Design drawing in pen on linen by Philip Webb. The drawing is a detail of the ornamental border of the ceiling of the drawing room at 1 Palace Garden, Kensington. The decorations include foliage and floral motifs to be repeated along the wall. In the drawing, Webb has indicated the dimensions of the cornice to show where the decorations should be added and he has noted that the pattern should be used for the two long sides of the room while another will be given for the ends.
Webb designed 1 Palace Green (or Garden) in Kensington in 1867 for George and Rosalind Howard, the couple who later commissioned Webb to renovate Naworth Castle. George was an aristocratic painter and became the ninth Earl of Carlisle. For their home at 1 Palace Green, the couple had Webb design a combination studio house and luxurious mansion. Webb’s design was for a large home of red brick with pared down ornament that would balance the Italianate stucco houses in the area. James Pennethorn, the architect-surveyor of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, criticized Webb’s design as ugly and inferior, and eventually Webb was forced to modify his original plans. The house was completed in 1870 and Webb made various additions over the next years. The interior decorations were also undertaken over time as a collaborative project by Morris and Co. The most famous decorative feature is the frieze depicting Cupid and Psyche, painted by Edward Burne-Jones.
Philip Speakman Webb (Oxford, 1831-Sussex, 1915) was a prominent British architect who designed numerous buildings throughout Great Britain. Known for his contributions to British vernacular architecture, Webb was also a skilled draughtsman, and designer of tableware, tiles, stained glass, and furniture. He also designed gravestones and memorials for his friends and clients. Webb lent his hand to many collaborative projects and worked closely with his colleagues, namely William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Edward Burne Jones. His precise drawings of animals, particularly birds, frequently adorn tiles, stained glass, textiles, and wallpaper produced by Morris and Co. Webb is best known for designing Morris’ Red House in Bexleyheath, as well as Clouds House, Naworth Castle, and several London town houses. Among his other accomplishments, Webb is attributed with laying the groundwork for the Arts and Crafts and Modern movements, establishing longstanding principles in historic preservation, and creating some of the most influential designs still studied and celebrated today.