Danson House
The anatomy of a Georgian Villa
Will be published approx. on 30. April 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
112 pages
978-1-873592-75-5 (ISBN)
Description
Danson House (1762-66) is one of the finest surviving villas by the architect Robert Taylor (1714-88). Restrained, compact and ingeniously planned, it was built for the City merchant John Boyd (1718-1800), who had made his fortune in the West Indies sugar trade. Boyd had a keen eye for the arts. He engaged William Chambers to design chimney pieces, picture frames and garden buildings, the French Provencal artist Charles Pavillon to paint a vibrant suite of allegorical panels for the dining room, and the landscape architect Nathaniel Richmond to remodel the grounds in the manner of Capability Brown.
This book tells the story of the house, the estate, its owners, and its restoration by English Heritage between 1995 and 2004 after a long period of neglect. Written by two specialists who were closely involved in the conservation and repair work, it explains how the building evolved from the start of construction in 1762, as wings were added and then demolished, and how the interiors were later modified to accommodate Victorian standards of comfort. Restoring these interiors to their appearance when the house was finished in the late 1760s has revealed Danson House as one of the glories of Georgian domestic architecture.
This book tells the story of the house, the estate, its owners, and its restoration by English Heritage between 1995 and 2004 after a long period of neglect. Written by two specialists who were closely involved in the conservation and repair work, it explains how the building evolved from the start of construction in 1762, as wings were added and then demolished, and how the interiors were later modified to accommodate Victorian standards of comfort. Restoring these interiors to their appearance when the house was finished in the late 1760s has revealed Danson House as one of the glories of Georgian domestic architecture.
Reviews / Votes
'Danson's story is told by Lea and Miele in a clear, lucid style, mercifully free of the jargon and half-baked theorising which nowadays bedevils some academic writing on eighteenth-century architecture. The book is beautifully produced to the impeccable standards we have come to expect of English Heritage - long may their publications department flourish! - with copious illustrations and specially-drawn plans.'Geoffrey Tyack, The Georgian
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Liverpool University Press
Illustrations
152 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 276 mm
Width: 219 mm
Weight
810 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-873592-75-5 (9781873592755)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Content
Acknowledgements
Preface
1. The origins of Danson
2. Augustus and John Boyd
3. Robert Taylor, architect of Danson
4. Proportion and structure in Taylor's villa at Danson
5. Completing the house and landscaping the park, 1765-1773
6. Planning, decoration and iconography
7. The cost of life as a gentleman
8. Nineteenth-century Danson
9. Danson House and Park since 1924: decline and restoration
Appendix 2 Sale Inventory of 1805
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Preface
1. The origins of Danson
2. Augustus and John Boyd
3. Robert Taylor, architect of Danson
4. Proportion and structure in Taylor's villa at Danson
5. Completing the house and landscaping the park, 1765-1773
6. Planning, decoration and iconography
7. The cost of life as a gentleman
8. Nineteenth-century Danson
9. Danson House and Park since 1924: decline and restoration
Appendix 2 Sale Inventory of 1805
Notes
Bibliography
Index