The Building of Castle Howard
Saumarez-Smith, assistant keeper at the Victoria and Albert Musuem, has compiled the first exhaustive study of this extravagant early 17th-century Yorkshire country house, built by Charles Howard, third Earl of Carlisle. Archival material from 28 repositories, including family papers at Castle Howard, support Saumarez-Smith's thesis that political aspirations induced Howard to build the lavish structure. The author also addresses the roles of architects Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor and the castle's innovative landscape design, decor, and furnishings. One chapter is devoted to Hawksmoor's Mausoleum, which Smith places "among the great architectural buildings in England." Conscientious notes and bibliography cite sources, including manuscripts. Black-and-white photographs, plans, and drawings enhance the text. Essential for academic and architecture collections.- Christine Whittington, Pennsylvania State Univ., College StationCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.