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  • image Image 1 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 2 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 3 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 4 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 5 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 6 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 7 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 8 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 9 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 10 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 11 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 1 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 2 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 3 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 4 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 5 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 6 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 7 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 8 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 9 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 10 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146
  • image Image 11 for SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146

Reference number

SM (60) 28/7/5 (61) 28/7/6 (62) 28/7/26 (63) 28/7/27 (64) 28/7/28 (65) 28/7/29 (66)'Miscellaneous / Drawings / of / Architectural / Designs' volume 59/146

Purpose

Preliminary design, revised designs, copies of (presumably) the final design for the offices, 1786 (7)

Aspect

60 General plan showing block plan of Mansion House with offices around a Kitchen Court and with a detached building on the far (east) side, the offices surrounded by hedges and trees 61 Unfinished plan (copied from drawing 1) and elevation showing the detached laundry/bakehouse/brewhouse building as two-storeyed 62 Elevations of five-bay, two-storey and of two-bay single storey offices 63 Plan of kitchen court and and detached laundry/bakehouse/brewhouse with a block plan of the kitchen offices, and elevations 64 Plan of the kitchen offices, unfinished (pencil) Plan of the Chambers over the Kitchen Offices and Elevation of the Offices next the Kitchen Court, Elevation of part of the Entrance front of the House (verso) rough pencil plans and elevation for offices (by Soane) 65 Plan and three elevations (verso) elevations of stables, quite close to as executed 66 Plan and three elevations of kitchen and other offices, a reduced copy of drawing 61 but with sketch (pencil) drainage added to the plan (probably by Soane)

Scale

(60) bar scale of 1/12 in to 1 ft (61) 1/12 in to 1 ft (62) 1/6 in to 1 ft (63-64) 1/8 in to 1 ft (65) bar scale of 1/9 in to 1 ft (66) bar scale of 1/15 in to 1 ft

Inscribed

60 as above, Footpath, H[ouse]Keeper, Store room, Pantry, Kitchen, Scullery, Area (twice), Dust / hole, Waiting Room, Coal, 5 barred / Gate, Wood (twice), Larder, Dairy, Chys (unlikely to be 'chimneys'), Laundry, Irong board, Meal room, Washouse & Bakehouse, Brewhouse, Drying Ground, Chicken Coops, Poultry Yd, Coals for / Laundry/ &c, (left-hand side) Dusthole / Chicken Coop / Cacotoji (sic, 'cacotopia' ? - ' a place where all is evil' (OED), that is, dung heap), dimensions given and calculations, verso (Baldwin) Mr Dillingham / a General Plan of House & Offices
61 as above, labelled H[ouse]Keeper, Store room, Larder, Scullery, (feint pencil) Cleaning / Shoes/ Knives / Bottle Room, Dairy, Wet larder, (feint pencil) Laundry and some dimensions given
62 Elevation on the line KL, Section on the Line H J, labelled Ground, Ground line, Ro.[und] Arch (twice), Gauged (three times), some dimensions given and, verso (Baldwin) Mr Dillingham / a General Plan of House / & Offices
63 North West front, South West front of the Offices at Letton Hall / G.H. must agree in every respect with I K, North East front labelled Windows / at top and This Roof Pediment pitch, plan labelled Chambers / over this / room (twice), Sunk two / feet and Oven, note: The Cornice B. must agree / in every respect with / the Cornice A, already executed, closely dimensioned and verso (Baldwin) Mr Dillingham / Plan of Stables with four Elevations
64 (feint pencil note by Soane next to Plan of the Chambers ...) the chimneys marked A A are executed / the Flues cannot be carried thro / the Main Building but must be / carried thro the Roof of the Offices, A. This Window to be placed in the / middle of the end of the Room / B. To correspond with A / CD} Leave flues here, (Soane) The Level of Set off to Mansion House, Level of Ground in Entrance front, Level of Pavement of Area, Level of Kitchen floor, Level of Pavement of Basement Story, labelled Mansion House, Door / into / House, Housekeeper, Store Room, Kitchen, Larder, Scullery, dimensions given, some calculations and, verso (Baldwin) Mr Dillingham / Plan of Offices
65 (Baldwin) Mr Dillingham / Elevation of Offices
66 B.G.Dillingham Esqr

Signed and dated

  • (60) Feb:y 1786 (63) Feb: 1786 (65 verso) John McDonnell March 30th 1786 (66) (pencil) Margt Street (pen) July 24th 1786

Medium and dimensions

(60) Brown pen, pink and sepia washes, pencil within double-ruled border on laid paper with three fold marks, top left-hand corner missing (561 x 450) (61) pen, sepia and pink washes, pencil on laid paper with three fold marks (563 x 449) (62) pen and sepia wash on cartridge paper (312 x 470) (63) pen, brown pen, pencil on cartridge paper with three fold marks (488 x 604) (64) brown pen, pen, pencil on cartridge paper with three fold marks (454 x 592) (65) pen, sepia, cream and light blue washes, shaded, within single wide ruled border, pricked for transfer on laid paper with three fold marks and traces of red sealing wax on corners, verso, the same (437 x 586) (66) pen, cream, sepia and pink washes, pencil, shaded on laid paper bound into volume 59 (391 x 277)

Hand

(60-63) Soane (60) Soane/John McDonnell (1770- , pupil 1786-91) (65-66) John McDonnell

Watermark

(60-61, 65) J Whatman, fleur-de-lis above cartouche with bar and below, ornate W (66) fleur-de-lis

Notes

John McDonnell whose hand writing can be seen on drawing 64, and who made drawings 65 and 66 (and also 67-69) was born in 1770 and was articled to Soane from18 March 1786 to 1791 (according to A.T.Bolton's list of pupils, Appendix C, Works of Sir John Soane ..., 1923) where he is given as John McDowell. He was the son of J. McDonnell a carpenter of Mount Street, Berkeley Square, London. This building background may account for the proficiency of drawing 65, dated 30 March 1786. McDonnell signed it which suggests self-confidence but was not the usual practice in Soane's office and it is doubtful that he did so again. (For more on McDonnell see H.Colvin, Biographical dictionary of British architects 1600-1840, 3rd ed., 1995.)
An earlier design for the house including offices and stables is shown on drawings 7 and 8, dated 1783.
The Gurdon Papers (TS transcription by Lord Cramworth from the Gurdon papers in his possession, copy in SM green box files) show that Soane was 'Making designs for the offices' on 13 and 15 February 1786 and 'Making a fair draw[ing] of Offices' on 25 February. On 22 March he was at Letton to 'set out Offices'; things moved quickly once the decision had been made to start building the offices.
P.Dean, op.cit., wrote that 'White brick was used for the 'outer'elevations (matching the house) while cheaper local red brick was used on the inner courtyard elevations and the front facing the stables. These red brick areas are now whitewashed. The east range, facing the stables, with shallow pediments is best preserved, but with considerable alterations to the door and window openings. The single-storey north range was raised in height during the alterations of the nineteenth century, while the south block was entirely reconstructed. Wall and brick piers survive to the yard which was originally brick and pebble paved.
For a note on the design for stables on verso of drawing 65 see following catalogue entry.

Literature

P.Dean, Sir John Soane and the country estate, 1999, pp.167-8

Level

Drawing

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