[1] Design for a house, as executed, c1786

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Robert and James Adam office drawings
- Town houses
  - Brighton
    - Marlborough House, Brighton, Sussex, designs for a house and its interior, for W.G. Hamilton, as executed, c1786 (13)
      - Designs for a house, as executed, with part-execution of offices, c1786 (3)

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Reference number

SM Adam volume 42/40

Purpose

[1] Design for a house, as executed, c1786

Aspect

Plan of a five-bay building with alterations. With a stepped front entrance leading to a hall, with an apsidal dining room to the right, and with a rectangular drawing to the left. To the rear there is an octagonal dressing room. The proposed alterations show a rear porch entrance leading to a curved courtyard. The court yard is surrounded by kitchen offices, stable and coach houses, and with two bow-fronted shops to the rear

Scale

bar scale of 1 inch to 10 feet

Inscribed

Plan of a House for General Hamilton Principal Story (pencil) / shop / shop / Coachhouse (sic) / Gateway / Coach house / Parlor / Parlor / Yard / Yard / Larder / Larder / Stable / Court / Kitchen / Stable Court / Scullery / Privy / Dressing room / Butlers room / Privy / Dressing room / Hall / Dining room and some dimensions given

Signed and dated

c1786
c1786

Medium and dimensions

Pen, pencil and pink wash on laid paper (286 x 502)

Hand

Possibly
Office hand, possibly Robert Morison

Watermark

Fleur-de-lis within a crowned cartouche

Notes

Following Hamilton’s death in 1796, the house was sold at auction. The sale lots mention the presence of stabling for six horses, alongside numerous domestic offices. The rear porch shown in the plan here was also executed; however it has since been removed. Miele highlights the ingenuity of the design for the rear approach, where Adam diverts attention away from the unbalanced elevation, providing curved walls for the kitchen wing and stables. Miele compares the design for the offices to Adam’s early plans for Lansdowne House, Berkley Square.

Literature

Bolton, 1922, Volume II, Index p. 55
Miele, 1998, pp. 159, 163-4
King, 2001, Volume I, p. 136
McKean (ed.), 2017, pp. 12, 16
For a full list of literature references see scheme notes.

Level

Drawing

Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation

If you have any further information about this object, please contact us: drawings@soane.org.uk