YCBA Collections Search

This aerial perspective shows an unexecuted design for four pavilions arranged around the Bowling Green at Hampton Court Palace. Each building is on a square plan and crowned with a coved roof, with heavy rustication surrounding paired round-headed windows. These were never executed and the pavilions were erected to different designs from 1700 to 1702. This perspective drawing includes the new Great Terrace at Hampton in the foreground, built in 1699 as part of the expansion of the gardens for King William III. These four pavilions ornamented the existing bowling green and were fitted with drawing rooms, boudoirs, and card rooms for the entertainment of the Court. Foundations for a single pavilion were laid in September 1700 but the design was altered to a four-building scheme by the spring of 1701. The interiors were finished in 1702. The executed design is less baroque and fanciful than this scheme and although the attribution of this drawing is uncertain, the pavilions were erected by the Office of Works, an office headed by Sir Christopher Wren. At this stage in his career, Wren delegated much of the work to his assistants William Talman and Nicholas Hawksmoor. The buildings may therefore be attributed to one of these three architects with the probability being that Hawksmoor was responsible: the channeled rustication and ornamented coved roof is reminiscent of his work at Castle Howard and St. Mary Woolnoth, and the drawing's execution is typical of Hawskmoor's sketches.

Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2014