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Six unexecuted schemes for a villa at Acton: villas A to F, 31 May - 2 August 1800 (46)
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Purpose
Six unexecuted schemes for a villa at Acton: villas A to F, 31 May - 2 August 1800 (46)
Signed and dated
- 1800
Main Year
Notes
Having bought an empty plot of land in May 1800, Soane was able to design a house for Acton without the physical constraints imposed by a pre-existing building. The design evolution of section 1 begins with a simple compact villa with vestigial wings (which become even smaller in subsequent drawings). Drawings 7 to 17 show the vestigial wings slightly curved (a development from designs Soane had made for Tyringham). The design process elaborates on this, moving through a bombé drawing room and then adding symmetrical projecting porches on both entrance and garden fronts. The later designs show low walls joining these porches to the main body of the house.
There are also two models, corresponding to the later designs from this section, MII46 and MII45. The former appears very similar in design to drawings 41 to 46, although without the low curved walls linking the porch to the main body of the house, or the urns and figurative statues. MII45 is very close to drawing 36.
Soane sold the site to an Acton neighbour, John Winter (Solicitor to the Bank of England) who obligingly took it off Soane’s hands when the latter decided to buy Pitzhanger for £4,000 more than he had paid for the land at Acton (which cost him only £500).
The Acton designs form an important starting point for those for Pitzhanger - although the nature of design was eventually very different, given the constraints of the pre-existing building at Ealing.
Virginia Brilliant's TS Catalogue has been instrumental to the creation of this catalogue.
Matilda Burn 2010
There are also two models, corresponding to the later designs from this section, MII46 and MII45. The former appears very similar in design to drawings 41 to 46, although without the low curved walls linking the porch to the main body of the house, or the urns and figurative statues. MII45 is very close to drawing 36.
Soane sold the site to an Acton neighbour, John Winter (Solicitor to the Bank of England) who obligingly took it off Soane’s hands when the latter decided to buy Pitzhanger for £4,000 more than he had paid for the land at Acton (which cost him only £500).
The Acton designs form an important starting point for those for Pitzhanger - although the nature of design was eventually very different, given the constraints of the pre-existing building at Ealing.
Virginia Brilliant's TS Catalogue has been instrumental to the creation of this catalogue.
Matilda Burn 2010
Level
Sub-scheme
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
Contents of Six unexecuted schemes for a villa at Acton: villas A to F, 31 May - 2 August 1800 (46)
- Designs for villa A, May-July 1800 (3)
- Revised designs for villa A, September 1800 (2)
- Survey of plots for sale, July 1800 (1)
- Variant designs for villa B, June-July 1800 (4)
- Record drawings for villa B, c. June 1800 (2)
- Designs for villa C, incorporating an extended vestibule, c. June 1800 (2)
- Variant designs for villa C, c. June 1800 (3)
- Preliminary working drawing for villa C, c. June 1800 (1)
- Designs for villa D, c. July 1800 (5)
- Record drawing for villa E, c. July 1800 (1)
- Variant designs for villa E, c. 11-12 July 1800 (7)
- Designs for villa E with bow on side, 14 July 1800 (3)
- Site and record drawings for villa E as part of its surroundings, July 1800 (2)
- Designs and preliminary working drawings for villa F, c. July 1800 (4)
- Record and presentation drawings for villa F, July - August 1800 (6)