Henry Flitcroft (30 August 1697 – 25 February 1769) was a major English
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
in the second generation of Palladianism. He came from a simple background: his father was a labourer in the gardens at Hampton Court and he began as a joiner by trade. Working as a carpenter at
Burlington HouseBurlington House is a building on Piccadilly in London. It was originally a private Palladian mansion, and was expanded in the mid 19th century after being purchased by the British government...
, he fell from a scaffold and broke his leg. While he was recuperating, the young
Lord BurlingtonRichard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork PC , born in Yorkshire, England was the son of Charles Boyle, 2nd Earl of Burlington and 3rd Earl of Cork...
noticed his talent with the pencil, and by 1720 Flitcroft was Burlington's draughtsman and general architectural assistant, surveying at Westminster School for Burlington's dormitory, and superintending at the site at Tottenham House.
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Henry Flitcroft (30 August 1697 – 25 February 1769) was a major English
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
in the second generation of Palladianism. He came from a simple background: his father was a labourer in the gardens at Hampton Court and he began as a joiner by trade. Working as a carpenter at
Burlington HouseBurlington House is a building on Piccadilly in London. It was originally a private Palladian mansion, and was expanded in the mid 19th century after being purchased by the British government...
, he fell from a scaffold and broke his leg. While he was recuperating, the young
Lord BurlingtonRichard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork PC , born in Yorkshire, England was the son of Charles Boyle, 2nd Earl of Burlington and 3rd Earl of Cork...
noticed his talent with the pencil, and by 1720 Flitcroft was Burlington's draughtsman and general architectural assistant, surveying at Westminster School for Burlington's dormitory, and superintending at the site at Tottenham House. Working life in the inner circle that was driving the new
Palladian architecturePalladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
was an education for Flitcroft.
Flitcroft redrew for publication the drawings for
The Designs of Mr. Inigo Jones, published by
William KentWilliam Kent was an eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.-Education:...
in 1727, under Burlington's patronage and supervision. In May 1726 Burlington got his protegé an appointment at the
Office of WorksThe Office of Works was established in the English Royal household in 1378 to oversee the building of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it became the Works Department within the Office of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works and Buildings...
, where he worked his way up from Master Carpenter and Master Mason to Comptroller of the King's Works, a prestigious position at the top of the architectural field. No royal commissions came his way, however, except for some works privately for the
Duke of CumberlandDuke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British royal family, named after the county of Cumberland.The first creation, in the Peerage of England, was in 1644 for Prince Rupert of the Rhine, nephew of King Charles I...
in Windsor Great Park, but his hands were constantly occupied with private commissions.
Flitcroft, like most professional architects (and unlike virtuoso earls) did some speculative construction in new-building London streets, supplied stone, and contracted to erect the buildings he was designing.
Major commissions
- Lilford Hall
Grade 1 listed Lilford Hall is a stately 100 room home with a 55,000 sq ft floor area, located in the eastern part of the County of Northamptonshire, south of Oundle and north of Thrapston. The Hall was the home of the Elmes family from 1635 to 1711, and then the Powys family from 1711 to 1990...
, Northamptonshire: 1740's. At Lilford he designed the interiors.
- St Giles in the Fields
St Giles in the Fields is a church in the London Borough of Camden, in the West End. It is close to the Centre Point office tower and the Tottenham Court Road tube station. The church is part of the Diocese of London within the Church of England...
, London: 1731–34.
- Ditchley House, Oxfordshire: 1724 onwards. At Ditchley he designed interiors, working in harmonious partnership with William Kent
William Kent was an eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.-Education:...
.
- Wentworth Woodhouse
Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed country house near the village of Wentworth, in the vicinity of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. "One of the great Whig political palaces", its East Front, 606 ft long, is the longest country house façade in Europe. The house includes 240 rooms and...
, W. Riding, Yorkshire: 1735 onwards. He rebuilt and enlarged the west front and added wings.
- Wimbourne House, Wimbourne St Giles, Dorset: 1740–44. Interiors.
- Stowe House
Stowe is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is the location of Stowe House, a Grade I listed country house, and Stowe School, which occupies the mansion. It is situated about two miles north-northwest of Buckingham...
, Buckinghamshire: ca. 1742. The State gallery (attributed).
- Wimpole Hall
Wimpole Hall is a country house located within the Parish of Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, England, about 8½ miles southwest of Cambridge. The house, begun in 1640, and its 3,000 acres of parkland and farmland are owned by the National Trust and are regularly open to the public.Wimpole is...
, Cambridgeshire: 1742–45.
- Stourhead
Stourhead is a 2,650 acre estate at the source of the River Stour near Mere, Wiltshire, England. The estate includes a Palladian mansion, the village of Stourton, gardens, farmland, and woodland...
, Wiltshire: 1744–65. Garden temples
- Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey, near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre 20th century :...
, Bedfordshire: 1748–61.
- Milton House, Northamptonshire: 1750–51.
Flitcroft built extensively in the
West EndThe West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres. Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.