Stiff Leadbetter
Encyclopedia
Stiff Leadbetter was a British architect
and builder, one of the most successful architect–builders of the 1750s and 1760s, working for many leading aristocratic families.
Leadbetter’s career began when he was apprenticed as a carpenter in 1719, and he worked for the next decade or so as a journeyman
carpenter. By 1731 he had settled in Eton, marrying Elizabeth Hill (born c.1709), daughter of a London timber merchant; and he worked as carpenter to Eton College
from 1740. Leadbetter leased Eton College Wharf as his principal home and workshop from 1744. He was employed as a builder in his own right by the 1740s, and in the following two decades he worked both as a designer but primarily as a builder of many new country houses
, hospitals and speculative urban development. In 1756 Leadbetter was appointed as surveyor of St Paul's Cathedral
, and through this position also gained many ecclesiastical commissions.
Many of his buildings were built within a close distance of Eton. As a builder he carried out the designs of other architects, notably Robert Adam
and James Stuart
.
Leadbetter’s patron was Francis Godolphin
, second earl of Godolphin, and through him, Leadbetter was introduced to and employed by the dukes of Portland, Marlborough, and Bedford, the countesses of Essex and Pomfret, Lord Foley, Admiral Boscawen
, Sir John Elwill, and others.
John Hawks, the architect of Tryon Palace
, the official residence of the Governor of North Carolina
, United States
, trained under Leadbetter.
Leadbetter's work has been both praised and slightly damned by critics. Giles Worsley
, who has written several articles about Leadbetter, stated
Langley Park, Nuneham House
and Newton Park
have been singled out as his best houses, with
Newton Park described by Nikolaus Pevsner
as "one of the finest country mansions of the 18th century in Somerset".
Less generous praise comes from other quarters, sometimes emphasising his earlier trade as a carpenter and ignoring his work as an architect: "a minor provincial carpenter and builder", "a second generation Palladian whose works lacked flair", a "competent but dull architect" and "a thorough but uninspired architect".
Leadbetter does not warrant an individual entry in Colvin's
dictionary of British architects, but is described in another architect's entry as "the master carpenter employed to carry out Robert Adam's designs" (at Syon House, 1763-5).
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and builder, one of the most successful architect–builders of the 1750s and 1760s, working for many leading aristocratic families.
Career
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
carpenter. By 1731 he had settled in Eton, marrying Elizabeth Hill (born c.1709), daughter of a London timber merchant; and he worked as carpenter to Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
from 1740. Leadbetter leased Eton College Wharf as his principal home and workshop from 1744. He was employed as a builder in his own right by the 1740s, and in the following two decades he worked both as a designer but primarily as a builder of many new country houses
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
, hospitals and speculative urban development. In 1756 Leadbetter was appointed as surveyor of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, and through this position also gained many ecclesiastical commissions.
Many of his buildings were built within a close distance of Eton. As a builder he carried out the designs of other architects, notably Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
and James Stuart
James Stuart (1713-1788)
James "Athenian" Stuart was an English archaeologist, architect and artist best known for his central role in pioneering Neoclassicism.-Early life:...
.
Leadbetter’s patron was Francis Godolphin
Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin
Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin, PC was a British politician, styled Viscount Rialton between 1706 and 1712.-Biography:...
, second earl of Godolphin, and through him, Leadbetter was introduced to and employed by the dukes of Portland, Marlborough, and Bedford, the countesses of Essex and Pomfret, Lord Foley, Admiral Boscawen
Edward Boscawen
Admiral Edward Boscawen, PC was an Admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall. He is known principally for his various naval commands throughout the 18th Century and the engagements that he won, including the Siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos...
, Sir John Elwill, and others.
John Hawks, the architect of Tryon Palace
Tryon Palace
Tryon Palace is a modern reconstruction of the historical colonial royal governors' palace of the Province of North Carolina. It was constructed in the 1950s across the original mansion site located in the city of New Bern, North Carolina. Today it is a State Historic Site. The Palace gardens are...
, the official residence of the Governor of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, trained under Leadbetter.
Appraisal
Giles Worsley
Dr Giles Arthington Worsley MA, PhD, FSA was an English architectural historian, author, editor, journalist and critic, specialising in British country houses...
, who has written several articles about Leadbetter, stated
He was an innovative and possibly influential planner at a time when the design of the British country house was undergoing rapid change. His country houses, though plain in their interior and external detail, are imaginative, varied, and above all practical in their planning. Although he was not a leader in stylistic development, Elvills, Surrey (1758–63), was the first completely new house of the Georgian Gothic revival.
Langley Park, Nuneham House
Nuneham House
Nuneham House is a Palladian villa, at Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire England. It was built for Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt in 1756. It is owned by Oxford University and is currently used as a retreat centre by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University...
and Newton Park
Newton Park
Newton Park is an 18th-century landscape garden, designed by the landscape gardener Capability Brown, and now owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.Newton Park was laid out on land containing the 14th century keep and gateway of St Loe's Castle, a fortified medieval manor house, Elizabethan farm...
have been singled out as his best houses, with
Newton Park described by Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
as "one of the finest country mansions of the 18th century in Somerset".
Less generous praise comes from other quarters, sometimes emphasising his earlier trade as a carpenter and ignoring his work as an architect: "a minor provincial carpenter and builder", "a second generation Palladian whose works lacked flair", a "competent but dull architect" and "a thorough but uninspired architect".
Leadbetter does not warrant an individual entry in Colvin's
Howard Colvin
Sir Howard Montagu Colvin, CVO, CBE , was a British architectural historian who produced two of the most outstanding works of scholarship in his field.-Life and works:...
dictionary of British architects, but is described in another architect's entry as "the master carpenter employed to carry out Robert Adam's designs" (at Syon House, 1763-5).
Personal life
Leadbetter and his wife Elizabeth had five children in their short marriage, before Elizabeth died in 1737. Four of Leadbetter’s children died before him.Projects (incomplete list)
- Bulstrode ParkBulstrode ParkBulstrode Park is a large park to the northwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Gerrard's Cross in the English Home Counties. It dates back to before the Norman conquest.- First house:The previous house was built in 1686 for the infamous Judge Jeffreys...
, Gerrards CrossGerrards CrossGerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980...
, BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
1740s for William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of PortlandWilliam Bentinck, 2nd Duke of PortlandWilliam Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland KG , styled Viscount Woodstock from 1709 to 1715 and Marquess of Titchfield from 1715 to 1726, was a British peer....
- original house dating from 1676-85 altered significantly by Leadbetter, later demolished in 1860 and replaced by present-day building. - DitchleyDitchleyDitchley is a country house and estate about northeast of Charlbury in Oxfordshire.-Archaeology:There are remains of a Roman villa on the Ditchley Park estate at Watts Wells, less than southeast of the house...
, CharlburyCharlburyCharlbury is a small town and civil parish in the Evenlode valley, about north of Witney in West Oxfordshire. It is on the edge of the Wychwood forest and the Cotswolds.-Place name:The origin of the town's toponym is obscure...
, OxfordshireOxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
1763 Ionic rotunda in the grounds for Robert Lee, 4th Earl of LichfieldRobert Lee, 4th Earl of LichfieldRobert Lee, 4th Earl of Lichfield was an uncle of the 3rd Earl, George Henry Lee II. He was a son of Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II....
. - Elvills, Englefield GreenEnglefield GreenEnglefield Green is a large village in northern Surrey, England. It is home to Royal Holloway, University of London, the south eastern corner of Windsor Great Park and close to the towns of Egham, Windsor, Staines and Virginia Water...
, SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
1758–63 for Sir John Elwill. - Fulham PalaceFulham PalaceFulham Palace in Fulham, London , England, at one time the main residence of the Bishop of London, is of medieval origin. It was the country home of the Bishops of London from at least 11th century until 1975, when it was vacated...
1764-6 East Court, rebuilt in Gothick style for Bishop TerrickRichard TerrickRichard Terrick was a Church of England clergyman and bishop of London from 1764 to 1777.Terrick graduated with a BA from Clare College, Cambridge in 1729 and an MA in 1733. He was preacher at the Rolls Chapel from 1736 to 1757, and vicar of Twickenham from 1749...
. - Hatchlands ParkHatchlands ParkHatchlands Park is a red-brick country house with surrounding gardens in East Clandon, Surrey, England covering 170 hectares . It is located near Guildford along the A246 between West Clandon and West Horsley.-History:...
, East ClandonEast ClandonEast Clandon is a village and parish in Surrey, England on the A246 between the towns of Guildford to the west and Leatherhead to the east. Neighbouring villages include West Clandon and West Horsley....
, Surrey 1756-7 for Admiral Boscawen. - Langley Park, WexhamWexhamWexham is a settlement and civil parish in the county of Buckinghamshire. It is on the borders of the unitary authority of Slough and the non-metropolitan county of Berkshire, in southern England....
, Buckinghamshire 1755-8 for Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of MarlboroughCharles Spencer, 3rd Duke of MarlboroughCharles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough KG, PC , known as The Earl of Sunderland between 1729 and 1733, was a British soldier and politician. He briefly served as Lord Privy Seal in 1755...
. - Newton ParkNewton ParkNewton Park is an 18th-century landscape garden, designed by the landscape gardener Capability Brown, and now owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.Newton Park was laid out on land containing the 14th century keep and gateway of St Loe's Castle, a fortified medieval manor house, Elizabethan farm...
, Newton St Loe, SomersetSomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
1762-5 for Joseph Langton. - Nuneham HouseNuneham HouseNuneham House is a Palladian villa, at Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire England. It was built for Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt in 1756. It is owned by Oxford University and is currently used as a retreat centre by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University...
, Nuneham CourtenayNuneham CourtenayNuneham Courtenay is a village and civil parish about southeast of Oxford.-Manor:The toponym evolved from Newenham. In the 14th century the village belonged to the Courtenay family and in 1764 "Newenham" was changed to "Nuneham"....
, Oxfordshire 1757 for Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl HarcourtSimon Harcourt, 1st Earl HarcourtSimon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, PC, FRS, Viceroy of Ireland , known as 2nd Viscount Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, between 1727 and 1749, was a British diplomat and general....
. - Radcliffe InfirmaryRadcliffe InfirmaryThe Radcliffe Infirmary was a hospital in central Oxford, England, located at the southern end of Woodstock Road on the western side, backing onto Walton Street. The Radcliffe Infirmary, named after physician John Radcliffe, opened in 1770 and was Oxford's first hospital...
, OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
1759-70 for the Radcliffe Trustees (benefaction of Dr. John Radcliffe). - ShardeloesShardeloesShardeloes is a large 18th century country house located one mile northwest of Amersham in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. . A previous manor house on the site was demolished and the present building constructed between 1758 and 1766 for William Drake, the Member of Parliament for Amersham.-Design...
, AmershamAmershamAmersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
, Buckinghamshire 1758-66 for William Drake. - Syon HouseSyon HouseSyon House, with its 200-acre park, is situated in west London, England. It belongs to the Duke of Northumberland and is now his family's London residence...
, HounslowHounslowHounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development situated 10.6 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area.-Etymology:...
1763-5 for Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of NorthumberlandHugh Percy, 1st Duke of NorthumberlandHugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG, PC was an Engish peer, landowner and art patron.He was born Hugh Smithson, the son of Langdale Smithson and grandson of Sir Hugh Smithson, 3rd Baronet from whom he inherited the baronetcy in 1733...
. - Taplow CourtTaplow CourtTaplow Court is a large Victorian house in the village of Taplow in Buckinghamshire, England.The Taplow burial, a 7th century Anglo-Saxon burial mound, is in the grounds of the house, near the church....
, TaplowTaplowTaplow is a village and civil parish within South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the east bank of the River Thames facing Maidenhead on the opposite bank. Taplow railway station is situated near the A4 south of the village....
, Buckinghamshire about 1743 for Murrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of ThomondMurrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of ThomondMurrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of Thomond KP, PC , known from 1777 to 1800 as the 5th Earl of Inchiquin, was an Irish peer, soldier and politician.-Life:Murrough O'Brien was born in 1726 to Hon...
(5th Earl of Inchiquin).