Helen Lawrence, ‘The Travels of Thomas Archer: New Discoveries’, The Georgian Group Journal, Vol. xVIII, 2010, pp. 35–48
text © the authors 2010 THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER: NEW DISCOVERIES
HELEN LAWRENCE
This article explores the life of the Baroque architect Thomas Archer ( – ), suggesting a reassessment of his importance as an architect and aesthete after a long period of neglect. It presents new information regarding Archer’s years travelling in Europe during the s and considers the implication of these recent findings within the context of his life and work.
‘What would not the student of architecture give to know something about his travels!’ (Marcus Whiffen, Thomas Archer: Architect of the English Baroque , London, ).
Thomas Archer ( – ) is one of the most compelling and under-considered figures in British architecture (Fig. ). For years, he has existed in the shadows of the Baroque giants, Wren, Vanbrugh, and Hawksmoor, and there is still very little published work on his career, with Marcus Whiffen’s seminal publication of the s remaining the key monograph. Fig. . This portrait, hanging in the basement of St. John’s Yet this unique and surprising architect has Church, Smith Square, London, is thought to be the only always fascinated architectural historians. Part of his painted portrait of Archer. The painting is attributed to appeal may be the multifaceted nature of his life and Godfrey Kneller. The only other known likeness is career, yet simultaneously this has made him a Archer’s effigy on the monument in St. Mary’s Church, difficult figure to understand and to place within Hale, Hampshire. St John’s, Smith Square. mainstream architectural history. Archer was born into a reputable Warwickshire family with an established lineage, his father having been a Member of Parliament in the age of Charles II. Archer followed a similar path, becoming Groom Porter to Queen Anne in , a prestigious post involving the regulation of gambling at Court and the furnishing of
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES the royal residences. The post was a profitable one, For some, this renders Archer too complex a reputed to have been worth £ a year, and as a figure to begin to understand. He has unfairly been result Archer left £ , and a large collection of termed an ‘amateur’ who simply dabbled in building, land at his death in . the fact that he did not rely on architecture financially This also meant that he was not the typical somehow negating his talent. However, it is unlikely underdog employee. Archer was a gentleman and the that either Archer or his peers saw the situation in relative equal to his patrons, most of whom he is such a light. John Harris has pointed out the folly of likely to have met at court. The monument in the this approach, noting that the terms ‘amateur’ and church at Hale, his own Hampshire estate, hints at ‘professional’ did not exist in the eighteenth century. this position, recalling that he was ‘a favourite with It is perhaps time in the context of any discussion of the rich’ and suggesting his high connections. this period that we abandon such terms. Indeed, Essentially, he belonged to the same world as that of Archer’s legacy of built work shows that he was a his employers, creating a relationship of friendly gifted architect and aesthete. Testament to his skill collaboration where he worked ‘as a favour’ rather was his appointment as one of the commissioners than for financial gain. Therefore, as a gentleman under the act to build fifty new churches in and courtier and aesthete with a high social position, London where he went on to design two of the he does not easily comply with any modern concept twelve completed buildings; St John’s, Smith of a professional architect. Square, Westminster from – , and St Paul’s
Fig. . The central window on the first floor of the east front at Heythrop. Early views of the house show that this elevation was aligned on a large open allée, extending into the wider landscape, thus explaining its elaborate architectural treatment. Helen Lawrence.
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES church and rectory, Deptford, from – . Archer was one several architects who worked in several disciplines or had an alternative career, and ‘crossed over’ into architecture, the most acknowledged being Vanbrugh, who worked as a dramatist, architect and ‘Landskip’ designer. Arguably, it is precisely this multifaceted character that makes Archer such a fascinating architect to analyse; he refuses to be pigeonholed, and any consideration of his career and work must encompass a variety of genres, including architecture, garden design and political history. To many academics, Archer’s frustrating elusiveness has only added to his appeal. There are very few surviving drawings, and little in the way of accounts or personal records. In particular, his travels across Europe have continually intrigued architectural historians and generated much debate. Details have previously been limited; records of Trinity College, Oxford, note that his matriculation was on June , aged , and his epitaph confirms that after leaving Oxford, he spent four years abroad. Thereafter, the trail closes. Beyond the fact that he was in Padua in December , ‘nothing is known’ of his itinerary. As Whiffen exclaimed: ‘… What would not the student of Fig. . The two different window types on the south front architecture give to know something about his of Heythrop House, Oxfordshire, begun c. for the travels!’. Duke of Shrewsbury. Helen Lawrence. In particular, the specifically Roman Baroque details of his buildings have led to an overriding suspicion that Archer ‘must have studied the whimsical and most often bizarre, with buildings that buildings of the Roman Baroque at first hand’. can provoke a polarity of reactions. Overwhelmingly, This has prompted close analysis of his work and they tend to raise a smile for their sheer bravado, the possible derivation of features such as those at outlandishness and sense of fun. Alive with Heythrop House, Oxfordshire. Here, the curious movement, they are daring interpretations of Italian east window (Fig. ) seems to refer to the doorway to Baroque forms, filtered through the mind of a unique the Crucifixion chapel in the Vatican by Bernini, and and talented individual. the two principal window forms (Fig. ), appear to New information has now come to light, derive from Borromini’s Collegio di Propaganda providing a vital insight into Archer’s life and Fide and Bernini’s Palazzo Chigi. These details helping to further the argument that Archer saw may have been sourced from Domenico Rossi’s Roman buildings at first hand. The architect’s series Studio d’Architettura Civile . However, whatever the of personal notebooks, spanning from the late source, the result is a body of work that is bold, seventeenth-century to the s, are somewhat
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES
Fig. . Archer’s tiny personal notebooks, held in archives Fig. . An example of one of Archer’s notes recording his in Warwickshire. Numbering eleven in total, these items itinerary, in this case regarding Antwerp, Mechelen and provide an intimate insight into his life. Shakespeare Brussels. These destinations are confirmed by further Birthplace Trust Records Office, Stratford Upon Avon. notes of payments in the same locations. Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Records Office, Stratford Upon Avon.
‘buried’ amongst the Shakespeare Birthplace There are also quickly jotted Latin inscriptions Archives in Warwickshire, the home county of his and brief mentions of streets and individuals. These family. These are important documents, which seem notes give some indication of the buildings that to have lain unanalysed since Archer finally put Archer saw, providing a greater understanding of the down his pencil. (Fig. ). background and influences that enabled him to Much of the information records simple aspects become a successful designer and friend to the of late-seventeenth century day-to-day life, providing intellectual elite of the period. What becomes clear is an insight into the itinerary and ‘to do’ lists of a that Archer certainly conducted a Grand Tour along practical gentleman. Humble notes and scribbles the same routes as his fellow courtiers. This placed show Archer to be busily engaged in meeting him within the same sphere of influence as his colleagues, fellow courtiers and waistcoat makers in patrons, and re-emphasizes his role not as a mere the inns and coffee houses of London. However, employee but as an equal, able to comment on the amidst his day to day jottings in these tiny, intimate same buildings and gardens as those seen by his peers. pocket books, there are revealing snippets of Like many other tourists in the s, living information, in particular the details of a large part of under the rule of the Dutch Staadtholder William III, his route taken across Europe during his Grand Tour Archer entered Europe via the Low Countries. in the s. His itinerary across the continent is That Archer had visited Holland was confirmed in clearly identified, each destination preceded with the when a travel document was brought to light; suffix ‘then to …’ and there are further notes of issued on January the pass was ‘for Mr payments in various cities, confirming that these were Gilbert Shelden and Mr Archer recommended by not just conjectural musings, but real routes to which the Bishop of London, to go to Holland’. However he stayed faithful (Fig. ). Archer’s exact whereabouts in Holland can now be
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES
Fig. . The Sternberg or ‘Star Mountain’ with gazebo at Cleves. Etching by C. Elandts, ( ). Collectie Bodel Nejenhuis, Universiteitsbibliotheek, Leiden.
Fig. . View of the Pavilion and surrounding walks from the south-west with Cain Hill House in the distance, Peter Tillemans ( c. ), Wrest Park, Bedfordshire. Beds and Luton Archive Service.
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES confirmed. His notebooks record payments received influence upon the garden interests of the King and from an individual in Rotterdam. This would have his close ally, Hans Willem Bentinck. This must placed Archer close to The Hague, the centre of have influenced Archer. Maurits’s garden at Kleve government of the United Provinces, known to be incorporated Italianate features such as cascades and ‘the only town […] for people of fashion, pleasure water features, as well as more informal ‘rustic’ and gallantry’. At this time, there was a variety of elements that demonstrated a clear appreciation of travel maps available, allowing visitors to identify the contrast between geometry and design and important estates such as Honselaarsdijk, Rijswijk unstructured wildness. Formal grass terraces were and Huis Ten Bosch. In a time of such strong set against dramatic woodland backdrops with Anglo-Dutch connections, it is likely that Archer carefully placed benches from which to enjoy the undertook the same journey, taking in the palaces of views. Amidst the parkland were artificially the Staadtholder and his court. elevated mountains with novelty buildings at each Archer’s next marked destination was Amsterdam, pinnacle, each with paths emanating outwards to where he made particular note of visiting ‘Narden to form long allées into the edges of the estate (Fig. ). se the fortifications.’ Naarden had been occupied by This seems particularly relevant in the context of a French garrison and the modernisation of its the pavilion created by Archer between and fortifications was implemented immediately after at Wrest Park, and possibly a further structure within liberation by William III in . Completed by , the grounds known as ‘Caen Hill House’. Shown in the impressive, star-shaped defence would have been their original context in a series of enchanting views a very current, topical attraction for Archer to visit in by Peter Tillemans, ( c. ), these buildings were the s. The defences generated much public clearly linked on large axes and designed to interact interest and, as with many similar military defences, across a garden of bosquets, statuary and fountains became a popular tourist attraction. Travellers (Fig. ). High on a mount and encircled by particularly noted the way fortifications were treated concentric rows of specimen trees, Caen Hill must as gardens, the bastions ‘pleasantly shaded with trees have operated as a viewing platform for the estate, planted round the bulwarks.’ It is also easy to recalling the bizarre buildings on mounts at Cleves, speculate how the sturdy walls and gateways with and indicating that Archer may have been drawing their undulating brick facades would have appealed to on his experiences. Archer and perhaps influenced his own robust style. Next in Archer’s itinerary was Nijmegen, the The next point of call was ‘Utrick’ [Utrecht], town of the Peace Treaty, and thereafter to Grave, another common destination for Grand Tourists of another destination famed for its fortifications. the time. Many travelled via the Vecht River, taking Archer, like many other courtiers, seems to be keen in the famous houses and gardens of the gentrified to visit the sites of skirmishes connected with merchant classes that lined the water’s edge and William III, and to see the feats of engineering that which were said to provide ‘a show that was were protecting the power of the Netherlands, and in unequalled in Europe.’ It was then usual to enjoy turn, England; the next identifiable point on his day trips to some of the nearby estates including itinerary was to Breda, another fortified town that Soestdijk and Zeist, and it is likely that Archer would had played host to the Treaty that put an end to have followed the same pattern. the second Anglo-Dutch war. Thereafter, he ventured to ‘Cleves,’ the site of a One destination where Archer singles out well known garden by Johan Maurits van Nassau individual buildings for mention is ‘Antwarp’ Siegen, a relative of William III who became a great [Antwerp]. Here, he specifically refers to ‘the cassell’
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES
Fig. . Façade of the Jesuit Church of St. Carolus Fig. . Detail of the façade of the Jesuit Church of Borromeus, Antwerp by Pieter Huyssens ( – ). St. Carolus Borromeus, Antwerp by Pieter Huyssens Ad Meskens. ( – ), showing the unusual ‘ears’ on the niche surrounds. Ad Meskens.
– presumably the famous medieval Het Steen castle – Archer travelled to Brussels. Particularly important and ‘the Jessuit church’ for his attention. The latter is his specific mention of visiting the ‘gardens at was a particularly famous baroque building in its Anguien,’ located just over the border on the edge of time, known as ‘The Church of Carolus Borromeus’ Belgium, illustrating a clear desire to see designed and built in – by Pieter Huyssens, with some landscapes along his journey. The Chateau of sculptural elements attributed to Rubens (Fig. ). Enghien was already renowned but its fame was The distinctive shouldered window surrounds, accelerated by two visits by William in and elaborate towers and exaggerated keystones of this . The King had apparently been ‘very pleased’ building have particular resonances with some of with the grounds, quickly making it a popular Archer’s work, including that at Heythrop. (Fig. ). destination for courtiers such as Archer. The Next on the itinerary was ‘Macklin,’ [Mechelen] garden was famous for a garden ‘des Sept Etoiles’ which had been the capital of the Low Countries in with a central heptagonal pavilion located at the the first half of the sixteenth century. Thereafter, highest point in the park. Seven grand allées radiated
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES
Fig. . The Church of Sant’ Ivo della Sapienza and the Palazzo della Sapienza, Rome, by Francesco Borromini , – , as portrayed by Domenico Barrière, c. .
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES from the building, leading to seven smaller avenues, [sic]. This could only be a reference to the Via del each with a statue representing one of the seven Babuino, famous for its ‘talking statue’ of Silenus, planets known at the time. Again, there are affectionately referred to as ‘the baboon’ and connected parallels to the dramatic composition at Wrest. to the Piazza del Popolo with its magnificent Baroque Archer’s travel notes become sketchier beyond churches. His mention of this street is particularly this point but it is still possible to track his journey. pertinent, due to its nature as a key route within There is a mention of a visit to an English tailor in Rome’s ‘Stranger’s Quarter’, a district which in Paris, indicating a further point on his itinerary. This Archer’s time was filled with most of Rome’s foreign is surprising; many historians have suggested that visitors. In particular, it was home to the city’s due to continuous hostilities, Archer is likely to have numerous painters and sculptors. The ‘Gio Angiolo’ travelled to Italy via Germany and Austria, avoiding that he mentions may therefore refer to a work of France altogether. In fact, there are no references to Giovanni Angelo Canini ( – ), or to a modern suggest this within his notebook itinerary; on the namesake who was resident in the area, and whom contrary, Archer seems to have travelled directly Archer wished to visit. Another note refers to through French territory. Archer mentions lodgings ‘Vincenzo Felice’, a sculptor active in Rome at the and payments received at Lyons, specifically time. These references suggest that Archer was actively mentioning the ‘inscription of Claudius’, the tablet engaged in viewing modern artists’ work, or even bearing the transcript of a speech given by the meeting them in person during his stay in the city. Emperor, and he also records lodging at Geneva and Also intriguing are the rough sketches dotted then Grenoble, just before the western border of across the pages. One in particular is a delightfully France. It is clear that he was gradually working his light and fluid drawing of a Baroque funerary way towards Italy, where we know he had reached monument, of the type that adorn the walls of Padua by December . Roman churches in their thousands (Fig. ). Crucially, there are various references to specific Whilst the precise location of this exact example is places in Rome, confirming at long last that Archer unknown, this detail is important in the context of had indeed visited the city and seen Baroque Archer’s own work as there are obvious parallels to architecture at first hand. Details are not plentiful, the several monuments he went on to design. These but there are enough mentions of street names and include those for Thomas Archer senior and Mrs contemporary painters and sculptors to place the Andrew Archer in Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire, architect in the ‘Eternal City’. One note refers to (the parish church for the family’s own Umberslade ‘Piazza Capranica’, and another to ‘Villino Massimi’, Hall), his own monument at Hale, and possibly the one of the many palaces built for the family in Rome monument to Susannah Thomas in Hampton, – perhaps even that built by Baldassarre Peruzzi in Middlesex. All three pieces feature the same with its strange window surrounds. There is pyramidal motif. one mention of the ‘cantonata della sapienza’, a clear It is interesting to note the several gardens that reference to the University, and Borromini’s famous Archer singles out for mention. This first hand Sant’ Ivo alla Sapienza of – (Fig. ). It is experience of important designed landscapes would easy to see how the complex geometric plan may have have put Archer in a strong position on his return to influenced several of Archer’s buildings, including the England, when he was known to have ‘shone forth at Pavilion at Wrest, with its undulating façade and Court’. His knowledge would have enabled him to projecting semicircular rooms. engage in discourse with his patrons during a period Another note refers to ‘Gio Angiolo al babuino’ of unparalleled national interest in garden design,
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES
Fig. . Detail from a notebook of Thomas Archer Fig. . Detail from a notebook of Thomas Archer (DR //Box / ) showing a sketch of a Baroque (DR //Box / ) showing a garden plan and funerary monument in Italy (undated). reference to ‘Leonard Megre’. Shakespeare Birthplace Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Records Office, Trust Records Office, Stratford Upon Avon. Stratford Upon Avon.
and perhaps even to influence the gardens being and created garden buildings for some of the built around his striking designs. original ‘Immortal Seven’ signatories who invited This is an important point; despite having been William to the throne. They included the Duke of known to have designed several important garden Devonshire at Chatsworth, where he created the buildings, Archer’s role in landscape design has famous cascade house from c. , and the Duke of long been ignored, and, whilst some authors have Shrewsbury at Heythrop, where Archer is thought observed that Archer may have been the designer of to have created an early ‘Classical Grove’ that several landscapes, this has never been expanded Stephen Switzer took as his model; both Dukes upon in any depth. In fact, a study of Archer’s played integral roles in the Glorious Revolution patronage shows that he worked at the estates of the of . There is even specific reference to the most important Whig landowners in the country, revolution within his notebooks in the form of a
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES
Fig. . Archer’s travel itinerary as marked on a map of central Europe during the eighteenth century. Helen Lawrence.
prophecy by Nostradamus that the king would Each parterre contains some kind of central feature ‘come by sea,’ invited by Londoners who ‘conspire such as a fountain or statue with a central path against their king.’ Working for these individuals, leading down to what seems to be a set of curved within an acknowledged network of Whig courtiers, steps. Archer may have been copying a plan from a Archer would have been exposed to the newest publication or discussing the possibilities of a space innovations emerging in connection with the Anglo- with a friend, creating quick sketches to illustrate Dutch court, including some highly progressive thoughts and ideas. This is supported by a reference ideas about informality in gardening. to ‘Leonard Meagre’ on one page, the author of a Another drawing in the notebooks is a rough popular series of books on gardening at the time. design for a garden, showing a quartered terrace Whatever his motivation, these findings show leading from the door of a main house (Fig. ). that, at the very least, Archer was interested in the
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES layout of landscapes and was aware of the discourse ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and political meanings behind the landscapes This paper builds upon the findings of my MA surrounding his architecture. More probably, he is dissertation, ‘Gentleman Traveller, Courtier and a likely to have played some part in the overall concept “Favourite with the Rich”: New Light on Thomas of the politically charged landscapes surrounding his Archer as Garden Maker’. I would like to thank buildings. Recent work has shown this to be the case Professor Timothy Mowl at the University of Bristol at his own estate at Hale, where he may have created for his ongoing support during my current PhD; this a classical woodland grove with numerous garden involves a full investigation and transcript of Archer’s buildings, including an intriguing lost ‘shell house’. notebooks, leading to a new, up-to-date survey of Archer may have drawn upon this rich knowledge of Archer’s work, travel and possible attributions. continental Europe, to create garden buildings and I would also like to thank the staff at the Shakespeare landscapes that were clearly proto-romantic in style, Birthplace Trust Records Office, Stratford Upon anticipating the more arcadian, informal themes that Avon, at St John’s, Smith Square, London, and at would emerge later in the century. Beds and Luton Archive Service. As always, I am With more points along his travel route extremely grateful to the directors of Robert Adam confirmed, we can now reach firmer conclusions as Architects for their ongoing support and to what Archer might have seen and we even have encouragement. evidence of specific attractions singled out to visit (Fig. ). Whilst these tantalising snippets of information are frustratingly scant and leave us hungry for more clarification, they at least go some way to furthering our knowledge of Archer’s experiences and influences. As further transcriptions are made from his series of notebooks, we will hopefully be able to build up an even clearer picture of his life and work. Archer’s travels, combined with his high social status and position as a courtier under William and Mary, Queen Anne, George I and George II, would have placed him in a strong position as a designer during a fascinating period in history. With this realisation must come the acceptance that Archer has been under-considered for far too long. Hopefully this balance can start to be redressed and an important figure can be given the recognition that he has long deserved.
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES
NOTES Howard Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of Marcus Whiffen, Architect of the English Baroque British Architects, – (New Haven and (London, , reprinted in Los Angeles, London, edn.), p. . Archer signed his name California, .) at the University in Padua. Geoffrey Webb, ‘Thomas Archer,’ The Burlington Whiffen, Architect of the English Baroque, p. . Magazine, (October ), p. . Ibid ., p. . Whiffen, ‘Thomas Archer,’ Architectural Review See Andor Gomme, ‘Smith and Rossi,’ Architectural (November ), p. . History ( ), pp. – . Andor Gomme, ‘Archer, Thomas ( /– ), Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Records Office, architect and courtier’, Oxford Dictionary of Stratford Upon Avon, DR //Box / , Pocket National Biography (Oxford University Press, book of Thomas Archer. These notebooks are September ), online edition being investigated further and fully transcribed (http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/ , as part of my current PhD at the University of accessed April ). His obituary from Bristol. The result will be an up-to-date survey of The Gentlemen’s Magazine of May , , is all of Archer’s work, possible attributions and his quoted in full in Whiffen, Arch. Rev., Nov. , travel. p. . Archer’s will is held at The National Cal. SP Dom , Warrant Book , p. , quoted by Archives, Kew, PROB / , sig. . Peter Murray in a letter to the Editor in the Margaret Booth Jones, The Church of St Mary, Architectural Review , July , (p. – ‘Archer Hale: A Guide for Visitors (Church press, ), Abroad’). This is undoubtedly Thomas Archer the p. , where a full translation of the Latin inscription architect, as opposed to his elder brother, who is is provided. The monument was designed by referred to elsewhere as ‘Mr Archer Parliament Archer himself in the years before his death. Man.’ Webb, Burl. Mag . (Oct ), p. . Timothy Sir Francis Child, quoted in C. D. van Strien, Mowl, Gentlemen and Players: Gardeners of the British Travellers in Holland During the Stuart English Landscape (Stroud, Gloucestershire, ) Period: Edward Browne and John Locke as Tourists p. , quoted in relation to Capability Brown. in the United Provinces (Leiden, The Netherlands, Whiffen, Arch. Rev. (Nov ), p. . ), p. . See John Harris, ‘Some Thoughts on the Amateur See Catalogue entries a and b, pp. – in John Intervention in English Architecture,’ in A Passion Dixon Hunt and Erik de Jong (eds.), The Anglo for Building: The Amateur Architect in England Dutch Garden in the Age of William and Mary, – , ed. John Harris and Robert Hradsky (London, ). A particularly well-used map was (Sir John Soane’s Museum London, exhibition that by Gouwen, ( c. ), intended for tourists to catalogue, ), p. . the region, with important estates and features See Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. marked on as destinations. See catalogue entry a, For a full analysis of these buildings, see Whiffen, p. for a reproduction. Architect of the English Baroque, pp. – . The John Dixon Hunt, ‘Reckoning with Dutch remarkable triangular rectory at Deptford was Gardens’, in Hunt and de Jong, op. cit., p. . begun in but was sadly demolished in . William Nicholson, commenting upon a visit to See Paul Jeffery, ‘Thomas Archer’s Deptford Antwerp in : Queen’s College, Oxford, Rectory: A Reconstruction’, The Georgian Group MS , folio , quoted in Hunt and de Jong, Journal , Vol.III, , pp. – , for a detailed op. cit., p. . account. R van Luttervelt, De Buitenplaatsen aan de Vecht Alumni Oxonienses , early ser. ADI, p. , quoted in (Lochem, ) quoted in Erik de Jong, Henry Brian Leather, Baroque Inspiration: A study ‘”Netherlandsih Hesperidies”: Garden Art in the of the life and works of Thomas Archer – , period of William and Mary – ’, in Hunt ( ), p. . Detail regarding the length of his tour is and de Jong, op. cit., p. .These estates would go from the inscription on his own monument in Hale, on to be immortalized in De Zegepralende Vecht or written by Archer: see Booth Jones, The Church of ‘The Triumphant Vecht River,’ by Daniel St Mary, Hale for a full translation. Stoopendaal, published in .
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII THE TRAVELS OF THOMAS ARCHER : NEW DISCOVERIES
Van Strien, op. cit ., p. . There is also a mention in See Whiffen, Thomas Archer: Architect of the Archer’s books regarding the ‘Jerusalem cross in English Baroque, pp. – for details of these works, Utrecht’, but this might be reference to one of the and pp. – for illustrations. Chapels of the Brotherhood of the Jerusalem Cross This is taken from Archer’s own effigy at Hale in Utrecht. Church: see Booth Jones, The Church of St Mary, Hunt and de Jong, op. cit., p. . Hale, translation from the original Latin. Erik Jong, trans. Ann Langenakens, Nature and Art: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Records Office, Dutch Garden and Landscape Architecture Stratford Upon Avon, DR //Box / , Pocket – (University of Pennsylvania, ), p. . book of Thomas Archer. The passage is written in A large concave mirror in which a panorama was full in the notebook, in French, as follows: reflected was a particularly famous feature, and Trente de Londres secret conjureront, suggests an early appreciation of the landscape as a Contre leur Roi sur le pont entrerinse, picturesque composition. Lui, satalites la mort degousteron. Wilhem Diedenhofen, ‘“Belvedere” or the Principle Un Roi esleu blonde, natif de Frize. of Seeing and Looking in the Gardens of Johan This translates as: Maurits van Nassau-Siegen at Cleves,’ in John Thirty Londoners, in secret, will conspire Dixon Hunt (ed.), The Dutch Garden in the Against their king; the plan will come by sea, Seventeenth Century (Dumbarton Oaks Colloquium He and his courtiers are disgusted by death on the History of Landscape Architecture, XII, The elected king will be fair; a native of Friesland. Dumbarton Oaks, ), p. . The fortifications at Graves were rebuilt from See Ned Halley, Complete prophecies of after being liberated from the French. Nostradamus, (Ware, Hertfordshire, ), / – Jong , Nature and Art , op. cit., p. . –, p. . ‘Chateau d’Enghien’, Gardenvisit.com: The Garden To date, I have not found a plan in any of Meagre’s and Landscape Guide. books that matches this image. (http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/chateau_deng See Helen Lawrence, ‘“Cabinets of Retirement”: hien, accessed on September ). Another Classical Grove at Hale Park?’ in Peter Murray, ‘Archer abroad’, Architectural Review ‘Gentleman Traveller, Courtier and a “Favourite (July ), p. . with the Rich”: New Light on Thomas Archer as Roberto Piperno, ‘Piazza di Spagna’, Rome in the Garden Maker’ (MA Dissertation, University of footsteps of an XVIIIth century traveler, Bristol ), ch. . (http://www.romeartlover.it/Vasi .html#Strangers, accessed September ).
THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XVIII