Balcony Panel thumbnail 1
Balcony Panel thumbnail 2
+3
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A Dundee
Scottish Design Galleries, V&A Dundee

Balcony Panel

ca.1773-75 (designed and made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This cast iron balcony front came from No 5, Robert Street in the Adelphi. Adelphi /əˈdɛlfi/ (from the Greek adelphoi, meaning "brothers") is a district of the City of Westminster in London which includes the streets of Adelphi Terrace, Robert Street and John Adam Street. The district is named after the Adelphi Buildings, a block of 24 unified Neoclassical terrace houses which occupied the land between The Strand and the River Thames in the parish of St Martin in the Fields. It included a headquarters building for the "Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce" (now generally known as the Royal Society of Arts). They were built between 1768–72, by the Adam brothers (John, Robert, James and William Adam), to whom the buildings' Greek-derived name refers. The ruins of Durham House on the site were demolished for their construction. Numbers 1-3 Robert Street were some of the earliest buildings in London to be built as chambers or tenements. They survive, although the original buildings have been much altered. Numbers 4 and 5 Robert Street were demolished along with the rest of the central block of the Adelphi in 1936. Many of the demolished Adelphi Buildings were replaced with the New Adelphi, a monumental Art Deco building designed by the firm of Collcutt & Hamp; buildings remaining from the old Adelphi include 11 Adelphi Terrace (formerly occupied by numismatic specialists A.H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd) and the Royal Society of Arts (which has expanded to incorporate two of the former houses).

Robert Adam (1728-92) was one of the most celebrated and prolific British Architects. He combined brilliant talent with very effective self-promotion. He was influenced by his extensive visit to Diocletian's Palace in Dalmatia, and applied some of this influence to the design of the Neoclassical Adelphi Buildings.

The Carron Company, in Falkirk, Scotland, was founded in 1759 and was one of the pioneers in the manufacture of decorative cast iron. The firm had a close conection with the designers James and Robert Adam, producing many of their designs for ironwork. After over two hundred years of iron making, the company iwas liquidated in 1982.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cast iron
Brief description
Ironwork balcony front, cast iron, designed by Robert and James Adam, probably made by Carron Company, Falkirk, Scotland, in about 1773-5
Physical description
Balcony front, cast iron, in the form of a curved cross, the ends joined by honeysuckle ornaments; a band of Vitruvian scrollwork above.
Dimensions
  • Height: 86.5cm
  • Width: 147.5cm
  • Depth: 32cm (At widest point)
Style
Credit line
Gift of the Adelphi Development Company
Object history
From 5 Robert Street, London, WC2N (The Adelphi), demolished in 1936.
Subject depicted
Summary
This cast iron balcony front came from No 5, Robert Street in the Adelphi. Adelphi /əˈdɛlfi/ (from the Greek adelphoi, meaning "brothers") is a district of the City of Westminster in London which includes the streets of Adelphi Terrace, Robert Street and John Adam Street. The district is named after the Adelphi Buildings, a block of 24 unified Neoclassical terrace houses which occupied the land between The Strand and the River Thames in the parish of St Martin in the Fields. It included a headquarters building for the "Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce" (now generally known as the Royal Society of Arts). They were built between 1768–72, by the Adam brothers (John, Robert, James and William Adam), to whom the buildings' Greek-derived name refers. The ruins of Durham House on the site were demolished for their construction. Numbers 1-3 Robert Street were some of the earliest buildings in London to be built as chambers or tenements. They survive, although the original buildings have been much altered. Numbers 4 and 5 Robert Street were demolished along with the rest of the central block of the Adelphi in 1936. Many of the demolished Adelphi Buildings were replaced with the New Adelphi, a monumental Art Deco building designed by the firm of Collcutt & Hamp; buildings remaining from the old Adelphi include 11 Adelphi Terrace (formerly occupied by numismatic specialists A.H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd) and the Royal Society of Arts (which has expanded to incorporate two of the former houses).

Robert Adam (1728-92) was one of the most celebrated and prolific British Architects. He combined brilliant talent with very effective self-promotion. He was influenced by his extensive visit to Diocletian's Palace in Dalmatia, and applied some of this influence to the design of the Neoclassical Adelphi Buildings.

The Carron Company, in Falkirk, Scotland, was founded in 1759 and was one of the pioneers in the manufacture of decorative cast iron. The firm had a close conection with the designers James and Robert Adam, producing many of their designs for ironwork. After over two hundred years of iron making, the company iwas liquidated in 1982.
Collection
Accession number
M.428-1936

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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