The English Home from Charles I. to George IV. Its Architecture, Decoration and Garden Design — Reading Companion

The Double-Pile Plan and Its Progenitors

Gotch devotes considerable attention to the double-pile plan, where the house is two rooms deep. He identifies Coleshill (c. 1650) as a key early example, though he notes that the attribution to Inigo Jones is uncertain. The author quotes Bridges’ History of Northamptonshire to support a date of 1640, but also cites Campbell’s Vitruvius Britannicus, which shows a different treatment of the front. Gotch uses this discrepancy to illustrate the difficulty of assigning authorship when documentary evidence is thin.

He then traces the plan’s adoption by later architects: Webb, Wren, and Vanbrugh. Wren’s plan for a house at All Souls College, Oxford, is mentioned as an example of the type. Gotch emphasizes that the double-pile plan was not merely a practical arrangement but also a means of achieving ‘a handsome appearance without being necessarily pompous,’ as Ware recommended. The section includes a list of notable examples, from Burley on the Hill to Kedlestone, showing how the plan persisted into the 18th century.

Robert Hooke and the Lost Houses of London

Gotch turns to Robert Hooke, better known as a scientist than an architect. He notes that Hooke, like Wren, was drawn into architecture after the Great Fire of London. Hooke submitted a plan for rebuilding the city, but it was forestalled by Wren’s scheme. Gotch credits Hooke with three important buildings, all now lost: Montagu House in Bloomsbury, begun in 1675 and burnt down in 1686. The author observes that Hooke’s mathematical training made him ‘not unsuitable to become a city surveyor,’ reflecting the period’s fluid boundaries between disciplines.

The discussion of Hooke is brief but revealing. Gotch uses it to highlight how many significant 17th-century buildings have disappeared, leaving only descriptions or engravings. He mentions that Montagu House was replaced by a design by the French architect Puget, whom Lord Montagu may have met abroad. This section underscores the book’s reliance on visual and textual records rather than surviving structures.

The Role of Engravings and Drawings as Evidence

Throughout the book, Gotch relies heavily on engravings, drawings, and photographs. He frequently refers to illustrations by Thomas Sandby, F. L. Emanuel, and others. For example, the frontispiece is a water-colour by Sandby showing York Buildings, Adelphi Stairs and Waterworks. Gotch uses such images to reconstruct buildings that have been altered or destroyed. He also cites Campbell’s Vitruvius Britannicus and Ware’s treatise as sources for elevations and plans.

This reliance on visual evidence shapes the book’s argument. Gotch often compares different representations of the same building to resolve questions of date or authorship. For instance, he contrasts Bridges’ description of Coleshill with Campbell’s elevation to suggest that the front was designed by ‘another architect.’ The author is careful to note when his conclusions are tentative, as when he says ‘unfortunately this part of the building was burnt down in 1886, and the opportunity of comparing the differences in the work itself is lost.’

From Palladian to Picturesque: Shifts in Taste

Gotch traces the evolution of English architecture from the Palladianism of Inigo Jones to the picturesque movement of the late 18th century. He notes that the double-pile plan, initially a rarity, became widespread after 1700. The author discusses the influence of architects like Gibbs, who replaced a ‘picturesque Jacobean house’ at Kelmarsh with a more classical design. He also mentions Vanbrugh’s Seaton Delaval, of which ‘the two wings alone remain in use.’

The section includes examples of houses that illustrate changing tastes: Houghton, Holkham, and Kedlestone, all of which are treated in later chapters. Gotch emphasizes that these buildings were not isolated works but part of a broader conversation among architects and patrons. He quotes Ware’s recommendation of the double-pile plan as a way to make a house ‘handsome without being necessarily pompous,’ showing how aesthetic ideals were tied to practical advice.

Gotch’s study is best read with the illustrations at hand, as he frequently refers to specific figures. The book assumes some familiarity with architectural terms, but the author explains key concepts like the double-pile plan. Readers interested in the social history of the English country house will find Gotch’s focus on plans and elevations a useful counterpoint to more narrative accounts. The work is especially valuable for its documentation of lost buildings and its use of contemporary sources.

Leafing through Gotch’s pages on Georgian brickwork, I remembered a quieter volume on my shelf about face bricks—their warm, honest texture. Both share a fondness for the ordinary materials that shaped our rooms and walls. A manual of face brick construction — Edition Insights feels like an old friend to that memory.