232

HISTORY OF ARCIHTKCTURH. Hoox I,

OF THE lAXTIlEOX, LOX
cliief iircliitect of the day. Those critics, amateur or otherwise, who do not c))oo.se to niaka
allowances tor the state of the knowledge of the arts at the period under notice, iiold VVyatt
n|) to the execratio.i of the present generation, for his alterations and restorations of onr
ancient buildings Yer,
for King George 111.,
he restored |iarts t t
Windsor t'astle, to th'.'
entire satisfaction ofall
tlie connoisseurs of his
day, keepi.g to the ori-
ginal style of the edi-
fice. ( r as nearly so as
the few studies of tiie
style permitted. His
(Jothic palace at Kew
lias been jiulled down
;
ana the western front
of the Houses of I'ar-
Hanient was buriit
down; bi)th unregrct-
ted. But liis liouses,
villas, and mansions,
are amongst the most
convenient and taste-
ful in the country; liis
own residencH." in Port-
land Place, near I.angliain Church, is a good
ty]ie. Elmes has elaborately commented
u|)on tile peculiarities of Ardbraccan House, n.ar Navan, in Ireland, designed for tlie Bisho]i
of iVIeath, as aHbrding the moderate accommodation for a small family, or all tlie require-
ments of ail Irish ordination, wiiere hospitality has to be afforded to all comers.
.5^8. Jau es Wyatt "as among the earliest architects to employ every style of architecture
in his designs, yielding all individuality to the passing whims of clitMits. Among his other
buildings usually noticed are Lee Priory, Kent; and Castle Coote, in Ireland, for Viscount
Helmour, which for grandeur of elfect and judicious arrangement, deserves much commen-
dation. The a))artments are ujjon a moderate scale and
well disposed, and the wiiole designed after a Greek model,
in which style he also designed Bowden Park, Wiltshire,
for Barnard Dickenson, Escp
{Ji(js.'2'29
and 'J.'JO). Another
of his large works
is Ashridge, situ-
ate in the counties
of Buckinglam
and Hertford, for
theEarlofBrid;je-
water ; it is a very
extensive and
highly decorated
mansion
designed
n.. 050. ei.lvat.o.n <>k dowi.k.x i-.u.k.
in the media val
castellated style.
Fonthill Abbey, Wiltshire, for W. Beck-
ford,
Es(|., was also another of his edifices in the same style.
The exterior n easiiren ents are
2"0
ft. from east to west,
ana ;3I2 ft. from north to south; the centre tower being
'.^76 ft. high from the floor to the top of the pinnacles. His
restorations ofour mediaeval buildings included that of
I
'enryVIIth'scharelat
Westmin.ster Abbey, Thomas Gay-
fere being the intelligent master mason emjjloyed. As .so
many of his later works belong to tl e present century, no
more will be said here of this influential architect, except
that he succeeded Sir W. Ch?u hers as surveyor-geneial
to the Board of Works
; th;it tor one year he tilled the pre-
sidential chair of the Royal Academy
; and that, as before
stated, he died in IS 1:5, aged sixty-seven, in consecjuer.ce of
the overturning of his chariot near Marlborough.
S'JO. This architect must conclude our general view of the history of art in this country
to llie end of the reign of George III
PLAN OK BOWUEX PARK,