• 1784

The copies of design and working drawings including full size details were all made (together with a copy of a letter originally dated 28 February 1784) by John Sanders after 1 September 1784 when he was articled to Soane for six years. It is sometimes thought that Soane worked without assistance until Sanders's arrival. But that is not the case since a number of drawings from very early in Soane's career have been attributed to Robert Baldwin (fl.1762-c.1804). There were also other ad hoc draughtsmen including Christopher Ebdon (1744-1824) who had worked with Soane in the office of Henry Holland in the 1770s. Soane's office Journal has an entry for 10 February 1784 that includes 'Mr Branthwaite 3 sections 1 elevation 1 plan ... Ebdon, 4 days, self 3' and in the office 'Accompt book / from 1781' a note of 14 January 1785 states (without giving the job) 'Paid C Ebdon in full for drawings to this day 5.50'.
Soane's addition of two new wings containing a drawing room and dining room were, with the old house, demolished for a new house built in 1858-9. The walls of the walled garden remain and were Soane's work. Unexecuted, was his design for a bath-house, for which he charged three guineas on 7 September 1784 (SM Note Book 13). A sketch design for the bath is in the Victoria & Albert Museum see P.du Prey, Sir John Soane, 1985 in series of 'Catalogues of architectural drawings in the Victoria and Albert museum', catalogue 117, plate 24.

There is an entry for Mr 'Branthwayt' in SM Ledger A that mentions, 'Two drawings of designs for Cold / Baths' that with other designs for an eating room and a drawing room are marked 'Drawings not executed' (sic). Presumably meaning, that the reception rooms were not executed to these designs.

Literature. P. du Prey, John Soane: the making of an architect, 1982, pp.14-16, 18, 231; P. du Prey, Sir John Soane, 1985, in series of 'Catalogues of architectural drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum', cat.117, plate 24; D. Stroud, Sir John Soane architect, 2nd ed.1996, p.242; P. Dean, Sir John Soane and the country estate, 1999, p.170

Jill Lever, August 2009

Scheme

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

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