The Architectural Picturesque in Devon | 07.10.2021

‘To charm the eye and captivate the soul’
John Nash, Humphrey Repton and the Architecture of the Picturesque in Devon.

An illustrated talk by Dr Rosemary Yallop on Thursday 7th October 2021 at 7pm in The Devon Rural Archive.

The Architectural Picturesque was a radical new approach to the design of the house which emerged in the late eighteenth century, and which placed pictorial composition at its heart. Rules of symmetry and proportion and the use of the orders could be discarded in favour of a more expressive idiom which was redolent of other eras or places: the ancient abbey or castle, the rural cottage, the Tudor manor-house, rustic Italian villas, and the exotic, or ‘Hindoo’. Celebrated exponents included the architects John Nash and Jeffry Wyatville, and Devon is fortunate in having three examples in contrasting styles of country houses by them which demonstrate the art of designing houses of great charm and playfulness and placing them perfectly in the landscape. Dr. Rosemary Yallop will talk about Luscombe Castle, Sandridge Park and Endsleigh and explain both how they encapsulate the Picturesque spirit and why this approach to design had such a significant legacy.

Dr. Rosemary Yallop is an architectural historian who received her doctorate from the University of Oxford for her work on Italianate architecture and the British house. Her research interests include John Nash and the Repton family, the history of the architectural pattern book, the Villa and the Suburb, and the work of provincial architects in Devon and Cornwall. She lectures for the University of Oxford Continuing Education Department and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and is Vice-Chairman of the national heritage conservation body the Georgian Group.

Tickets are £5 each, and they must be purchased in advance as numbers are limited.

To purchase a ticket please use the button below. Alternatively you can call us on 01548 830832 or email office@dra.uk.net; you will need to supply a valid phone number and email address for our records. By purchasing a ticket you will be automatically subscribed to the DRA Friends mailing list and will receive regular updates about our work and events, but you can unsubscribe at any time. Booking will close at 12 noon on Tuesday 5th October and payments are non-refundable. 

Doors open at 6:30pm for complimentary refreshments and a chance to explore the Archive.