The Georgian London Town House : Building, Collecting and Display

For every great country house of the Georgian period, there was usually also a town house. Chatsworth, for example, the home of the Devonshires, has officially been recognised as one of the country’s favourite national treasures – but most of its visitors know little of Devonshire House, which the family once owned in the capital. In part, this is because town houses were often leased, rather than being passed down through generations as country estates were. But, most crucially, many London town houses, including Devonshire House, no longer exist, having been demolished in the early twentieth century. This book seeks to place centre-stage the hugely important yet hitherto overlooked town houses of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, exploring the prime position they once occupied in the lives of families and the nation as a whole. It explores the owners, how they furnished and used these properties, and how their houses were judged by the various types of visitor who gained access. This book explores London town houses of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, considering the important position they once occupied in the lives of families, the capital, and the nation as a whole. Such buildings have not received the attention they deserve. Scholars have, to date, focused their efforts on the country houses which now form such a significant part of the heritage industry, not least because few town houses have survived. Some have left only fragmentary traces, while others have been completely destroyed and can now be recreated only on the basis of inventories and descriptive accounts. However, many of these buildings were designed or refashioned by the greatest architects of the day. They were lavishly decorated and furnished, and housed nationally – even internationally significant collections of works of art, books, manuscripts, and scientific and natural artefacts. Indeed, many owners concentrated their expenditure on and possessions in their properties in London, where they would spend large portions of the year. One section of this book looks at the processes of creation: the means by which these houses were designed, fashioned, furnished, and collections accumulated. The second focuses on subsequent display; on how these spaces were organised and their contents displayed for the benefit of the family, friends and visitors. These houses formed the backdrop to domestic lives, lavish social events, political machinations, and some even anticipated institutions such as the National Gallery in opening their doors and collections to members of the (respectable) public. Cover page 1 Halftitle page 2 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgements 13 Illustrations 17 Introduction 24 Reconstructing the London Town House 32 Inhabiting the London Town House 38 Notes 42 Part One Architecture, Furnishing, Decorating 48 1 A House Divided 50 Sources of Evidence 51 No 43, Parliament Street – The Political House 52 A House Divided: Parliament Street and Cannon Row 57 The Political Operative 61 The Actress 63 Public and Private 64 The House Next Door 65 The Wider Streetscape 66 Great George Street 67 Notes 68 2 ‘You never saw such a scene of magnificence and taste’ 72 Rebuilding and Refurbishment 72 The Private Rooms and Servicing of the House 74 The State Rooms on the Ground Floor 75 The Grand Circuit on the First Floor: ‘Rooms of taste, expense, state and parade’ 77 The Duchess’s Private Apartment 84 The Grand Entertainment: Clothes and Jewels 87 Dining in Style 87 Aftermath and Legacy 88 Notes 89 3 The Refurbishment of Northumberland House 94 The Transformation of Northumberland House: 1748–57 96 Northumberland House and Mid-Eighteenth-Century London Palace Construction 104 Conclusion 107 Appendix 107 Architects 108 Bricklayers 109 Cabinet-makers 109 Carpenters 110 Carvers and Sculptors 110 Chandelier Makers 111 Coachmakers 111 Gilders 111 Glaziers 112 Ironmongers 112 Linnen Drapers 112 Masons 112 Painters 113 Paviors 114 Plasterers 114 Plumbers 114 Silversmiths 115 Slaters 115 Smith 115 Notes 115 4 Town and Country 122 Amphibeous Creatures 123 Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (1675–1722) 123 Robert, 4th Earl of Sunderland (1701–29) 126 Charles Spencer, 5th Earl of Sunderland and 3rd Duke of Marlborough (1706–58) 126 The Hon John Spencer (1708–46) 127 John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer (1734–83) 128 George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer (1758–1834) 132 Wives and Widows 134 Conclusion 134 Notes 136 5 The Regency Transformation of Burlington House, Piccadilly 142 The Spiers Album 144 The Stevenson Album 154 The Caryl Barry Album and the Chesham Loan 158 Samuel Ware’s Design and Drawing Influences 159 Notes 164 Part Two Buying, Collecting, Display 170 6 The Display and Reception of Private Picture Collections in London Town Houses, 1780–1830 172 Architect and New Work: Grosvenor House 175 Internal Works: No 24, Hill Street 179 Moving Picture Frames: No 22, St James’s Place 182 Visibility and Accessibility 184 Conclusion 185 Notes 186 7 Superb Cabinets or Splendid Anachronisms? 192 A ‘Great School’ of Anatomy 193 Natural Knowledge and the Fine Arts 200 Where the Royal Society Meets the Royal Academy 203 Notes 209 8 Artist in Residence 214 1760: Reynolds Moves In 214 1792 (and Aft er) 224 Towards 1900 (and After) 226 1937: The End 227 Notes 230 9 The Pictures at Carlton House 234 The Royal Town House 234 Carlton House Building History 235 Routes through Carlton House 237 A Portfolio of Paintings 240 The Picture Hang 243 Dutch and Flemish Masters at Carlton House 246 The Meaning of Dutch Art 249 Conclusion 250 Notes 251 10 Glitter and Fashion in the ‘ Louvre of London’ 256 The ‘ Louvre of London’ 256 The Gallery at Cleveland House 257 Glitter and Fashion: Sociability at Cleveland House 262 Looking at Art in the ‘Louvre of London’ 265 Conclusion 267 Notes 267 11 John Julius Angerstein and the Development of his Art Collection at No 100, Pall Mall, London 270 The Pall Mall Collection in relation to Angerstein’s ‘other’ Art Collection, Interests and Investments 270 Family, Friends, Dealers and Artists who assisted Angerstein in his Art Collecting 271 Buying Old Masters for Pall Mall and the Shaping of the Collection 273 The Display of the Art Collection at Pall Mall 275 Promoting the Pall Mall Collection: Admittance of Visitors and Loans to Exhibitions 278 The Reputation of Angerstein’s Pall Mall Art Collection 281 Conclusion 283 Notes 284 Afterword 290 The Afterlife of the London Town House – Joseph Friedman 290 The Shifting Landscape of Scholarship and Looking Ahead – Susanna Avery-Quash 296 Notes 300 Select Bibliography 306 Picture Credits 328 Index 332 A House Divided : Building Biographies And The Town House In Georgian London / Matthew Jenkins And Charlotte Newman -- The Display And Reception Of Private Picture Collections In London Town Houses, 1780-1830 / Susannah Brooke -- John Julius Angerstein And The Development Of His Art Collection At No. 100, Pall Mall, London / Susanna Avery-quash. Edited By Susanna Avery-quash And Kate Retford. Revised Papers Presented In Their Original Form At The Conference Animating The Georgian London Town House, March 17, 2016, National Gallery, London. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.