The surviving fabric of the house at Moor Park, near Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, built in 1679–84 for the Duke and Duchess of Monmouth on the site of an older house, is hidden inside the present stone casing by James Thornhill of c 1725. Its design is attributed to Hugh May, and it was constructed by a team of Office of Works craftsmen, many of whom were working with May at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Analysis of the remaining structure, together with new research into the documentary evidence, has permitted a reconstruction of the roof along with partly conjectural reconstructions of the elevations and of some interior features. The study throws light on the process of commissioning, building and interior finishing of the house, the materials used, the close-knit circle of architects and craftsmen involved and the possible intervention of the clients. It illustrates the originality of the designs and is compared to May’s other works and other houses of the period.
Following publication in The Antiquaries Journal volume 96 (2016) of ‘Moor Park in the Seventeenth Century’, by Drury, Jeffery and Wrightson, this article presents the results of research by the present four authors on another house by Hugh May – Eltham Lodge, Kent – which survives rather better. Its exterior is often referred to as being relatively unaltered, but analysis of the surviving fabric and much new documentary evidence have nevertheless revealed many interventions, both inside and out, permitting a clearer understanding of the original appearance, layout and setting of this important Restoration house.
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