This is a design drawing in pencil, ink, and wash on paper for Brampton cottages by Philip Webb. The drawing is signed and dated February 1876. Webb designed the terrace of cottages in Brampton, Cumbria for George Howard. They were to be part of Howard’s Naworth Estate, but the project was never realised. The drawing shows an elevation of the entire row of houses, as well as two side elevations of an individual house. There are also two drawings showing the chimney, steps, coal place, and railings. There were to be eight houses in total.
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.