Montagu House (sometimes spelled "Montague") was a late 17th-century mansion in Great Russell Street in the Bloomsbury district of London, which became the first home of the British Museum. The first house on the site was destroyed by fire in 1686. The rebuilt house was sold to the British Museum in 1759, and demolished in the 1840s to make way for the present larger building.
The garden front of Montagu House.
The entrance front.
A plan of Montagu House from Colen Campbell's Vitruvius Britannicus.
The house was actually built twice, both times for the same man, Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu. The late 17th century was Bloomsbury's most fashionable era, and Montagu purchased a site which is now in the heart of London but which then backed onto open fields (the Long Fields).
First house
His first house was designed by the English architect and scientist Robert Hooke, an architect of moderate ability whose style was influenced by French planning and Dutch detailing, and was built between 1675 and 1679. Admired by contemporaries, it had a central block and two service blocks flanking a large courtyard and featured murals by the Italian artist Antonio Verrio. The French painter Jacques Rousseau also contributed wall paintings.[1] In 1686, the house was destroyed by fire.
Second house
The house was rebuilt to the designs of an otherwise little known Frenchman called Pouget. This Montagu House was by some margin the grandest private residence constructed in London in the last two decades of the 17th century. The main façade was of seventeen bays, with a slightly projecting three bay centre and three bay ends, which abutted the service wings of the first mansion. The house was of two main storeys, plus basement and a prominent mansard roof with a dome over the centre. The planning was in the usual French form of the time, with state apartments leading from a central saloon. The interiors, decorated by French artists, were admired by Horace Walpole and were probably comparable to the surviving state apartments at Boughton House in Northamptonshire, which were built for the same patron at the same time.
History
In the early 18th century, Bloomsbury began to decline gently from a fashionable aristocratic district to a more middle-class enclave, and the 2nd Duke of Montagu abandoned his father's house to move to Whitehall. He built himself a more modest residence which was later replaced with an opulent mansion by his Victorian descendant, Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch: see Montagu House, Whitehall. Montagu House in Bloomsbury was sold to the Trustees of the British Museum in 1759 and was the home of that institution until it was demolished in the 1840s to make way for larger premises.
Noble Households – book with Montagu House inventories, 1709 and 1733
References
^Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Rousseau, Jacques" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 774.
Bibliography
Colvin, Howard, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840. New Haven, CT.; London: Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2008 ISBN978-0-300-12508-5OCLC 84996007
Cornforth, John, Early Georgian Interiors. New Haven, CT.; London: Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2004, pp. 116, 183 ISBN978-0-30-010330-4OCLC 938151474
montagu, house, bloomsbury, montagu, house, sometimes, spelled, montague, late, 17th, century, mansion, great, russell, street, bloomsbury, district, london, which, became, first, home, british, museum, first, house, site, destroyed, fire, 1686, rebuilt, house. Montagu House sometimes spelled Montague was a late 17th century mansion in Great Russell Street in the Bloomsbury district of London which became the first home of the British Museum The first house on the site was destroyed by fire in 1686 The rebuilt house was sold to the British Museum in 1759 and demolished in the 1840s to make way for the present larger building The garden front of Montagu House The entrance front A plan of Montagu House from Colen Campbell s Vitruvius Britannicus Contents 1 Construction 1 1 First house 1 2 Second house 2 History 3 In popular culture 4 See also 5 References 6 BibliographyConstruction EditThe house was actually built twice both times for the same man Ralph Montagu 1st Duke of Montagu The late 17th century was Bloomsbury s most fashionable era and Montagu purchased a site which is now in the heart of London but which then backed onto open fields the Long Fields First house Edit His first house was designed by the English architect and scientist Robert Hooke an architect of moderate ability whose style was influenced by French planning and Dutch detailing and was built between 1675 and 1679 Admired by contemporaries it had a central block and two service blocks flanking a large courtyard and featured murals by the Italian artist Antonio Verrio The French painter Jacques Rousseau also contributed wall paintings 1 In 1686 the house was destroyed by fire Second house Edit The house was rebuilt to the designs of an otherwise little known Frenchman called Pouget This Montagu House was by some margin the grandest private residence constructed in London in the last two decades of the 17th century The main facade was of seventeen bays with a slightly projecting three bay centre and three bay ends which abutted the service wings of the first mansion The house was of two main storeys plus basement and a prominent mansard roof with a dome over the centre The planning was in the usual French form of the time with state apartments leading from a central saloon The interiors decorated by French artists were admired by Horace Walpole and were probably comparable to the surviving state apartments at Boughton House in Northamptonshire which were built for the same patron at the same time History EditIn the early 18th century Bloomsbury began to decline gently from a fashionable aristocratic district to a more middle class enclave and the 2nd Duke of Montagu abandoned his father s house to move to Whitehall He built himself a more modest residence which was later replaced with an opulent mansion by his Victorian descendant Walter Montagu Douglas Scott 5th Duke of Buccleuch see Montagu House Whitehall Montagu House in Bloomsbury was sold to the Trustees of the British Museum in 1759 and was the home of that institution until it was demolished in the 1840s to make way for larger premises In popular culture EditIn fiction the House appears in Neal Stephenson s The Baroque Cycle as Ravenscar House with Daniel Waterhouse as the architect in place of Hooke citation needed See also EditMontagu House Whitehall Montagu House Portman Square Montagu House Blackheath Charles de La Fosse Noble Households book with Montagu House inventories 1709 and 1733References Edit Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Rousseau Jacques Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 23 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 774 Bibliography EditColvin Howard A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600 1840 New Haven CT London Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art 2008 ISBN 978 0 300 12508 5 OCLC 84996007 Cornforth John Early Georgian Interiors New Haven CT London Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art 2004 pp 116 183 ISBN 978 0 30 010330 4 OCLC 938151474 Murdoch Tessa ed Noble Households Eighteenth Century Inventories of Great English Houses A Tribute to John Cornforth Cambridge John Adamson 2006 pp 11 48 ISBN 978 0 9524322 5 8 OCLC 78044620 Pearce David London s Mansions The Palatial Houses of the Nobility London B T Batsford 2001 ISBN 978 0 7134 8702 2 OCLC 46984772 Coordinates 51 31 10 N 0 07 37 W 51 519319 N 0 126933 W 51 519319 0 126933 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Montagu House Bloomsbury amp oldid 1058747875, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
