This is a design drawing in pencil, ink and watercolour on paper for C.A. Ionides' house at 8 Holland Villas Road by Philip Webb. The drawing contains designs for the extension and alteration to Constantine Alexander Ionides' house at 8 Holland Villas Road, Kensington. Ionides, a stockbroker and art collector, commissioned Webb to renovate his house in the early 1870s and again in 1879. The drawing is signed by Webb. On the back of the paper is written: 'CA Ionides Esq, contract drawings and original sketch.'
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.