Designing Georgian Britain: 18th-century consuming passions

We begin with an introduction to the kings, and their consorts, of Georgian Britain: George I of the House of Hanover, George II (whose wife Caroline was a consummate consumer of elegance and enlightenment), their grandson ‘Farmer’ George III (who lost the American colonies but was active in the Agrarian Revolution) and his eldest spendthrift son, the Prince Regent, later George IV. The South Sea Company was founded to pay off the National Debt. The ‘profits’ were in reality a form of ‘pyramid selling’. Investors represented the entire social spectrum - from prince, politician, and poet to porter (later pauper!).    

The Grand Tour was an essential for the acquisition of culture, sculpture and painted landscapes. William Kent spent 10 years in Italy as a cicerone, returning with the great patron and pioneer of the neoclassical style, Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington. Together, they created Chiswick House and Burlington House. Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped English estates in his formulaic and practical style, creating profitable powerhouses.    

Reputedly Britain’s most prolific architect, Robert Adam was one of the first to see the newly discovered Herculaneum. His elegant style in architecture and interiors memorialised in the ‘Adam style’. The first ‘landscape painter’ Thomas Gainsborough was based for many years in fashionable Bath, he perfected the concept of elegant portraiture set against parkland. Thomas Chippendale crafted sets of hallmark furniture, decorative and decorous, in great houses such as Harewood.  

At the dawn of the 19th century, the extravagant tastes of the Prince of Wales, Prince Regent, later George IV, held sway in the exotic and oriental Royal Pavilion in Brighton, whilst fashionable parts of London were developed with elegant terraces. Architect John Nash and Landscape Gardener Humphry Repton collaborated and fought for commissions across the country.  

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• To gain an appreciation of the 18th-century Enlightenment in Britain expressed in   architecture and landscapes  
• To identify key leaders of taste – royal, noble, political or intellectual  
• To contrast consumer passion with its outcomes.

Classes

1. An introduction to Georgian culture and The Grand Tour
The collapse of the fortune-making South Sea Company in 1720 was marked by merciless cartoons. A theme that underlies the remarkable consuming passions of the Georgian era, roots that we explore in this first lecture. Knowledge of the classics and the Grand Tour provided a young man with the ability to thrive in top social circles and developed his taste for collecting. Men who became the patrons of architects, designers and artists who created the face of Georgian Britain.  

2. Landscaping England: William Kent and Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, theatrical gymnastics to formulaic intelligence  
Introducing two key designers: William Kent, esoteric and flamboyant, whose ten years in Italy coloured his taste and design - Kentissime. He translated elements of the Grand Tour into complete programmes of interior and exterior design for houses as well as their settings. In contrast we examine the serpentine template of England’s greatest landscape designer, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, who worked on over 200 properties. A man of the Enlightenment whose talents encompassed engineering and hydraulic skills.  

3. Robert Adam – classical movement in architecture and interiors  
Robert Adam’s father William designed Edinburgh’s New Town in fitting style for its new status as the Athens of the North. Adam is reputed to have designed more buildings than any other architect, his classic stamp of symmetry balanced with complex interior colour schemes, instantly recognisable as the ‘Adam style’. We will explore his work in Scotland, notably at Dumfries House before analysing the teams he used to bring his schemes to fruition in England.      

4.  Are you sitting comfortably? Thomas Gainsborough and Thomas Chippendale
We examine Thomas Gainsborough who has been recognised as the first English Landscape painter, many of his sitters are portrayed as being at one with nature. We will follow his progress from Suffolk to London and fashionable Bath. Then Thomas Chippendale starting at Harewood, a consummate genius in crafting furniture and furnishings whose complexities are in turn reflected in his wondrous looking glasses.      

5. Regency extravagance – Humphry Repton and John Nash
George III’s son and heir George was the Prince of Wales from birth, in the early nineteenth century during his father’s ‘madness’ he acted as Prince Regent. The Regency style excelled in elegance. He finally acceded to the throne as George IV. Repton and Nash competed for his patronage. A final opportunity to define the excess of ‘consuming passions’ in royal circles by comparison with the elegant and extravagant outcomes encapsulated in the creation of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton.  

Required reading

There is no one book that is required reading, however, this course was initially inspired by: 

Susan Weber (editor). William Kent – Designing Georgian Britain. Yale University Press, 2014 

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/william-kent-designing-georgian-britain 

Typical week: Monday to Friday

For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.