This is a design drawing in pencil on paper for Edward Dannreuther's music room at Orme Square by Philip Webb. The sheet contains a section of the room showing interior construction, with regard to seats and windows. The materials are specified and there is a note that indicates the drawing was sent to Mr Bullock, the builder, on 10 April 1872. Dannreuther was a musician and he taught classes and held concerts in the music room. Webb redid the ceiling in 1876 after it began leaking.
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.