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Purpose

Undocumented proposal for rebuilding St James's Palace, possibly associated with William Benson's Surveyorship, 1718-19

Signed and dated

  • Main Year: 0
  • c.1715-1720
    Other Years

Notes

This hitherto unrecorded scheme probably belongs to the early years of the reign of George I, when proposals were under consideration for the rebuilding of St James's Palace. The design is Palladian in character, with a plain external treatment and Venetian windows at two levels in the square-plan corner and intermediate pavilions of the north (bottom) and south (top) elevations. The hand of the drawings is not that of William Dickinson, who became Clerk of Works at Whitehall, Westminster and St James's Palaces in 1713 prepared several groups of designs for alterations at St James's Palace from 1703 until he was dismissed in 1715 (see Geraghty, The Architectural Drawings of Sir Christopher Wren, 2007, nos 246-252). They may have been prepared under the supervision of William Benson and his Deputy Surveyor Colen Campbell during their brief tenure of office from April 1718 to July 1719.

Level

Group

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Contents of Undocumented proposal for rebuilding St James's Palace, possibly associated with William Benson's Surveyorship, 1718-19