This is a design drawing in pencil, ink, and wash on paper for the Briary at Freshwater by Philip Webb. The sheet contains plans for the ground, first, and attic floors that are labelled and include dimensions. There is also a floor plan in pencil that is not labelled. In the top right is a sketch plan of the building site. The drawing is signed and the subject of the design is also indicated. There are various pencil notations and sketches of moulding and a view of the entire house. Verso is inscribed 'Mrs Prinsep's house, 1st design,' and contains several marks of wash.
The Briary was a house in Freshwater, Isle of Wight that Webb designed for George Frederic Watts in 1872. Watts built the house for himself and Thoby and Sara Prinsep, the latter couple having recently lost the lease on their Little Holland House due to financial struggles. The project was Webb’s sixth and final studio home.
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.