Chesterfield House
Chesterfield House was one of the great London townhouses. Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694–1773), statesman and man of letters, had it built in 1747–1752. The exterior was in the Palladian style , while the interiors were in the Baroque style. It was demolished in 1937 and today there is an apartment block of the same name in its place. The house stood in Mayfair on the north side of Curzon Street between South Audley Street and what is now Chesterfield Street .
The French travel writer Pierre-Jean Grosley saw the house in his book Londres as being equivalent to the Hôtels of the nobles in Paris .
history
The house was built on land owned by Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe , based on plans by architect Isaac Ware . In his "Letters to my Son", Chesterfield wrote on March 31, 1749 about the "Hotel Chesterfield":
“So far I have only finished my boudoir and my library; the former is the most extravagant and cheerful place in England; the latter the best. My garden has now been filled with soil, planted and sown and in two months it will be a haven of greenery and flowers that are not common in London. "
Library
The Quarterly Review (founded 1809), No. 125 reported:
“In the grand townhouse that the Earl had built on Audley Street, you can still see his favorite living quarters as he left them - among the rest, which he boastfully described as 'the most beautiful room in London' and which may also be today remains unsurpassed - its spacious and beautiful library, from which one can see the most beautiful private garden in London. Halfway up the walls are covered with rich and classical works of literature; Above the shelves are the portraits of famous authors, French and English, in close succession, most of whom he corresponded with himself; above and immediately below the massive cornice around the whole room in 30 centimeter high capital letters the Horazi lines: 'NUNC. VETERUM. LIBRIS. NUNC. SOMNO. ET. INERTIBUS. HORIS: DUCERE. SOLICITAE. JVCUNDA. OBLIVIA. VITAE. ' On the mantels and cabinets are busts of old worshipers, alternating with lush vases and bronzes, antique or Italian , and lofty statues, in marble or alabaster , naked or half-naked opera nymphs. "
Stairwell
The pillars of the umbrella to the courtyard and the marble staircase with bronze balustrade come from Cannons near Edgeware , the country house of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos , († 1744), which was demolished soon after the death of its owner, after which the building materials Auctioned in 1747. Lord Chesterfield bought the porch and railings at auction . He also outfitted his townhouse with artifacts from sales at Houghton Hall , Robert Walpole's country house , including an 18-light gilt copper lantern. Portraits of the earl's ancestors hung in the library. As a satire on the fashion of boastful portrayals of old ancestors, he placed two old portraits between the portraits, labeled “Adam de Stanhope” and “Eve de Stanhope”.
Creation of Stanhope Street
Lord Chesterfield built Stanhope Street on the adjoining property he had acquired from Dean & Chapter of Westminster.
Description from 1869
The following description appeared in Old & New London by Edward Walford :
“The house itself has a lot of nice details and in others - one must admit - it is slightly disappointing. When the visitor enters the hall from the concierge's lodge via the noble, paved courtyard, he is overwhelmed by the sight of the magnificent marble staircase that leads up and down and on which the great Chandos must have already walked when he was under the roof of his own palace 'Canons' stayed. And, historical tradition aside, this is really a staircase that lets 'ideas' rise, especially when it is on the first landing, not only through the busts of Pitt and Fox , but also through the sublime clock , obviously an old French construction that looks like it struck the hours in Versailles sometime earlier . If you enter the music room via the same staircase, you can't help but be a little disappointed. Not that one expected to be greeted by a harmony of sweet tones, but one would have expected that the symbolism of the decorations on the walls, ceiling and mantelpiece would be more graceful and appropriate overall than it actually is, considering that the two fiddles in half-relief, gilded and arranged crosswise, can hardly be compared with the appearance of harps, lyres, etc., the usual attributes of the muse of melody ... But the visitor is reminded of the same court [Versailles] even more pleasantly if he goes down to the reception rooms on the ground floor and enters the salon, which is specially called the "French Room". Not only do the wall paneling and the style of various pieces of furniture take you back to the glory of the ' Ancien Régime ' of the time when Chesterfield enjoyed his company, but the mirrors, one above the fireplace and the other across from it, appear as though they were to reflect this society, and not just to reflect it, but to multiply it; because these mirrors, often formed from different glasses, fit into one another like a mosaic and the dividing lines of these glasses are decorated with painted flower arrangements etc. The viewer sees his reflection again and again and in many fantastic forms and can judge himself in many, if not to say versatile, aspects. In another room, to which the French drawing room leads, hangs a large chandelier , formed from hanging crystals, that once belonged to Napoleon . The mantelpiece in this room is particularly beautiful; and under the pictures on the walls is a good copy of Titian 's ' Venus '. But perhaps the most interesting room in the whole house is the library. In the place where Lord Chesterfield used to sit and write are still the books that one might assume he read - books of worldwide and continuing interest, numbered in good order, by the hundreds, one row above the other. .
Dr. Johnson in Lord Chesterfield's anteroom . Colored engraving of ' Edward Matthew Ward ' and 'CW Sharpe'.In another room, not far from the library, one seems to get an impression of the daily life of the noble letter writer, as one can still see his anteroom there, in which he sometimes had aspirants wait for his lordship's favor. (This room became immortal in the Victorian portrait of Dr. Johnson in the vestibule of Lord Chesterfield of EM Ward.) On the garden front outside there is a stone or marble terrace over a large lawn that extends to the lawn and flower beds behind the house. "
George Capel-Coningsby, 5th Earl of Essex , († 1839), remembers seeing the Earl sit on a rough seat in front of his house and warm himself in the sun.
sale
After the house was due to be demolished in 1869, it was bought by the City of London merchant Charles Magniac , who considerably shortened the property at the back and built a series of buildings on Chesterfield Street , which were then called Chesterfield Gardens , on the separated strip of land .
Individual references and comments
- ↑ Error in source: Edward Walford states on p. 353 that the property was bought by "Curzon, Earl Howe", an anachronism. You'd think he meant Richard Howe.
- ^ Edward Walford: Old & New London: A Narrative of Its History, Its People & Its Places . 6 volumes. London 1878. Volume 4. pp. 354-356.
swell
- Edward Walford: Old & New London: A Narrative of Its History, Its People & Its Places . 6 volumes. London 1878. Volume 4. pp. 353-359.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 25 ″ N , 0 ° 9 ′ 0 ″ W.