The Building of Castle Howard - Softcover

Charles Saumarez Smith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712666664 ISBN 13: 9780712666664

Publisher: Pimlico, 1997

Synopsis

This book is the first complete study of the circumstances which led to the building of Castle Howard, one of the greatest and best-known English country houses. It describes how and why Charles Howard, third earl of Carlisle, decided to build it; how the architect Sir John Vanbrugh received his first commission; how the building was paid for and where the money came from; how the gardens and park were laid out; and the decision to build the first classical mausoleum in England, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. The Building of Castle Howard is the historical detective story of a house which Sir John Vanbrugh was determined should be 'the top seat and garden of England'.

About this title

From Library Journal:

Saumarez-Smith, assistant keeper at the Victoria and Albert Musuem, has compiled the first exhaustive study of this extravagant early 17th-century Yorkshire country house, built by Charles Howard, third Earl of Carlisle. Archival material from 28 repositories, including family papers at Castle Howard, support Saumarez-Smith's thesis that political aspirations induced Howard to build the lavish structure. The author also addresses the roles of architects Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor and the castle's innovative landscape design, decor, and furnishings. One chapter is devoted to Hawksmoor's Mausoleum, which Smith places "among the great architectural buildings in England." Conscientious notes and bibliography cite sources, including manuscripts. Black-and-white photographs, plans, and drawings enhance the text. Essential for academic and architecture collections.
- Christine Whittington, Pennsylvania State Univ., College Station
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pimlico
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0712666664
• ISBN 13: 9780712666664
• Binding: Paperback