2 C O N T E X T 1 0 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 7 Context Briefing Copy deadlines Context is published five times a year, in March, May, July, September and November. The final copy deadline in 2007 is: Issue Deadline November, Issue 102 14 September Editor Rob Cowan Editorial Coordinator Fiona Newton 21 George Street, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 9JU Tel 01507 602567 email editorial@ihbc.org.uk Editorial Board Fiona Newton (chair) Susan Brook (treasurer) Nigel Crowe (main features) Peter de Figueiredo (book reviews) Michael Taylor (main features) Cartoons by Rob Cowan Context is distributed to all members of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. © Institute of Historic Building Conservation 2007 ISSN 0958-2746 Publisher Published for the Institute of Historic Building Conservation by Cathedral Communications Limited, High Street, Tisbury,Wiltshire, England SP3 6HA Tel 01747 871717 Fax 01747 871718 email context@cathcomm.demon.co.uk www.buildingconservation.com Non-member subscriptions to Context Context is available to non-members of the IHBC at an annual subscription rate, including postage, of: United Kingdom £50.00 Elsewhere £75.00 Subscription orders, together with remittances payable to Institute of Historic Building Conservation, should be sent to the IHBC Business Office at Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA. The views expressed in Context are not necessarily held by the IHBC or the publisher. Neither the publisher nor the IHBC shall be under any liability whatsoever in respect of contributed articles. We gratefully acknowledge the support of firms whose advertisements appear throughout this publication.While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this issue of Context is current and correct, neither the IHBC nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. Vaulting ambition The development of London by speculative entrepreneurs is not a new story. In the 18th century four Scottish brothers, all members of the Adam family, embarked on a stunning regeneration scheme for a huge site in the centre of London to be known as the Adelphi.The story of this architecturally ambitious scheme and of the men behind it is the focus of an exhibition at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London throughout the autumn. The exhibition features some of the most impressive paintings of the Adelphi and drawings from the Adam collection in the Soane Museum, along with documents, drawings, paintings and family portraits lent from other public and private collections. Vaulting Ambition also focuses on the story of the Adam brothers themselves and on the rupture in their relationships caused by the uncertain nature of their grand venture: the bank crashes of 1772 and their recourse to a lottery to escape financial disaster. Known primarily as Britain’s first celebrity architects, Robert and James Adam were also partners in the biggest building company in the 18th century, a company that encompassed supply, materials, contracting and speculative development. Bob and Jamie were the second and third sons of the most eminent Scottish architect,William Adam. He, with their eldest brother Johnny and withWilly, the youngest son, established their business under the name ofWilliam Adam and Company in 1764. It traded until 1801. At its height the firm employed as many as 3,000 men. Four years afterWilliam Adam and Co was established, the brothers began their great business adventure, building some 69 houses overlooking the Thames at DurhamYard on a run-down site that had belonged to the Duke of St Albans. The development was to be called the Adelphi – so nearly Adelphoi, the Greek word for brothers – a neat example of the Adams’ unabashed and surprisingly modern grasp of self-promotion.The Adams presented themselves, to a modern eye, as big developers and ambitious men unwilling to let anything stand in their way.The amount of organisation, energy and novelty that they brought to the Adelphi project was phenomenal. The Adelphi was a showcase for elegant new architecture, setting standards for urban developments throughout Britain. It established the ideal of civilised domestic design in the late Georgian age. Magnificent drawings, one almost nine feet long of Royal Terrace, a series of ceiling designs almost certainly used for promotional purposes, chimney pieces and proposals View of the Adelphi towards St Paul’s, drawn by Augustino Brunias and engraved by B Pastorini c1770 Design for the ceiling of the Grand Drawing Room of David Garrick’s house, 5 Royal Terrace, the Adelphi, London 1771 Perspective of the east side of Fitzroy Square, London, designed by Robert Adam 1790, drawn by Soane’s Office
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