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Lot Essay
Example illustrated:
W. Hitchmough, C.F.A. Voysey, London, 1995; M. Scott, Voysey, the Countess of Lovelace, and Culbone, The Exmoor Review, Journal of the Exmoor Society, Volume 40, 1999.
C.F.A Voysey was one of the leading British architects from the 1890s until the outbreak of the First World War, with a reputation that extended across Europe and to the United States of America. He was a vital link between the Arts & Crafts and Modern movements, resolving the 19th century dilemma of reconciling craftsmanship and mass-production (Hitchmough, op.cit, p.7). Voysey designed houses, and every element within them, which were both fashionable yet traditional, but also at the leading edge of progressive design.
The current lot was made for Ashley Combe House, now sadly demolished. Starting in 1894, at properties throughout her widespread estates in Porlock Weir and Culbone, and in Leicestershire and Surrey, Voysey worked closely with Countess Lovelace on many projects, culminating in a final project in 1932. The building works included restoring and altering the main houses, extending lodges and converting stables, and building Lillycombe House on estate land in 1914. In the current rare piece, Voysey's external architectural style is translated into an internal work, with a gentle shelf surmounted by an unadorned arch buttressed by dominant tapering columns, an impression reinforced by both his choice of stone as the material and by its imposing scale.
W. Hitchmough, C.F.A. Voysey, London, 1995; M. Scott, Voysey, the Countess of Lovelace, and Culbone, The Exmoor Review, Journal of the Exmoor Society, Volume 40, 1999.
C.F.A Voysey was one of the leading British architects from the 1890s until the outbreak of the First World War, with a reputation that extended across Europe and to the United States of America. He was a vital link between the Arts & Crafts and Modern movements, resolving the 19th century dilemma of reconciling craftsmanship and mass-production (Hitchmough, op.cit, p.7). Voysey designed houses, and every element within them, which were both fashionable yet traditional, but also at the leading edge of progressive design.
The current lot was made for Ashley Combe House, now sadly demolished. Starting in 1894, at properties throughout her widespread estates in Porlock Weir and Culbone, and in Leicestershire and Surrey, Voysey worked closely with Countess Lovelace on many projects, culminating in a final project in 1932. The building works included restoring and altering the main houses, extending lodges and converting stables, and building Lillycombe House on estate land in 1914. In the current rare piece, Voysey's external architectural style is translated into an internal work, with a gentle shelf surmounted by an unadorned arch buttressed by dominant tapering columns, an impression reinforced by both his choice of stone as the material and by its imposing scale.