The Secret Life of E. M. WILBRAHAM (1632-1705) A Major British Architect Rediscovered E- M. Wilbraharn was born the same year as Sir Christopher Wren, and lived comfortably in Staffordshire, Cheshire and London as a wealthy member of the nobility. Wilbraharn, who had an extensive annotated library of architectural books, felt Very much , attracted to architecture, was very talented at it, and is known to have designed at least nine buildings for family (including two churches). In spite of this, Wilbraham’s career, which was kept secret at the time for social reasons, is not traced in any books or reference dictionaries- Little_or no documentary evidence for Wilbraham’s authorship of any buildingsother than family structures will probably ever be found, although a considerable body of stylistic and circumstantial evidence makes a compelling case that Wilbraharn designed about 200 of the leading British buildings of the day; stylistic evidence is frequently accepted for attributing works to painters and sculptors, and in some cases can help attribute works of architecture. Wilbraham designed in what has come to be known as the “Wren” style, but since Wilbraham had been designing buildings for about eight years by the time-that Wren had his first building built it is perhaps more fitting to say that Wren designed in the Wilbraham style! However, such an assertion would tend to overthrow many long- cherished traditions. So far, more than a dozen architectural drawings believed to be in W ilbraham’s hand have been found, including one showing the first sash windows introduced to England, and four period architectural models survive, made presumably at Wilbrahanfs direction. A surprisingly high percentage of buildings attributed to Wilbraham survive. Many, including such icons as Belton House, Winslow Hall, and Saint Mary’s Church, lngestre, are open to the public, both through the National Trust and other owners. F or marry buildings, Wilbraham seems to have acted through trusted surrogates. Some, like Thomas Webb, the Hurlbutt brothers, the Smith brothers, Henry Donner, and John Lumley, were inasterbuilders. Others, like Edward Pierce and Sir William Wilson, were sculptors. Still others, including William Samwell, Captain William Winde, and the flamboyant Earl of Ranelagh, can best be termed “architectural expeditors.” Wilbraham also collaborated closely with the architectural theorist Sir Roger Pratt in England, and Sir William Bruce and James Smith in Scotland, to the extent that Wilbraham designed most of some of their buildings for them. All these collaborations helped Wilbraham avoid the less pleasant and time-consuming duty of having to be on site supervising construction; thus, W ilbraham was allowed more time than most other architects to design a greater number of buildings as a “mail~order” architect. Evidence shows that Wren appreciated Wilbraham’s talents to the extent of passing along several commissions fiom friends when he was too busy to attend to them himself. Sir John Denham, Surveyor General of the Kings Works, (who surprisingly knew little about architecture) also apparently passed commissions to Wilbraham- The outline above, coupled with the list of about 200 attributed buildings, ought to be enough to justify the publication of a book on Wilbraham (one is well under way), and the mounting of a museum exhibit to travel to museums on both sides of the Atlantic, perhaps in conjunction with the 3003’ anniversary of Wilbrahanfs death in 2005. However, another reason for book and exhibit should surely be that Elizabeth Mytton, Lady Thomas Wilbraham was apparently the world’s first woman architect by many years. It now becomes more obvious why she had to make such strenuous efforts to cover her tracks that so little documentation survives. A beautiful portrait of Wilbraham by Sir Peter Lely can be seen at her home, Weston Park House- John Fitzhugh Millar, 710 South Henry Street, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185-41 13, USA '3‘. » ~ ‘..av""‘ .,_.. . P {.3 S l E M’ -i . 1“ '/" yém L/. 4/ v -{K4 it -Q“/-/UP :l~‘}‘L}’.?g_v Iii jg . 1 B-eafo-rdshire C Ampthill Park Wrest Park (1. Berkshire Abingdon Town Hall Cranboume Lodge (1. part of Hampstead Marshall (1. of Coleshill d. Buckinghamsh-ire Stowe I Cliefden Wotton Underwood Winslow Hall Cambridgeshire Horseheath Hall (1. Cheshire Woodéh-ey House (1. Woodhey Chapel Eaztzon Hall! I d. Lyme Park _ iCa-Vpesthome Chapel Cornwall Stow House (1. Great Treverran King -Charles Church, F almouth C Cumberland H'utton—ei.I1—th«e-Forest Derbyshire _ Calke Abbey Kedleston Hall I d. pan of Sudbury par: of Bolsover Castle ' King Charles Church I, Forest (1. Dorset _ Kingst-on Lacy House H llsington House part of Dewlish House S Gloucestershire Badminton House Badminton dependencies [project for Toddington Manor] Court A Northwick Park & dependencies Williamstfip Park ’\ Dumbleton Hall (1 Bourton House A1-kerton Grange Gazebo Westbury Park Gazebo Hampshire - Grange Park I, Alresford School, Winchester College Herefordshire Stoke Edith House & dependencies Brainge House S . Eywood Hazll & dependencies Hill Court He‘ dshire T7. . rel. . .. House dd. ‘Squenyes Court _ Bourne Park Bromley College (1. M-orden College, Blackheath 'p€L*t of St. Charles" Church, Ttmbri-dge Wells Leicestershire Stanford Sir John More’s School, Appleby Li-ncolnshire Belton House Gfimsthorpe Castle 1 Uflington House Gunby Hal-l London ' - ' Wilbrazheam House. Chelsea ' Buckingham House I I‘ Burlington House I Monmouth. House d. Pembroke House I d.’ Clarendon House d. Arlington House d. T T . Horseguards Gatehouse I d. ‘_ g ' ' I Schomberg House % ‘ I I I ._ Ranelagh House, Chelsea d._ ' V I ' I Powis/Newcastle House ' Pow’-is House_Il__d., , Lindsay House, Chelsea d- Trinity Almshouses, Mile Gate T Emanuel _Al-Inshouses 7 I ' -S-e1j.eant’s d. - Temple Bar (moved) - Miacldle Temple Arch Residence of Master of-the Temnle ,- 0 lgery, Chelsea Physic Garden d.‘ Apothecaries’ Tallow Chandlers’ Hall. I’ _' on Brewers’ Hal-r1d;l' I ' V " '7 I I pa1tof=Gro.cers’ H'a’-l«l'd.i e of Hall d. _ a part of Innholders’ Hall ' College of Arms I % , T Norfolk I. _ Melton Constable‘ a T - V parts of F-e;lé‘brlgg Hall I I . Northamptonshire ‘ __ Co:ttesbroolte'.'_H-a:I:I..u l"',:'.” I. "C part tofDingleiy°Hal1. '7 . , Nestnédependencies 2 projects for Easton Neston Nottingha-mshire Nottingham Castle H Thoresby House (1. Averham Park I" Oxfordshire ' Entrance to Ashmolean Museum I Bishop’s Palace, Cuddes-don 7 Famborough Hall Rut-‘land part of Lyndon Hall Tickencote Hall d. Burley-on-the-Hill . Shropshire Halston Hall Ash Hall . - ,- Dudmaston Hall Hawkstone Hall I It .Pri-orslee Hall _ Shavington Hall (1. Project for Butter Cross, Ludlow I ’ Market, Ludlow d. Somerset - Tintinhul-1 House I I "C _Staflordsh:z7r,e : ,& Stables Saint Andrew’s Church, Weston Fisherwick Park (1. ' T Saint Ma1y’s Church, Ingestre I I All Saints’ Church, Forton I Guildhall project, Newcastleamder-Lyme Market, Tamworth I __Wrottesley. Hall alt. Bishop’s Palace, Lic'hfiel~d (3 designs) Ha.-ll I -I alt. ,_Szjfi‘olk C C - King’s House, Newmarket d. Exning House, Newmarket Euston Hall I & dependencies ' _’ Saint GenevieVe’s Church, Euston Surrey part of House Rochester/New Park House d. S - Sussex Uppark Stansted d. Warwz’-ckshire I Eagle House, Mitcham Tadworth Court Courthouse project, Warwick Shire Hall 1, Warwick d. Market, Warwick Stables, Warwick Castle d. Honington Hall All Saints’ Church, Honington , Church of the Ascension, Hall Green Project for Ch. of Sts. &_Margaret,-I:-Castle Bromwich ' Ragley Hall I ' C Umberslade I-lall Landor House, (3 e.designs')l c « an l Alveston House part 1 fl. 3 9 " Ansty Hall Rectory, Sutton._Coldfie1d;d. of Four Oaks ld- - part of Moat House part of Moor Hall e .Wi»lt.s'hire Maiden Bradley d. H S i‘ S H rebuilding of F on-th—i}ll House .& dependencies d. All Saints’ Church, Farley Worcestershire Berkeley Hospital Alrnshouses A I Hall Yorkshire Newby Hall Risby Hall Acklam Hall . , Kiveton Park Wales ' a Part of Chirk Castle, Clwyd Erddig House, Clwyd part of Powis Castle, Powys Tredegar House & Stables, Gwent a Project for Monmouth Shire Hall, Gwent Project for Great Castle House, Gwent ‘ Troy House, Gwenty S Scotland , i Hopetoun House 1, West Lothian Craigiehall, West Lothian Melville House, Fife Craigh_all._ House, Fife rd- . Kinross House, Kinrosséshire Harden/Mertoun House, B-erwickshire .Ham:ilton Palace, Lanarkshire d. Dalkeith House, Midlothian , A Ireland H a Lord- ConWay’s Stables,_,Po.rtmore .d. * Tholsel/Town Hall, Dublin (1. _ Castle Cor, «County Cork, d. Castlemartin, County Kildare America I y 7 -Foster-Hutchinson__House, Bjoston MA d_ z*JChii§éileliHall,liDorchester d. , Colbeck Castle & dependencies, Jamaica r. ' ‘Governor Codrin.gto.nMansion, Barbados India S e - Marine Building, Bombay/Mumbai (1. East India Company Offices, Madras/Chennai (1. Saint A;nne’s Church, Calcutta/Kolkata d. - Key: ldfacee= buildings for Wilbraha1n’s “family, therefore fairly certain "d. = destroyed; alt. == seriously altered; r. in ruins of Si Genevieve Click the links below to find out more about Euston Hall... Introduction The History The Paintings The Grounds The Watermill The Temple The Church of St Genevieve The Archive Exhibition The Craft Shop and Tea Room Visitor Information Site Credits and Links Page I of 2 ' ‘ ..._.\., 5.‘,-,‘»_».w~ 'v\ (\A.4§\1.-ux) .§,_.,..,_:.‘%..,\._. “,5, xvtxse’:§2ustto11halI.co.1114 The Church of St Genevieve This charming church stands on the site of the original medieval parish church (the base of the tower is all that remains now) and is a rare example of an unaltered seventeenth-century country church. It is one 0 only four country churches to be built during the reign of Charles II, as a efforts were centred on rebuilding the churches in the City of London tha were burnt during the great fire in 1666. After he had completed the building of Euston Hall, Lord Arlington decided to rebuild the church to be more in keeping with his new grand house. His daughter laid the foundation stone (to the right of the tower) in 1676. Lord Arlington consulted Sir Christopher Wren and, employing local builders, it was quickly finished. John Evelyn, the diarist, visited in 1677, and recorded the church as one-1: of the prettiest in England. The architect is believed to be E M Wilbraham. Inside, there are elegant plaster bands of decoration around the arches and on the vaults. The fine woodwork is thought to be designed by Grinling Gibbons. The inscription recording the rebuilding is the largest of an interesting range of FitzRoy family memorials. The coat of arms over the door (thought to be by Daniel Marot) is that of the first Duke and his wife Isabella. A new bell frame was made in 1983 and a sixth bell was added. Home I Introduction I History I Paintings I Gardens I Watermill I Temple I Church I Archive Exhibition I Craft Shop I Visitor Info I Credits