Nathaniel Watts (fl.1760-1786)

Elevation, plans and sections for the store houses on the south-east side of His Majesty's Yard at Port Royal, Jamaica

Details

Nathaniel Watts (fl.1760-1786)
Elevation, plans and sections for the store houses on the south-east side of His Majesty's Yard at Port Royal, Jamaica
signed and dated 'Nathaniel Watts April 1786.' (lower left), extensively inscribed throughout and with scale and further inscribed 'The Royal Yard with storehouses. April 1786 - from N Watts -/JAMAICA' (on the reverse)
ink and coloured washes, in the artist's pen and ink border, unframed
19½ x 28¼ in. (49.5 x 71.7 cm.); and Three unframed architectural drawings of: The ground plan and north east perspective view of His Majesty's Naval Yard at Halifax, Nova Scotia; A plan and section of the stone wharf proposed for the side of the camber in His Majesty's Yard at Portsmouth; and A plan and section for a wharf wall in the Dockyard at Portsmouth by other hands (4)

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Lot Essay

Nathaniel Watts was captured by Lieutenant-General William Keppel whilst working as an engineer in Cuba in order to deprive the Spanish of 'such an ingenious man'. On 6 June, 1763, William Keppel wrote to Charles, 2nd Earl of Egremont, Secretary of State for the South that Watts was 'an excellent mechanick [sic], and well acquainted with all parts of the mathematicks [sic]'. Records dated between 1766 and 1769 show Watts active as an engineer on the islands of Jamaica and Antigua. The present drawings shows that he was still active on Jamaica in 1786, twenty years later.

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