.

Ceiling of the bay window in the Saloon, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

 Humphry Repton at Hatchlands

William Brightwell Sumner bought Hatchlands in 1770, having made his fortune in the East India Company. His son, George Holme Sumner, commissioned Humphry Repton to redesign the grounds and one of Repton’s famous Red Books detailing his plans, most of which were executed, survives. A facsimile copy of the Red Book is on display in the Drawing Room.

Gravel walk leading to Garden Entrance, Hatchlands
© R Knowles (2019)

Sumner commissioned Joseph Bonami to alter several rooms, including the Garden Hall – the entrance hall for visitors today.

Later history

The house was sold to Lord Rendel in 1889. His alterations included: a new entrance on the east side of the house; a new dining room; the redecoration of the Staircase Hall; the Music Room, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield; and the gilding and colouring of Adam’s plasterwork. 

Lord Rendel’s grandson, Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel, gave the house to the National Trust in 1945.

Since 1987, Hatchlands has been the family home of Alec Cobbe and the display setting for his fantastic collection of Old Masters and historic keyboard instruments, including the ‘library table’ piano used by Bizet to compose Carmen.

The Stables, Hatchlands
© A Knowles (2014)

 What you can see today

As Hatchlands is a family home, no internal photographs are allowed, but I have found some old photographs in a book about Adam's work.

Garden Hall

This was the main entrance until Lord Rendell created a new entrance on the east side of the house. The Garden Hall is the work of Joseph Bonomi and dates to about 1800.

Garden Entrance, Hatchlands © A Knowles (2014)

The Drawing Room

There is an Adam frieze and fireplace in this room. The original Adam ceiling collapsed c1860 and was replaced using one of the two Adam designs for this ceiling from John Soane’s Museum. Some of the fragments of the original ceiling are on display in the Second-hand Bookshop.

Fragments from the original Drawing Room ceiling at Hatchlands
On display in the Second-hand Bookshop

This room has my favourite portraits in the house on display – Admiral the Honourable Edward Boscawen by Sir Joshua Reynolds (on loan from the National Portrait Gallery); Queen Charlotte by Sir Joshua Reynolds; George IV by Sir Thomas Lawrence; and a self-portrait of Angelica Kauffman.

Note the bust of Marie Antoinette on the mantelpiece which looks down on her pianoforte.

There is also a painting of Catherine Cobb (1761-1839), a Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Caroline, by Jean-Laurent Mosnier.

Adam fireplace in the Drawing Room, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

The Saloon

The Saloon, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

This room was originally Admiral Boscawen’s dining room and has an Adam ceiling and chimney piece. There is also a pair of gilt console table with eagle supports dating from around 1750 which are amongst the few pieces of furniture that are original to the house. It is now hung with pictures from the Cobbe Collection.

The fireplace in the Saloon, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

Part of the ceiling in the Saloon, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

The Library

The Library, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

Another beautiful Adam fireplace and an Adam ceiling, but one that was not finished. The roundels now contain copies of Antonio Zucchi’s four Continents, painted by Alec Cobbe and his assistant.

Fireplace in the Library, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

Part of ceiling in the Library, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)
Note the empty roundels which have since been filled.

The Dining Room

This room, and part of the entrance hall, were originally Admiral Boscawen’s bedroom and dressing room. Most of the Adam ceiling from the bedroom was reused.

The decoration in this room was incomplete and is now based on a late 18th century design by Girard for Carlton House.

Fireplace in the Dining Room, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

The Staircase Hall

The large, flower-shaped classical ornaments and compartments are attributed to Adam. Lord Rendel added the plaster ribbons, swags and cameos.

First Floor Landing, Hatchlands
from The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

Music Room

This room contains portrait prints of composers and musicians.

Last visited May 2019

Sources used include:
Bolton, Arthur T, The architecture of Robert and James Adam (1758-1794) (1922)
The Cobbe Collection Trust in association with The National Trust, Hatchlands Park (2002)

Robert Adam, Neoclassical architect (1728-1792)

Robert Adam attributed to George Willison
Oil on canvas c1770-1774 © NPG 29531

Profile

Robert Adam (3 July 1728 – 3 March 1792) was a Neoclassical architect and interior designer. He was one of the most influential Georgian architects.

South front of Kedleston Hall designed by Robert Adam

 Early life

Robert Adam was born on 3 July 1728 at Kirkcaldy in Fife, the second son of William Adam and his wife Mary Robertson. Robert’s father was the leading Scottish architect at the time and Master Mason to the Board of Ordnance in North Britain. 

Robert was educated at Edinburgh high school and Edinburgh University before becoming an architect in his father’s firm in 1746. Two of Robert’s brothers, John (1721-1792) and James (1732-1794) also became architects in the family firm.

William Adam died in 1748 leaving his architectural practice to John, who took Robert into partnership. Robert inherited Dowhill, part of the Blair Adam estate in Scotland.

Grand Tour

Having amassed a fortune working for the family firm, Robert embarked on a Grand Tour in 1754-7. His tour included visits to Paris and Naples and, most importantly, Rome. He took lessons from Charles-Louis Clérisseau, Pompeo Batoni, Jean-Baptiste Lallemand, Laurent-Benoit Dewez and Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

Etruscan dressing room, Osterley Park, designed by Robert Adam

London practice

When Robert returned from Italy, he established himself as an architect in his own right in Lower Grosvenor Street in London. James made a similar trip to Italy and became a partner in Robert’s firm on his return in 1763.

Robert was fortunate to secure the early patronage of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, who used his influence to procure Robert’s appointment as Architect of the King’s Works in 1761, jointly with Sir William Chambers. Robert stepped down from this position in 1769, after being elected Member of Parliament for Kinross-shire (1768-1774) and was succeeded by his brother James. 

Robert’s commissions included both town houses and country estates. He was a master at designing both the grand frontage and interiors of the country house and making the most of the restricted space in the town house.

South front, Kenwood, designed by Robert Adam

The office

The firm was originally based in Lower Grosvenor Street but later moved to part of the Adelphi development and then to Albemarle Street. The office was an important training ground for draughtsmen and architects including Joseph Bonami and George Richardson. It was also a repository for all the Adam drawings. 

The firm employed many artists and decorators including colourist Guiseppe Manocchi, figure artist Antonio Zucchi, and decorative painters Giovanni Battista Cipriani, Peter Borgnis and Biagio Rebecca. Robert collaborated with others including Thomas Chippendale and Eleanor Coade.

The Adam style

Robert broke free from the conservative style of his father and the strict proportions of Palladianism and developed a lighter Neoclassical approach. He was influenced by the Picturesque style introduced to him by Paul and Thomas Sandby and by what he had seen and learned on his Grand Tour, such as the frescoes and wall paintings at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

One of his hallmarks was unity. Robert designed the whole room, creating furnishings that reflected the interior design of a room bringing a sense of harmony.

The Saloon, Saltram, designed by Robert Adam

Society fellowships

Robert was elected a fellow of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in 1758 and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1761. According to his obituary, he was a ‘fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies of London and Edinburgh.’2

Speculative building projects

As well as executing commissions for public and private buildings, the Adam brothers entered into several speculative construction projects. The first of these, The Adelphi, started in 1768, almost ruined them. The plan was to build 22 terraced houses with warehouse space below next to the north bank of the Thames. The firm was only saved from bankruptcy by a public lottery held in 1774. 

According to Bolton:

The magnitude of the undertaking and the enormous cost involved, arising from the gigantic foundations and vaults requisite to sustain the buildings and streets at the level of the Strand, together with the subsequent difficulty of finding tenants to pay adequate rents for the houses, vaults and wharves, caused the financial wreck of the speculative scheme.3

The Adam brothers carried out other speculative schemes at Portland Place (1776-90), Fitzroy Square (1790-94) and Charlotte Square, Edinburgh (1791).

The Adelphi, London, from  
The architecture of Robert and James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

What was Robert Adam like?

Robert Adam was a brilliant architect, but he was very poor in managing money. He was notorious for going over budget and this was probably the main reason why he did not receive more public commissions in England.

Robert was a very charming man and inspired loyalty, respect, patronage and friendship. His obituary stated that

… the natural suavity of his manners, joined to the excellence of his moral character, had endeared him to a numerous circle of friends, who will long lament his death.

It continued:

The friendships he formed were with men who have since eminently distinguished themselves by their literary productions; amongst whom were Mr David Hume, Dr Robertson, Dr Adam Smith, Dr Adam Ferguson and Mr John Home. At a more advanced time of life he had the good fortune to enjoy the friendship and society of Archibald Duke of Argyle, the late Mr Charles Townshend, the Earl of Mansfield, and several other of the most illustrious men of the age.4

I am inclined to think that Robert was something of a workaholic. According to his obituary:

To the last period of his life, Mr Adam displayed an increasing vigour of genius and refinement of taste; for, in the space of one year preceding his death, he designed 8 great public works, beside 25 private buildings, so various in their style, and so beautiful in their composition, that they have been allowed, by the best judges, sufficient of themselves to establish his fame unrivalled as an artist.5

Wedgwood cameo of Robert Adam
from The architecture of Robert and 
James Adam by AT Bolton (1922)

Final years

Robert suffered from a recurring stomach complaint, with severe attacks in 1787 and 1789. He suffered from another bout in 1792 which proved fatal. He died on 3 March 1792 at his home, 13 Albemarle Street, London. Robert never married, and in his will, he left his estate to two of his sisters, Elizabeth and Margaret Adam, both spinsters.

Robert was given a private funeral and interred in the south aisle of Westminster Abbey. His illustrious pallbearers were Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch; George Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry; James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale; David Murray, Viscount Stormont, later 2nd Earl of Mansfield; Lord Frederick Campbell; and William Pulteney, later Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet.

Published works

Robert wrote a travel book, The Ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro (1764) based on his studies during his Grand Tour.

As an advertisement for their work, the Adam brothers published The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam over the period 1773 to 1778. This was republished in 1779. A further volume was published posthumously in 1822.

In the 1770s, Robert bought an estate in Essex and became interested in agriculture. He published Practical Essays on Agriculture in 1789.

Drawings

The Adam brothers left behind a huge collection of almost 9,000 drawings spanning 36 years, from when Robert set up his London practice in 1758 until James’s death in 1794. They included designs for over 350 different clients. Some loose drawings were sold by auction in 1818 and 1821, but the rest, comprising 54 folios of drawings, were offered to the British Museum by Robert’s niece, Susanna Clerk, in 1822. The British Museum declined. Sir John Soane bought the entire collection for £200 in 1833 for his newly established museum.

Design for entrance gate at Syon House
from The Works in architecture of Robert and James Adam 1773

Legacy

Robert’s obituary stated:

Mr Adam produced a total change in the architecture of this country; and his fertile genius in elegant ornament was not confined to the decoration of buildings, but has been diffused into almost every branch of manufacture. His talents extended beyond the line of his own profession; he displayed in his numerous drawings in landscape a luxuriance of composition, and an effect of light and shadow, which have scarcely ever been equalled.6

Many examples of Robert and James Adam’s architecture and interior design work still exist, though some have been substantially altered.

As his obituary said:

The many elegant buildings, public and private, erected in various parts of the kingdom by Mr Adam, will remain lasting monuments of his taste and genius.7

Notes
1. This picture is © National Portrait Gallery, London, and is displayed under a Creative Commons licence.

2. Obituary of Robert Adam, The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle Volume 62 (1792)
3. Bolton, Arthur T, The architecture of Robert and James Adam (1758-1794) (1922)
4. Obituary op cit
5. Ibid
6. Ibid
7. Ibid

Sources used include:

Adam, Robert and Adam, The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam (1773)

Bolton, Arthur T, The architecture of Robert and James Adam (1758-1794) (1922)

Swarbrick, John, Robert Adam and his brothers (1915)

Tait, AA, Adam, Robert (1728-1792), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn Oct 2009, accessed 27 Aug 2014)

The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle Volume 62 (1792)

John Soane’s Museum website

All photographs © Regencyhistory.net

Kenwood - a Regency History guide

Kenwood (2014)

Kenwood is a stunning neoclassical villa on Hampstead Heath in London. You may recognise its beautiful white façade from one of my favourite films, Notting Hill, where it is the backdrop for the Henry James film that Anna Scott (played by Julia Roberts) is shooting. It also appears in Mansfield Park (1999) starring Frances O’Connor, and Belle (2014) starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Belle is based on the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (1761-1804), the illegitimate, mixed-race great niece of Lord Chief Justice William Murray, Earl of Mansfield, who once lived there. Kenwood also boasts some of architect Robert Adam’s best work.

William Murray, Earl of Mansfield (1705-1793)

William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield
from a miniature on display in Kenwood (2019)

The first house at Kenwood was built in the early 17th century. In 1746, the estate was bought by John Stuart, 3rd Earl Bute, who added the orangery. He sold Kenwood to lawyer William Murray in 1754. Two years later, Murray became Lord Chief Justice and received a barony, thereby becoming Lord Mansfield, the name by which he is better known. Lord Mansfield is famous for his legal judgements which aided the abolition of slavery, in particular, the Somerset case of 1772. He lived in a house in Bloomsbury during the week and spent the weekends at Kenwood. In 1776, he was made Earl of Mansfield.

Dido Elizabeth Belle and Lady Elizabeth Murray from a replica
of the painting by David Martin (c1778) on display in Kenwood.
The original hangs in Scone Palace, Scotland.

Lord Mansfield and his wife Lady Elizabeth Finch (1704-84) had no children. However, from about 1766, Kenwood became home to three of Lord Mansfield’s relations – his niece, Anne Murray, the sister of his heir, David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont; Elizabeth Murray, Viscount Stormont’s daughter by his first marriage; and Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate, mixed-race daughter of another of Lord Mansfield’s nephews, Sir John Lindsay. 

Kenwood from The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam (1773)

Between 1767 and 1779, Lord Mansfield employed Robert Adam and his brother James to remodel Kenwood. Adam built the library on the east side to counterbalance the orangery already existing on the west, achieving a neoclassical symmetry on the south front overlooking the park. He also designed the new north front with its pillared portico. Adam remodelled and redecorated the interiors using master craftsmen such as Joseph Rose and Antonio Zucchi. The library is reckoned to be one of Adam’s masterpieces and I would agree – it is an amazing room, worth just whiling away some time in.

The library, Kenwood (2019)

During the Gordon Riots of 1780, Lord Mansfield became a target for anti-Catholic sentiment. He was known for his Catholic sympathies and his Scottish descent led people to suspect him of Jacobite sympathies too. Lord Mansfield’s London home was attacked, and his legal library destroyed. Fortunately, Lord Stormont was able to use the militia to deter the mob from descending on Kenwood, diverting their attention by offering them refreshments at the nearby Spaniards Inn.

Toll gate house, Spaniards Gate (left) and Spaniards Inn (right),
less than half a mile from Kenwood, Hampstead (2019)

David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont and 2nd Earl of Mansfield (1727-96)

Viscount Stormont inherited Kenwood from his uncle in 1793. He employed architect Robert Nasmith, and later George Saunders, to make improvements to the house. He added a music room, decorated by Julius Caesar Ibbetson, and service wings including a new dairy. He diverted Hampstead Lane away from the house to gain more privacy and commissioned Humphry Repton to landscape the grounds. Repton’s designs for Kenwood appear in his Red Book of before and after pictures in 1793.

The bridge - picturesque but sham, Kenwood (2019)

David William Murray, 3rd Earl of Mansfield (1777-1840)

The third earl carried out some necessary work at Kenwood but spent most of his time at his Scottish seat of Scone Palace. He entertained William IV with a grand luncheon at Kenwood in 1835.

Later history

Like his father, the fourth earl, William David Murray (1806-1898) also preferred Scone Palace but he spent three months of the year at Kenwood. His son, another William David Murray (1860-1906) loved to entertain at Kenwood but on his sudden death in 1906, his brother Alan David Murray (1864-1935) inherited and as he preferred Scone Palace, Kenwood was leased to tenants.

The sixth earl planned to sell Kenwood for redevelopment and sold off the contents by auction in 1922. Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, was a Hampstead resident at this time. He took out a lease on Kenwood in 1924 and his family trust then bought the house and the remaining land. Lord Iveagh bequeathed Kenwood to the nation and it became an independent museum which is now managed by English Heritage.

What you can see today

Kenwood is open to visitors and offers free admission. It is well worth a visit. Although the original contents were sold, Kenwood is full of works of art bequeathed by Lord Iveagh, including both Old Masters and Georgian portraits.

The north front

The north front, Kenwood (2019)

The portico of the north front, Kenwood (2019)

 The south front

The south front, Kenwood (2019)

Detail of the south front, Kenwood (2019)

The entrance hall

Entrance hall, Kenwood (2019)

Entrance hall ceiling, Kenwood (2019)

The great staircase

The great staircase, Kenwood (2019)

The antechamber

The antechamber, Kenwood (2019)

The library

The library, Kenwood (2019)

The library ceiling, Kenwood (2019)

 The dining room

The dining room, Kenwood (2019)

 The breakfast room

The breakfast room, Kenwood (2019)

The orangery

The orangery, Kenwood (2019)

The green room

The green room, Kenwood (2019)

The music room

The music room, Kenwood (2019)

Actress Mrs Jordan by John Hoppner
in the music room, Kenwood (2019)

 The upper hall

Adam fireplace in the upper hall, Kenwood (2019)

The miniatures room

Miniatures cabinet, Kenwood (2019)

Miniature of Earl Grey in the miniatures room, Kenwood (2019)

The bath house

The restored 18th century cold bath, Kenwood (2014)

Last visited March 2019.

Sources used include:

Houliston, Laura and Jenkins, Susan, Kenwood, The Iveagh Bequest (English Heritage, 2014)