User:Giano/Exploding Houses
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The British aristocracy have been demolishing their country houses since the 15th century, when comfort replaced fortification as as essential need. In fact demolishing and rebuilding their country homes became a pleasant pastime and diverting topic of conversation, especially during the 18th century when it became fashionable to take the Grand Tour and return home with new art treasures from Italy. However, during the 20th century something changed. The demolishing accelerated and the rebuilding stopped. The reasons for this are manifold. A combination of politics and changing life-styles caused a wave of destruction to a large part of Britain's national heritage. Since 1900 378 architecturally important country houses have been demolished[1] in Scotland alone, 200 of these since 1945 [2]. This number can be applied pro-rate to both England and Wales. Included in the destruction were works by Robert Adam [3] and the monumental Hamilton Palace. One firm, Charles Brand of Dundee, demolished at least 56 country houses in Scotland in the 20 years from 1945 to 1965.[4]
The destruction which bagan as a trickle following World War I reaced its zenith in 1955, when one house was demolished every five days.[5]. Following the second world Britain was pervaded by a feeling that socialism would be permanent. Indeed as early as 1944 the trustees of Castle Howard convinced there was no future for Britain's great houses had begun selling the house's contents. [6] Increasing taxes, and a shortage of staff were already ensuring that the old way of life had gone for ever. This meant that the wealth and status of the owner provided no protection to the building as even the more wealthy owners became keen to free themselves of not only the expense of a large house but also the trappings of wealth and priviledge. Thus it was not only the smaller country of houses of the gentry that dissapeared but also the huge ducal palaces Alfred Waterhouse's gothic Eaton Hall, owned by Britain's wealthiest peer was razed to the ground in 1963 replaced by a smaller modern building, sixteen years earlier the Duke of Bedford had reduced Woburn Abbey to half its original size destroying facades and interiors by both Henry Flitcroft and Henry Holland. The Duke of Devonshire saved Hardwick Hall by surrendering it to the treasury in lieu of death duties which were charged at the maximum rate of 80% of the total value of an estate [7] but this solution was rarely acceptable to the government.
During the 1960 historians and public bodies began to realise the loss to the nation's heritage of this desrtruction............
[edit] Overview of page
[edit] Reasons for mass demolition
- urban development.
- Many aristos had two houses so preferred to live in the most rural
- 2 World Wars. Seen carnage.
- Most people's parents worked in such places
- Untill opening in the 60s mosy working class people had never seen upstairs, and even if they had they were not educated to appreciate
- Find a ref for all of the above!
The Ancient Monuments Consolidation Act of 1913 which was a list of important ancient monuments considered of value to the national heritage had deliberately excluded inhabited houses[8] This oversight which lead to the destruction of so much can be attributed to the prevailing attitude of the aristocracy themselves. When in 1911 the immensly wealthy Duke of Sutherland acting in a whim wished to dispose of Trentham Hall, a vast Italianate palace on Staffordshire, he first offerd it to the County Council, when not settlement to be reached he decided to demolish it. The smallest public resistance to this plan caused the Duke of Rutland to write an irrate letter to the times accusing the objectors of "impudence" and going to say "....fancy my not being allowed to make a necessary alteration to Haddon without first obtaining the leave of some inspector" [9] [10] Thus despite money being no problem for its owner [11] Trentham Hall was completely obliterated from its park, which the Duke retained and then opened to the public.
The reasons that so many British country houses were destroyed in the 20th century can during the second half be fairly attributed to politics and social conditions. During the second world war many large houses were requisitioned, and subsequently for the duration of the war were use for the billeting of military personnel, government operations, hospitals, schools and a myriad of other uses all far removed from the purpose for which they were designed. At the end of the war when handed back to the owners many were in a poor if not ruinous state of repair. During the next two decades restriction applied to building works as Britain was rebuilt, priority being given to replacing what had been lost during the war rather than the oversized home of a seemingly elite family. In addition death duties which had been raised to all time highs by the new Labour Government which swept into power in 1945 hit Britain's aristocracy hard. These factors coupled with a decrease in people available or willing to work as servants left the owners of country houses facing huge dilemmas of how to manage their estates. The most obvious solution was to off-load the the cash eating family mansion. Many were offered for sale suitable for institutional use, those not readily purchased were speedily demolished. In the years immediately after the war the law, even had it wished to, was powerless to stop the demolition of a private house no matter how architecturally important.
Ended in late 1960s/early 1970s by Town and Country Planning Act 1968 and change of attitudes.
Mention Halnaby Hall demolished 1952 - attempts to save ut etc *Byron's honeymoon
[edit] Evaluation and cause of individual architectural losses
The following houses have been selected to describe the loss inarchitectural terms, they have been chosen because they exemplify the style in which they were built. For each of the houses described many dozens of houses in the same styles of better and worse architectural merit were destroyed
[edit] Medieval
[edit] Renaissance
[edit] Restoration
Check this one out - is it restoration looks like it mostly is somewhere aboy that period[Emral Hall - It in Wales so good start for evening the balance[3] [4]
[edit] Baroque
Wingerworth Hall demolished 1927 was the ancestral home of the Hunloke family, built on an elevated site and completed in 1724 by an unknown architect, the house was in the rare style of understated Baroque peculiar to England. The rectangular building was on three floors raised above a semi-basement. Thus causing to the principal rooms to be on a piano nobile reached from a broad straight external staircase. The principal facade was of three bays with the central entrance bay projecting. The ornament was chaste alleviated by only by the architrave of the central entrance which supported a broken pediment, quoining at the extremities of the building and massive key stones above each window. The roof was hidden by a balustrade decorated by urns alternating with stone spheres. This format of design was typical of the rare late English Baroque, and can be seen in a less sophisticated form at Sherborne House in Dorset and in its full fruitation at Chatsworth and Easton Neston. The interior of Wingerworth was arranged arownd a central double height hall described as "a model of English Baroque" [12]
By the end of the 19th century the Hunloke's fortune was severely depleted and the house was let to tennants. In 1920 ot was offered for sale, failing to find a purchaser wishing to reside in the house the Hunloke family sold it to a demolition contractor, the interiors were stripped and sold. One of the rooms is today is displayed in the Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri. [13]
[edit] Palladian
Nuthall Temple in Nottinghamshire was one of only four houses built in Britain generally said to have been inspired by Palladio's Villa Capra in Vicenza [14]. The remaining three Mereworth Castle (completed 1723), Chiswick House [15] (completed 1729)) and [I can't remember its bloody name]] are today all listed as Grade 1 national monuments. Nuthall Temple was completed in 1757 towards the end of the Palladian fashion in England. Nuthall Temple [16] does not follow the imitation of Villa Capra as closely as its earlier prototypes but the homage to Palladio's concepts is strongly pronounced. In fact the house bears a stronger resemblance to Villa Pisani [17] by Vincenzo Scamozzi [18] This similarity makes the architecture of Nuthall extremely interesting as Villa Pisani (completed in 1578), like Nuthall, has a recessed portico rather than prostyle inserted within the facade. This was to become a strong feature of the neoclassical architecture [19] which was to follow Palladianism in Britain which makes Nuthall avant guarde in in its late Palladianism.
Designed by Thomas Wright [20] for a country land owner Sir Charles Sedley, the house way designed around a 58 ft [21] high hall beneath the central dome. The hall was decorated with rococo plaster-work of a standard easily equal to that at Claydon House. In 1817 the house passed to the Holden family who due to the burden of death duties [22]. The house was sold to a demolition firm and demolished. Today the M1 motorway passes directly over its site.
[edit] Neoclassical
Balbardie House was a country house in West Lothian, Scotland near to the town of Bathgate. Designed by Robert Adam this great neoclassical mansion was demolished in two stages in 1954 and in 1975 [23]
The seat since 1624 of the Marjoribanks family[24] The house was constructed at the end of the 18th century and situated within a park of 100 acres. [25] One of Adam's final designs, it is doubtful he saw the completed project as the plans are signed and dated 1792 [26] shortly before his death the house is typical of his neoclassical style the corps de logis having similarities with another of Adam's great houses Kedleston Hall except at Balbardie Adam used in a single small pediment at the centre rather than fully suggesting the Arch of Constantine as he did at Kedleston. Another common Adam feature highly defined, but in an unusual setting at Balbarbie are the recessed apses behind screening columns in the low wings connecting the three bayed pavilions to the corps de logis [27]. This was a feature Adam often used internally but seldom externally. That Adam was not present during the final stages of drawing and completion of the house is evident by the prominence of the chimneys at Kedleston and elsewhere so carefully disguised, the pitch of the roofs suggests a nothern Baroque such as the Nymphenburg (where the chimneys are equally visible). However, these features ar part of the charactor of the house and should not be seen as detracting from its architectural importance.
The glory of Balbarbie was to be short lived - barely sixt years, in 1861 it was purchased by the trustees of a hospital, later it was converted into apartments for miners. The house with the exception of one of the pavilions was demolished in 1954, the remaining pavilion was demolished in 1975. The author Ian Gow described the demolition thus: "the dilapidation and staged demolition of Balbardie.....due to a lack of funding, diminished the heritage of the work of one of Scotland's most celebrated architects, Robert Adam" [28]
Following the demolition of 1975 the Bathgate Leisure Centre was erected on the site. [29]
[edit] Italianate
[edit] Gothic revival
Tong Castle was a very large mostly Gothic country house in Shropshire, set within a park landscaped by Capability Brown. [30] While there was originally a 12th century castle on the site this was demolished in 1765 after the estate had been purchases by George Durant [31] who built the house illustrated. The building has been described both: as an "architectural mongrel" [32], and more flatteringly as "the first real gothic building in Shropshire" [33] while at first glance there appear some anomalies of design, such as the ogee domes which though Gothic in shape are more redolent of the English Reniassance style, the house was actually in the Strawberry Hill Gothic popularized by Horace Walpole.
Walpole's Gothic house at Strawberry Hill was begun in 1749, expanded in 1760, and completed in 1776. Thus the comparatively early date of 1765 for Tong castle to be erected in this fairly rare style would today have made Tong of the highest architectural grading class. The battlemented towers and pediments coupled with the paned, rather than traditional Gothic leaded, windows crowned by Ogee curves are typical of this style, as too are the generous bay windows with circular windows and cruciform motifs in the upper levels. The later 19th century Gothic tended to be more ecclesiastical and sombre in mood, with dark rooms lit by lancet windows while the earlier Gothic had larger windows and a "joie de vivre" of design not found in later versions of the style
The house assed from the Durant family to the Thorneycroft family, following the death of the last member og the Thorneycroft's in 1909 the house remained unoccupied gradually becoming ruinous. It was finally demolished on 1954 to make way for the M54 motorway.
[edit] The results and progress of acts designed to protect
Gathering of some thoughts and sense for final article (very dull - please no-one watching edit - it will all eventually be swept away:
[edit] Early acts pertaining to planning
British planning laws developed in a slow way from the public health acts of the 19th century more concerned with sanitation than asthetics. These acts began with various reforms of limited power during the 1840s. However, it was the 1875 public health which brought various local byelaw and acts together under one strong law. The 1875 Act was the first to consider accomadation and room sizes. Local authorities were given the powers to ensure that developers, anxious to cram as many buildings as possible into the smallest space, provided proper sewage systems and ensure room sizes were of a reasonable standard. Local authorities were also empowered to regulate not only the width of streets but also their construction. This led to sewers being placed under and an adequatly wide and paved road, making the narrow alleys flowing with excrement a thing of the past. The result was the the streets of long back to back terraces of housing synonemous with the Victorian housing . The 1875 act also provided provision for the enforced clearence of slum dwellings.
1888 saw the establishment of County Councils, adminastrative bodies desighned to oversea law, and to a limited extent create their own over each designated county. The County Council's replaced what had previously been known as the local Boards of Health - this was to provide an important change in emphasis from public health in housing to planning in general.
The begining of the 20th century saw further changes, not only in law, but in attitude by many employers. Employers realised the health of their workers could be directly related to productivity, and their employers health was often regulated by their housing. These enlightened employers began to construct ideal villages such as Bournville and Port Sunlight. The social reformer Ebenezer Howard published his book "Garden Cities of Tomorrow". This has been described as the book which was the starting point of the "New Towns Movement" first exemplified by Letchworth in 1903.
[edit] The Housing and Town Planning Act 1909
Was the first attempt in Britain to regulate what a land ownere could or could not do with his own property. Before this date a landowner could develop any area of land anywhere he liked. Tha act was not far reaching and chiefly concerned the social problems caused by bad housing in towns and cities. It made no attempt to regulate for or protect historic properties.
[edit] Ancient monument and Amendment Acts of 1882, 1900 and 1913
These acts were designed to cataloge the ancient monuments of Britain, but specifically omited to include any inhabited residence. Worsley claims one of the inspirations for the 1913 act was the proposal to transport Tattershall Castle to the USA. In the event it was purchased by Lord Curzon and the export of Lord Cromwell's castle was prevented. [34]
[edit] Town and Country Planning Act 1932
Was the first act of parliament designed to allow local authorities to prepare a long term development plan for an area. This was important to the owners of country estates as it allowed land for the first time to be zoned as suitable for large scale development in the future. As a strategy this was to prove a mistake [35] as it meant that the owner of a country estate could be payed advance for the land (if he so demanded), the authority then finding several years later they did not wish to build the large scale project initially envisage would then allow, and often encourage, small scale more haphazzardly planned development in order to recuperate their financial losses, thus many country estates which together made the English landscape as a whole began to loose the Constable quality they had retained.
[edit] Town and Country Planning (Interim Development) Act, 1943
Chiefly concerned with the redevelop,emt of war damaged areas, which took precedence over conservation and areas of historical importance
[edit] Town and Country Planning Act 1944
This act gave authorities the power to designate bombed land for development with the powers to compulasory purchase. Known as "Declatory areas" the local autority did not heve to develop themselves after compulasy purchase but could contract or sell to other developers [36]
The Act aslo made provision for a new miisterial department Ministry of Town and Country Planning they were charged with drawing up a list of buildings of architectural importance, and most importantly for the first time including inhabited buildings [37]
[edit] Town and Country Planning Act 1947
The the Town and Country Planning Act of 1947 went one step further regarding historical properties, this act required owners to notify the authorities of any intended alterations or significantly, demolitions. If necessary the authority was then enpowered to impose a preservation order. The Duke of bedford was in fact fined under this law for demolishing half of Woburn Abbey. However when in 1956 Lord Lansdowne notified the "Ministry of Housing and Government" of his intention to demolish the greater part and corps de logis of Bowood designed by Robert Adam, with the exception of James Lees-Milne, the noted biographer and historian of the English country house) no preservation society of historical group raised an objection and the demolition went ahead unchallenged. The mid 1950s, when country houses were reputed to be disapearing at the rate of obe every five days, were to prove the most catastrophic period of the 20th century for the British country house.
[edit] Town and Country Planning Act 1962
[edit] Town and Country Planning Act 1968
[edit] Town and Country Planning Act 1971
[edit] Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
[edit] Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997
[edit] Death Duty
death duties were not a phenomenum in Britain peculiar to the 20th century, thay had first been introduced 1796. Known as "Legacy Duty", itwas a tax payable on money bequeathed from a personal estate. Next of kin inheiriting were exempt from payment, but anyone other than wives and children of the deceased had to pay on a increasing scale depending on the distance of the relationship from the deceased.
The taxes gradually increased not only on the amount percentage of the estate that had to be payed, but also to include closer heirs liable to payment. By 1815 tax was liable to all except the spouse of the deceased.
By 1853 a new tax was introduced "Succession Duty" resulted in tax being liable on all forms of inheiritance. In 1881 "Probate Duty" became liable on all personal property bequeathed at death. The wording personal property meant that for the first time noy only the house and its estate were taxed but also the contents of the house and jewellry - these often were of greater values than the estate itself. By 1884 Estate Duty taxed property of any manner bequeathed at death.[38] Thus the death of the owner of a large estate began to have serious consequences for the finances of his heir and successor.
- 1940: Raised from 50% to 65%
- 1946: Raised again
- 1949: Raised again.
[edit] The phoenix country house (legacy?)
- Castle Howard gutted by fire November 1940 - now partially restored
- Agecroft Hall transported to USA and rebuilt in Richmond [8]
[edit] List of demolished houses
This can be moved to separate page when too long
[edit] England
- Ashburnham Place (Palladian)
- Beaupre Hall (Early Tudor)
- Blakesley Hall (Medieval?)
- Clumber Park (Italianate)
- Eaton Hall (Gothic)
- Great Brickhill (Italianate)
- Harewood Park demolished 1959 [9] [10]
- Haverholme Priory (Gothic)
- Trentham Hall (Italianate)
[edit] Scotland
- Balbardie
- Milkbank House
- Murthly Castle
- Panmure House
- Riccarton House
[edit] Wales
[edit] Notes
- ^ Binney
- ^ Gow
- ^ Balbardie
- ^ RCAHMS.
- ^ V&A.[1]
- ^ Worsley, p 95
- ^ Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, p 60.
- ^ Worsley, p. 9
- ^ Worsley, p 9
- ^ In fairness to the Duke of Rutland, it should be pointed out that his restoration work at Haddon Hall had saved the medieval mansion from ruin
- ^ Worsley, p 9
- ^ Worsley, p 35
- ^ St Louis Art Museum
- ^ Both Holden and Broxtowe make this claim
- ^ Chiswick House, one of the most notable of England's Palladian houses was partially demolished in the 20th century, only the "corps de logis" remains today
- ^ The appellation given to many British country houses has often no relevance to the issue, and often in the case of castles and abbeys refers to former buildings on the site - in Nuthall's case the term "temple" undoubtedly refers to building "temple-like appearance
- ^ This villa at Lonigo, Vicenza is also known as "La Rocca" "Rocca Pisani" or "Vettor Pisani Villa" should not be confused with other Villas such as the Villa Pisani also in the Veneto
- ^ Dal Lago, illustration 30 shows principal facade of Villa Pisani appearing almost identical to Nuthall Temple.
- ^ Dal Lago, p 74.
- ^ Vitruvius Britannicus 1767 edition
- ^ Holden
- ^ Broxtowe
- ^ Scotland in Sunday
- ^ The Marjoribanks Journal
- ^ British History Online
- ^ King, p 153
- ^ King, p 153
- ^ Gow
- ^ The Marjoribanks Journal
- ^ Wolverhampton's Listed Buildings
- ^ George Durant 1734-1780, the son of a country rector was in interesting character who was shipped abroad following an affair with Lady Lyttelton, of Hagley Hall - while away from England in the West Indies he made his fortune in the slave trade - returning a wealthy man, he subsequently build Tong castle. Ref:BBC.CO.UK
- ^ Wolverhampton's Listed Buildings
- ^ BBC.CO.UK
- ^ Worlsey, p 9
- ^ Moore p 1.07
- ^ Town and Country Planning Act 1944
- ^ Worsley, p.17
- ^ Facts in this section from "Find My Past"
[edit] References
- RCHAMS retrieved 17 March 2007
- Devonshire, Deborah, Duchess of. Chatsworth. Derbyshire Countryside Ltd. ISBN 085100 118 1.
- Gow, Ian (2006). Scotland's Lost Houses. Trafalgar Square. ISBN 1845130510.
- Binney, Marcus (2006). Lost Houses of Scotland. Save Britain's Heritage. ISBN 0-905978-05-6.
- Moore, Victor (2005). A Practical Approach to Planning Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0 19 927299 4.
- Worsley, Giles (2002). England's lost Houses. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1 85410 820 4.
- King, David (2001). The Complete Works of Robert and James Adam. Architectural Press. ISBN 0750644680.
- Find my past retreived 22 march 2007
- St Louis Art Museumretrieved 22 march 2007
- Broxtow Borough retrieved 23 March 2007
- Nuthall Temple by Mrs Holden retrieved 23 March 2007
- Wolverhampton's Listed Buildings retrieved 23 March 2007
- BBC.CO.UK retrieved 23 March 2007
- British History Online retrieved 25 March 2007
- The Marjoribanks Journal retrieved 25 March 2007
- Scotland in Sunday, Sun 5 Nov 2006 retrieved 25 March 2007
[edit] Useful memo things for me
- Exhibitions at the V&A
- "The Destruction of the Country House", 1974
- "SAVE Britain’s Heritage 1975-2005: 30 Years of Campaigning", 3 November 2005 – 12 February 2006 [11]
 Clumber Park demolished 1938. |
 Eaton Hall demolished 1963. |
 Great Brickhill Manor demolished 1936 - I've a hunch - same architect [2] check? |
 Trentham Hall demolished 1911 |
 Bowood House, the main block to the right was demolished in 1956 |
 St Leonards Hill in ruins. |
