British Interiors - Architects - Sir John Vanbrugh (1664 - 1726)

Sir John Vanbrugh was one of the leading British architects and is famous for designing Blenheim Palace. Despite his prominence, very little is known about his early life and it is believed he was born in London but spent his childhood in Chester.

However, a lot is known about his youth as he became involved in underground political activity. He was a political radical who was involved in the plot to overthrow James II, the Glorious Revolution of 1689 and even spent time in the Bastille as a political prisoner. He was a popular member of the Whig Kit Kat Club and also had a career as a playwright. A great deal of his work came from patronage from the other members of the Kit Kat Club.

It is believed that Vanbrugh had no formal architectural training but he is credited with creating what is commonly known as English Baroque. He did not have the technical skills of Sir Christopher Wren but it is widely felt that he had greater artistic vision and style.

Often his work was redesigns or rebuilds and did not truly reflect his architectural style; he worked closely over the years with Wren's assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor.

The Haymarket Theatre (1703)

It is well documented that John Vanbrugh was a keen playwright so the Haymarket Theatre was designed by himself for the actors co-operative. In the process Vanbrugh even bought the company of actors.

The Haymarket is probably Vanbrugh's least successful venture, although the rumour that the acoustics of the design were poor seems unfounded, and in 1708 he was forced to sell the business at a loss.

Castle Howard commissioned (1699)

Vanbrugh designed Castle Howard for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, Charles Howard, as his family seat and it is still occupied by the Howard family today. It was the first major architectural project for Vanbrugh and he was able to recruit Hawksmoor to aid with the more technical aspects of the design.

The house was constructed from east to west between 1701 and 1709, but it was not until around 100 years later and 3 earls that the Castle could be truly said to be 'complete'. The castle was said to be the most 'European' in style of Vanbrugh's work and is credited with being the first truly Baroque building in England. It was an immediate sensation in society and ensured Baroque as a movement in Britain.

The success of Castle Howard gave Vanbrugh his next major work and most famous commission, Blenheim Palace. Blenheim Palace commissioned (1704).

Blenheim Palace commissioned (1704)

Blenheim Palace was given as a reward to the Duke of Marlborough after his troops defeated Louis XIV army, near Blenheim, on 13th August 1704. The Duke chose Vanbrugh, a fellow Kit Kat Club member, to be his architect.

The design of Blenheim Palace needed to fulfil two remits. Firstly it was to be a home for the Duke and secondly it needed to be a national monument to signify England's victory. The strength of the building is depicted by the grand entrance. The gate appears to be the entrance to a walled city and the style is far removed from the elaborate design of Castle Howard.

Vanbrugh designed the palace to be viewed from a distance and gave it 'castle air' with the use of stone towers and its strong Baroque style. The windows were designed to be decorative architectural features as opposed to being practical for the domestic purpose of the building.

Construction began in 1705, but unlike Castle Howard, the building works did run smoothly. Plagued by lack of funding, in fighting, the fall from grace of the Duke and Duchess and accusations of extravagance the project at Blenheim did irreparable damage to Vanbrugh's reputation.

Constant disputes with the Duchess, who had favoured Sir Christopher Wren over Vanbrugh, led to his dismissal from the project in 1719. He was succeeded by his partner Nicholas Hawksmoor. Despite its popularity and significance today, Blenheim did not receive the recognition it deserved and its strong Baroque style was quickly disregarded in favour of the new Palladian style.

Blenheim is the largest domestic building in the UK not owned by the Royal family and over the south portico is a bust of Louis, acting as a constant reminder to Louis of his victor's spoils.

Seaton Delaval Hall commissioned (1718)

This was Vanbrugh's last and arguably the most remarkable of his designs, it is considered his greatest architectural work. It was designed in 1718 for the Admiral George Delaval. He had bought the estate from his cousin after the family ran into financial problems.

Originally Vanbrugh was commissioned to enhance the existing structure but after viewing the property he advised that there should be complete demolition and a rebuild.

The design, again, is in the English Baroque style, although it is less flamboyant than Castle Howard and less overbearing than Blenheim Palace. The design is based around a central structure with two additional wings and is the first of his projects to be designed and built without the aid of Nicholas Hawksmoor.