William Newton (1730-1798) and the Development Of
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William Newton (1730-1798) and the Development of the Architectural Profession in North-East England Richard Pears A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Newcastle University April 2013 ABSTRACT This thesis examines the emergence of the professional architect in the provinces of eighteenth-century Britain, drawing upon new research into the career of William Newton (1730-1798) of Newcastle upon Tyne. Section I assesses the growth of professionalism, identifying the criteria that distinguished professions from other occupations and their presence in architectural practitioners. It contrasts historians’ emphasis upon innovative designs by artist-architects, such as Sir John Vanbrugh and Robert Adam, with their absence from the realisation of their designs. Clients had to employ capable building craftsmen to supervise construction and this was an opportunity for an alternative practitioner to emerge, the builder-architect exemplified by Newton, offering clients proven practical experience, frequent supervision, peer group recommendation and financial responsibility. Patronage networks were a critical factor in securing commissions for provincial builder-architects, demonstrated here by a reconstruction of Newton’s connections to the north-east élite. Section II reveals that the coal-based north-east economy sustained architectural expenditure, despite national fluctuations. A major proposal of this thesis is that, contrary to Borsay’s theory of an ‘English urban renaissance’, north-east towns showed continuity and slow development. Instead, expenditure was focused upon élite social spaces and industrial infrastructure, and by the extensive repurposing of the hinterlands around towns. This latter development constituted a ‘rural renaissance’ as commercial wealth created country estates for controlled access to social pursuits by élite families. Section III examines the designs of architects practising in north-east England during the eighteenth century, proposing that the martial history and cultural traditions of the region sustained the appeal of castellated and Roman architecture (as interpreted in the publications of Andrea Palladio) among its architectural patrons. The thesis concludes that i concentration upon London-based artist-architects has obscured the contribution to British architecture of provincial builder-architects and the varied cultural aspirations of their clients. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been written without the generous support of the many owners of eighteenth-century buildings who have allowed me to examine their homes, workplaces, and places of worship, patiently answered my questions, provided access to sources in their archives, and allowed me to take photographs. My supervisors, Professor Helen Berry, Dr Joan Allen and Dr Thomas Faulkner, provided endless encouragement, sound advice and enthusiastic discussion. Anne French also kindly assisted my research. I cannot thank them enough. I thank all of my professional colleagues in libraries and archives for their assistance and advice. The list includes the Library of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland Archives, Durham County Record Office, Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections, Northumbria University Library, Newcastle University Library and Special Collections, Newcastle City Library Local Studies Collection, Durham County Libraries Local Studies Collection, South Tyneside Libraries Local Studies Collection, Gateshead Libraries Local Studies Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives Service, Tyne and Wear Specialist Conservation Team Archive, the Library of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne, Alnwick Castle Archives, Cumbria County Record Office, the Royal Institute of British Architects Library (London), the Sir John Soane Museum and Library (London), and the United Grand Lodge of England Library and Museum of Freemasonry (London). It is vital to record in a time of savage cuts to many of these services that they are essential for research, education and community. iii I would also like to thank the publishers of online historical collections, including Eighteenth Century Collections Online, the English Heritage Images of England Database, and Google Books. This thesis was written mainly in the hours after 8pm and would not have been possible without online resources. I thank all of the members of local history societies who have heard my talks on William Newton and offered further leads for me to explore. My family tolerate my obsession with history and have endured many visits to places relevant to this study, often without the benefits of teashops and playgrounds. I have much to repay. I must also record my thanks to two friends who have borne the burden of this research more than most, and who have listened and encouraged me for many years: Bill Saunders who first interested me in the Georgian period and who supplied much information and suggested sources; and Roger Fern, who shared his encyclopaedic knowledge of Newcastle and the North East. This is for you both and the many happy hours of discussion to come. iv CONTENTS Page Abstract i Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents v List of Illustrations vi Abbreviations xi A Note on Terminology xii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Section I: Professionalism and Patronage in British Architecture Chapter 2: The Development of the Architectural Profession in Britain to 1800 27 Chapter 3: The Provincial Architect: William Newton and his Contemporaries 63 Chapter 4: William Newton: Patronage and Social Mobility 100 Section II: Urban Sprawl and Rural Renaissance: Newcastle and North-East England Chapter 5: ‘Newcastle is Peru’: Funding Building in North-East England 139 Chapter 6: An ‘Urban Renaissance’ in North-East England? The Transformation of Élite Space in Town and Country 164 Section III: Architecture and Élite Identity in North-East England Chapter 7: Design and the Provincial Architect 198 Chapter 8: Architectural Display and Élite Identity 248 Chapter 9: Conclusion 283 APPENDICES 1) Reconstructing an Architect: Sources for the Career of William Newton 289 2) Maps and Catalogue of Works by William Newton 302 BIBLIOGRAPHY 316 v List of Illustrations All photographs are by the author unless otherwise identified. Figure 4.1: William Newton’s house, 1 Charlotte Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1769. 124 Figure 4.2: Joseph Pickford’s house (right) and others constructed by him, Friargate, Derby, 1770-1771. 126 Figure 6.1: Samuel and Nathaniel Buck, ‘The Prospect of the South-east View of Newcastle upon Tyne’ (1745). 174 Figure 6.2: Howick Hall, Northumberland, by William Newton, 1781-89. 183 Figure 6.3: Denton Hall, North Yorkshire, by John Carr, 1772-78. 184 Figure 6.4: Whickham, c.1800 showing appropriation of village area by élite families. 188 Figure 6.5: Whickham Lodge, Whickham, County Durham, 189 Figure 7.1: Comparison of the plan of Seaton Delaval Hall, 1728, by Sir John Vanbrugh (published in Colen Campbell, Vitruvius Britannicus, vol. 3 (London, 1767)) and Villa Angarano in Andrea Palladio, I Quattro Libri Dell’ Archittetura (Venice, 1570), Book 2, p. 63. 205 Figure 7.2: Comparison of the Villa Thiene in Andrea Palladio, Quattro Libri, Book 2, p. 62, and Seaton Delaval Hall, 1728, by Sir John Vanbrugh. 206 Figure 7.3: Comparison of the interior of the Assembly Rooms, York, 1735, by Lord Burlington and the interior of the Egyptian Hall in Andrea Palladio, Quattro Libri, Book 2, p. 42. 208 Figure 7.4: Comparison of Rokeby Hall (North Yorkshire), 1735 by Sir Thomas Robinson and design for Villa Bagnolo (Italy) by Palladio, Quattro Libri, Book 2, p. 48. 208 vi Figure 7.5: Fenham Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, by Daniel Garrett, 1744-1747. 209 Figure 7.6: Villa Saraceno (Italy) by Andrea Palladio, Quattro Libri, Book 2, p. 56. 209 Figure 7.7: The Stables, Temple Newsam (Leeds), by Daniel Garrett, 1742. 210 Figure 7.8: The Stables, Gibside estate (County Durham), by Daniel Garrett, 1746-1751: the east front facing the Hall. 210 Figure 7.9: Comparison of Bywell Hall (Northumberland) by James Paine, c. 1760 and Villa Capra by Andrea Palladio, Quattro Libri, Book 2, p. 21. 212 Figure 7.10: Chapel of St. Ann, Newcastle by William Newton, 1764-1767. Later plan displayed in chapel. 213 Figure 7.11: Chapel of St. Ann, Newcastle by William Newton, 1764-1767. View from the west. 214 Figure 7.12: Comparison of Fenham Hall, north elevation rebuilt by William Newton, 1770 and Villa Pisani (Montagnana) by Andrea Palladio, Quattro Libri, Book 2, p. 52. 215 Figure 7.13: Comparison of façade of Old Assembly Rooms, Newcastle, by William Newton 1774-1776 (from John Brand, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1789) and Palladio’s design for the Villa Capra (Quattro Libri, Book 2, p. 21) 216 Figure 7.14: Design for a basilica, Andrea Palladio, Quattro Libri, Book 3, pp. 38-39. 217 Figure 7.15: Plan of ground floor of Assembly Rooms, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1774-1776. 217 Figure 7.16: Comparison of Palladio’s wall of the internal courtyard of the Convent of the Carita (Quattro Libri, Book 2, p. 32) and William Newton’s internal wall of the ballroom of the Newcastle Assembly Rooms, 1776). 219 vii Figure 7.17: Comparison of Villa Capra centrepiece used by Newton at Howick Hall (1781-1789) and Newcastle Guildhall (1794-1796). 220 Figure 7.18: Comparison of Backworth Hall, Northumberland (1778) and reconstruction of original elevation of Whitfield Hall, Northumberland (1785) with Palladio’s Villa Pojana (Quattro Libri, Book 2, p. 58). 221 Figure 7.19: Serliana doorcases at Backworth Hall, Northumberland (1778) and Hebburn Hall, Durham (1791). 222 Figure 7.20: Comparison of Serliana staircase screens at Backworth Hall (1778) and Newton Hall, Newton-by-the-Sea (attributed to William Newton). 222 Figure 7.21: Dissington Hall, 1794, by William Newton. Two storey screen of columns to principal staircase. 223 Figure 7.22: Serliana window, Dissington Hall (Northumberland) by William Newton, 1794. 224 Figure 7.23: All Saints Church, Newcastle, 1786, by David Stephenson. 225 Figure 7.24: Dissington Hall by William Newton, 1794-1797.