Soane's early alternative designs (drawings 1 to 5) have attached service wings on either side of the house with drawings 6 to 7 showing rather ambitious detached wings linked to the house by a walled court. However, drawing 12 has a simple kitchen addition on the left-hand side. The design for kitchen offices (of which drawing 20 is a copy) was made in April 1785 and sketchily amended by Soane on 22 August 1786. It is assumed that this represents something close to the built design, altered later in the 19th century and demolished in the restoration and renovation of 1970-71. References in Soane's Note Books 12 and 13 for October and November 1784 show him working on designs for the offices. Then follow the drawings catalogued here made in April 1785 and (21) revised in August 1786. The Reverend Gooch was a bachelor when he commissioned the new rectory and did not marry until February 1791. It was perhaps this lack of feminine interest and, no doubt, for reasons of cost, that decisions about the offices took some time to resolve.

Group

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

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