VANBRUGH, John

Blenheim Palace is a monumental mansion designed by the controversial architect Sir John Vanbrugh in the rare English Baroque style. The palace was originally meant to be a gift from Queen Anne and the British parliament to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough in recognition of his important military victories against the French and Bavarians during the War of the Spanish Succession. The palace was named after the most famous of these which took place near the small village of Blindheim, Bavaria (Germany). It was built between 1705 and circa 1722.

From the very beginning the construction project was fraught with design disagreements, funding failures and political intrigue. The Duke’s wife, Sarah, was determined to use Sir Christopher Wren who was already famous for his work on St Paul’s Cathedral. To her annoyance her the Duke appointed Sir John Vanbrugh who, at the time was more designer than architect. From that point on the construction site was a never ending source of conflict. Vanbrugh’s ideas far exceeded the available funds and this pressure is thought to have contributed to the breakdown in the once excellent relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill although the primary reasons were, as usual, political. Both the Duke and his wife were eventually forced to live in exile in Europe and Scotland until the death of the Monarch. State funds for Blenheim Palace had ceased so the remainder of the project was paid for by the Duke himself.

Vanbrugh was eventually dismissed from the project and banned from the site. The project was finished by Nicholas Hawksmoor sometime after the death of the Duke who, together with his wife are interred in the exceptional tomb that is part of the palace chapel. Blenheim palace is unique as a family home, mausoleum and national monument.

The picture shows the main (north) fa�ade.

View the ground plan of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.

Blenheim Palace is a monumental mansion designed by the controversial architect Sir John Vanbrugh in the rare English Baroque style. The palace was originally meant to be a gift from Queen Anne and the British parliament to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough in recognition of his important military victories against the French and Bavarians during the War of the Spanish Succession. The palace was named after the most famous of these which took place near the small village of Blindheim, Bavaria (Germany). It was built between 1705 and circa 1722.

From the very beginning the construction project was fraught with design disagreements, funding failures and political intrigue. The Duke’s wife, Sarah, was determined to use Sir Christopher Wren who was already famous for his work on St Paul’s Cathedral. To her annoyance her the Duke appointed Sir John Vanbrugh who, at the time was more designer than architect. From that point on the construction site was a never ending source of conflict. Vanbrugh’s ideas far exceeded the available funds and this pressure is thought to have contributed to the breakdown in the once excellent relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill although the primary reasons were, as usual, political. Both the Duke and his wife were eventually forced to live in exile in Europe and Scotland until the death of the Monarch. State funds for Blenheim Palace had ceased so the remainder of the project was paid for by the Duke himself.

Vanbrugh was eventually dismissed from the project and banned from the site. The project was finished by Nicholas Hawksmoor sometime after the death of the Duke who, together with his wife are interred in the exceptional tomb that is part of the palace chapel. Blenheim palace is unique as a family home, mausoleum and national monument.

The picture shows the main (north) fa�ade.

View the ground plan of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.

The mighty complex measures 275 meters in length and 175 meters in depth, centring on a large court. The great hall and salon lie at the centre of the longitudinal axis, and the kitchen court and stable court with the relevant appointments are sited on the transverse axis. Heterogeneous architectural elements are used in a sort of collage and colonnades and porticos are used as links. English heritage is predominant in the design. The decoration designed by Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) is a clear expression of the national character of the palace.

The picture shows the entrance (the North Gate).

View the ground plan of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.

Blenheim Palace is a monumental mansion designed by the controversial architect Sir John Vanbrugh in the rare English Baroque style. The palace was originally meant to be a gift from Queen Anne and the British parliament to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough in recognition of his important military victories against the French and Bavarians during the War of the Spanish Succession. The palace was named after the most famous of these which took place near the small village of Blindheim, Bavaria (Germany). It was built between 1705 and circa 1722.

From the very beginning the construction project was fraught with design disagreements, funding failures and political intrigue. The Duke’s wife, Sarah, was determined to use Sir Christopher Wren who was already famous for his work on St Paul’s Cathedral. To her annoyance her the Duke appointed Sir John Vanbrugh who, at the time was more designer than architect. From that point on the construction site was a never ending source of conflict. Vanbrugh’s ideas far exceeded the available funds and this pressure is thought to have contributed to the breakdown in the once excellent relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill although the primary reasons were, as usual, political. Both the Duke and his wife were eventually forced to live in exile in Europe and Scotland until the death of the Monarch. State funds for Blenheim Palace had ceased so the remainder of the project was paid for by the Duke himself.

Vanbrugh was eventually dismissed from the project and banned from the site. The project was finished by Nicholas Hawksmoor sometime after the death of the Duke who, together with his wife are interred in the exceptional tomb that is part of the palace chapel. Blenheim palace is unique as a family home, mausoleum and national monument.

The picture shows the main (north) fa�ade.

View the ground plan of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.

Blenheim Palace is a monumental mansion designed by the controversial architect Sir John Vanbrugh in the rare English Baroque style. The palace was originally meant to be a gift from Queen Anne and the British parliament to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough in recognition of his important military victories against the French and Bavarians during the War of the Spanish Succession. The palace was named after the most famous of these which took place near the small village of Blindheim, Bavaria (Germany). It was built between 1705 and circa 1722.

From the very beginning the construction project was fraught with design disagreements, funding failures and political intrigue. The Duke’s wife, Sarah, was determined to use Sir Christopher Wren who was already famous for his work on St Paul’s Cathedral. To her annoyance her the Duke appointed Sir John Vanbrugh who, at the time was more designer than architect. From that point on the construction site was a never ending source of conflict. Vanbrugh’s ideas far exceeded the available funds and this pressure is thought to have contributed to the breakdown in the once excellent relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill although the primary reasons were, as usual, political. Both the Duke and his wife were eventually forced to live in exile in Europe and Scotland until the death of the Monarch. State funds for Blenheim Palace had ceased so the remainder of the project was paid for by the Duke himself.

Vanbrugh was eventually dismissed from the project and banned from the site. The project was finished by Nicholas Hawksmoor sometime after the death of the Duke who, together with his wife are interred in the exceptional tomb that is part of the palace chapel. Blenheim palace is unique as a family home, mausoleum and national monument.

The picture shows the main (north) fa�ade.

View the ground plan of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.

The picture shows the view from the parkland landscaped by Lancelot Brown (1716-1783), more commonly known with the byname Capability Brown, England’s greatest gardener.

The relationship of the building to the landscape was a crucial part of the design. Vanbrugh and Henry Wise created formal gardens and turned the surrounding forest into parkland to provide a more appropriate frame for the house; Vanbrugh also sought (unsuccessfully) to retain the nearby medieval ruins of Woodstock Manor. His triple-spanned Grand Bridge in front of the palace originally crossed three canals but now spans the lake created by ‘Capability’ Brown when he redesigned the landscaping.

View the ground plan of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.

Seaton Delaval Hall is a country house in Northumberland, England. It was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1718 for Admiral George Delaval. The style of architecture is known as English Baroque, based on the Palladian style introduced into the England by Inigo Jones. Vanbrugh evolved the style from the more decorated and architecturally lighter continental Baroque popular in Europe.

In the design, echoes of the middle ages are strong. Like a fortress, the house is flanked by polygonal towers and defiant Doric columns frame the rusticated main fa�ade. The Palladian windows provide a unique contrast with the austere architecture.

The picture shows a view from the north.

Seaton Delaval Hall is a country house in Northumberland, England. It was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1718 for Admiral George Delaval. The style of architecture is known as English Baroque, based on the Palladian style introduced into the England by Inigo Jones. Vanbrugh evolved the style from the more decorated and architecturally lighter continental Baroque popular in Europe.

In the design, echoes of the middle ages are strong. Like a fortress, the house is flanked by polygonal towers and defiant Doric columns frame the rusticated main fa�ade. The Palladian windows provide a unique contrast with the austere architecture.

The picture shows a view of the main fa�ade.

From 1699 John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor were commissioned to build Castle Howard, a country seat in New Yorkshire, by the Earl of Carlisle. The complex, between courtyard and garden, consists of corridor-like living quarters. their centre the salon, opening onto the garden, is balanced on the side of the courtyard by the great square hall. This has the effect of a religious space, with its abbreviated transept and the mighty tambour and dome that had never been seen before in English secular architecture.

The picture shows the entrance. The fa�ade, with its alternating twin giant Doric pilasters and double window axes is highly original.

Vanbrugh designed and built a group of small houses for himself and some of his family at Blackheath between 1718 and 1725. (Blackheath is a district of south-east London straddling the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham.) The first of these, and the only one to survive, is his own house, Vanbrugh Castle. As initially built in 1718-19, it was a small, tall, symmetrical building of London stock brick, with a round stair tower flanked by two square turrets on the front, and a central bow window overlooking Greenwich and the lower reaches of the Thames at the back. On his marriage in January 1719 Vanbrugh added a second block, again symmetrical in itself, to make an asymmetrical whole.

Vanbrugh designed and built a group of small houses for himself and some of his family at Blackheath between 1718 and 1725. (Blackheath is a district of south-east London straddling the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham.) The first of these, and the only one to survive, is his own house, Vanbrugh Castle. As initially built in 1718-19, it was a small, tall, symmetrical building of London stock brick, with a round stair tower flanked by two square turrets on the front, and a central bow window overlooking Greenwich and the lower reaches of the Thames at the back. On his marriage in January 1719 Vanbrugh added a second block, again symmetrical in itself, to make an asymmetrical whole.

Blenheim Palace is an English country house designed by John Vanbrugh for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. It was begun in 1705 and completed c. 1725. The gardens, initially laid out by Vanbrugh and Henry Wise, were largely redesigned in 1764-74 by ‘Capability’ Brown. Blenheim Palace is regarded as one of the finest examples of English Baroque architecture. It was a gift to the Duke from a grateful Crown and nation to commemorate his victory in 1704 over the French and Bavarians at Blenheim (now Blindheim) during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14). The intention was to create a public monument symbolizing the glory of Britain and a palace fit for a hero, rather than a building on a domestic scale. This is reflected in Vanbrugh’s dramatic and monumental design, inspired by both English and French architecture, which developed the style he had begun to formulate in his earlier work at Castle Howard. In both undertakings he was assisted by Nicholas Hawksmoor.

Blenheim Palace represents the culmination of the English Baroque, but it was regarded as being out of date even before it was finally completed. It remains the finest expression of Vanbrugh’s theatrical style, combining dramatic quality and a sense of mass and volume with the more intricate details and complex skyline that heralded a more picturesque and Romantic approach. The building was first projected to cost around £100,000, but at least three times that amount was spent during the main building phase (1705-12), with 1500 workmen employed at one time. Work was halted in 1712 when the Marlboroughs lost favour with Queen Anne and went into exile.

After the accession of George I, construction resumed (1716), but Vanbrugh resigned almost immediately after disputes with the Duchess, who had always wanted Wren as the architect and a comfortable home rather than a monument. She employed the cabinetmaker James Moore (1670-1726) to advise her, and in 1722, after the death of the Duke, recalled Hawksmoor (who had departed with Vanbrugh) to complete the work. When Vanbrugh attempted to visit the building in 1725, the Duchess refused him entrance. Later modifications were made by William Chambers, who redecorated the palace in the 1760s and 1770s.

The palace is entered through a clerestoried Great Hall, from where the staircase leads to the upper floors. Beyond the Hall is the Saloon, with a musicians’ gallery above. To either side of it extend symmetrical suites of state apartments consisting of antechamber, drawing-room and bed-chamber; together with the Saloon, these occupy the entire south front. Along the west front of the house runs the Long Gallery (intended as a picture gallery but completed as a library); to the east were the family apartments, designed on a more domestic scale.

The interior decoration and fittings were lavishly executed. Door- and window-frames are of marble, with architectural carvings by Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) in an uncharacteristically restrained classical style appropriate to the great proportions of the rooms. The ceiling of the Great Hall was painted with an allegory of the Duke presenting a plan of the Battle of Blenheim to Britannia (1716) by James Thornhill in his continental Baroque style. The walls and ceiling of the Saloon were decorated (c. 1720) by Louis Laguerre (1663-1721), the former painted as an illusionistic composition of a colonnade open to the sky, from behind which figures representing the four continents look into the room. In the Gallery and Hall hung works by Titian, Rubens and Raphael, while the state suites were hung with Brussels tapestries, including a set of ten ‘Victories’ depicting the Duke’s campaigns (in situ). There are said to be 187 rooms in the main building.

The photo shows the Long Gallery.

The picture shows the Salon. The decoration designed by Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) is a clear expression of the national character of the palace.

The picture shows the second state room.

The palace is entered through a clerestoried Great Hall, from where the staircase leads to the upper floors. Beyond the Hall is the Saloon, with a musicians’ gallery above. To either side of it extend symmetrical suites of state apartments consisting of antechamber, drawing-room and bed-chamber; together with the Saloon, these occupy the entire south front. Along the west front of the house runs the Long Gallery (intended as a picture gallery but completed as a library); to the east were the family apartments, designed on a more domestic scale.

The interior decoration and fittings were lavishly executed. Door- and window-frames are of marble, with architectural carvings by Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) in an uncharacteristically restrained classical style appropriate to the great proportions of the rooms. The ceiling of the Great Hall was painted with an allegory of the Duke presenting a plan of the Battle of Blenheim to Britannia (1716) by James Thornhill in his continental Baroque style. The walls and ceiling of the Saloon were decorated (c. 1720) by Louis Laguerre (1663-1721), the former painted as an illusionistic composition of a colonnade open to the sky, from behind which figures representing the four continents look into the room. In the Gallery and Hall hung works by Titian, Rubens and Raphael, while the state suites were hung with Brussels tapestries, including a set of ten ‘Victories’ depicting the Duke’s campaigns (in situ). There are said to be 187 rooms in the main building.

The photo shows oone of the state rooms.

Seaton Delaval Hall is a country house in Northumberland, England. It was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1718 for Admiral George Delaval. The style of architecture is known as English Baroque, based on the Palladian style introduced into the England by Inigo Jones. Vanbrugh evolved the style from the more decorated and architecturally lighter continental Baroque popular in Europe.

The picture shows the entrance, looking back fron the first floor balcony.

From 1699 John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor were commissioned to build Castle Howard, a country seat in New Yorkshire, by the Earl of Carlisle. The complex, between courtyard and garden, consists of corridor-like living quarters. their centre the salon, opening onto the garden, is balanced on the side of the courtyard by the great square hall. This has the effect of a religious space, with its abbreviated transept and the mighty tambour and dome that had never been seen before in English secular architecture.

The picture shows the entrance hall.