This is a design drawing in pencil and wash on tracing paper for G.P. Boyce's house on Cheyne Row, Chelsea by Philip Webb. The drawing is dated 28 January 1869 and a note on the top indicates it is part of Boyce's house proposed for the end of Cheyne Row (Glebe Place) in Chelsea. The drawing shows a side elevation of the house and two plans of the house-- one at street level and one below street level. The plans are shaded with red and yellow wash and a note states: 'The parts coloured red have been allowed by the board. The parts coloured yellow are that which is desired in addition.'
Webb designed the studio house at Glebe Place in Chelsea for his close friend George Price Boyce in 1868. The project was Webb’s fifth studio house and is a compact structure close to the street and with basement offices so as to maximize the space of the garden. Boyce later commissioned Webb to add a small wing to the house in 1876.
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.