The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the Present

..."the example set by the late Mr Burges..." Gothic Revival at Insole Court, CardiffAuthor(s): Matthew WilliamsSource: The Journal of the Decorative Arts Society 1850 - the Present, No. 21, decoration inbuildings (1997), pp. 5-8Published by: The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the PresentStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41809249 .

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..."the example set by

the late Mr Burges..."

Gothic Revival at Insole

Court, Cardiff.

by Matthew Williams

Insole Court (fig.l) is a sprawling Victorian mansion near Llandaff Cathedral in Glamorganshire. It was originally designed as a modest, double-fronted stone house called Ely Court by the architects W G and E Habershon in 1855. 1 The building has been enlarged several times, reflecting the rising fortunes of its creators, the coal-owning Insole family, James Insole2 had been one of the first industrialists to build himself a country villa in the area, but by the early 1870s he desired something a little more elaborate, reflecting both changing tastes, and his own status as a "coal baron". Inspiration lay close by, for three miles away William Burges was rebuilding Cardiff Castle for the third Marquess of Bute, one of the wealthiest men in Europe, a major architectural patron, and leader of local society. Burges's work was causing a sensation in the small, but fast growing town of Cardiff. The massive stone clock tower, decorated with heraldry, gilding and polychrome statues loomed over the town's stuccoed villas, blasting out the gothic style to a bemused public. Inside the clock tower, Burges's lavish decorative scheme, complete with painted murals, stained glass and carvings were cause for particular, and usually adverse, comment by the townspeople, who either didn't share Lord Bute's taste, or resented this obvious display of his wealth and power.

In March 1874, a reporter for The Architect described, with rapture, the iconography of Burges's newly completed interiors, and hit out at the taste of the local bourgeoisie . Their houses he wrote, had no stained glass, tiles or mural paintings, and they sneered at "everything connected with ornament designed in a style with which [they] were not familiar".3

Insole, having decided to enlarge his house, was obviously determined to be associated with Lord Bute rather than with his detractors, and The Architect ended by commenting that there was in fact an attempt to copy the clock tower "as is now being copied, not a hundred miles from Llandaff".

Rather than engaging Burges, who was probably too busy and too expensive, Insole employed a local architect, George Robinson4, and his assistant Edwin Seward5 to extend the house and add the tower. Calling the tower of Insole Court "a copy" of Burges's clock tower was an exaggeration, but the steeply pitched roof, oriel window and machiciolated upper storey were nonetheless impressive.6

Insole Court was further extended in 1878, this time under the direction of Edwin

Fig.l Insole Court from the north c.1902

Seward, and a large north wing, complete with billiard room was joined onto the tower. In order to unite the old and the new sections, the house now sprouted bay windows, elaborately carved with stone figures, animals or grotesques. These were by the excellent local sculptor William Clarke, who had worked at Llandaff cathedral and at Cardiff Castle.7 The effect of the completed building can hardly be called harmonious, rather giving the impression that the older, plainer house is wearing a gothic waistcoat!

However, if the exterior was now grander, the interior, which Seward completely remodelled, was decorative and colourful, and quite clearly inspired by Cardiff Castle. Seward later reported that "enlargement and decorations to J H Insole's mansion "cost £ 10,000s, a substantial sum for the period, but Insole must have been satisfied when his house was described in 1882 as being "The leading residence in the locality". The description went on;

"The interior of the house is elaborately decorated, costly marbles and alabaster being the leading materials employed in it's embellishment, mural painting and stained glass are also effectively used in the decoration of this charming residence."9

Fig. 2 The staircase, photographed by Bedford Lemere in 1895

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Figure 2 shows the staircase of Insole Court, photographed by Bedford Lemere in 1895. Seward has made extensive use of Penarth alabaster, a pink variety found locally, and used within several Gothic Revival buildings in South Wales, including Cardiff Castle.10 The balustrade shafts are made of Purbeck marble, and the main newel can be seen supporting a large metalwork gasolier in the form of the Insole armorial griffin.11

Fig. 3 The landing, photographed by Bedford Lemere C.1895

The treatment of the staircase walls, and those of the main landing above (fig. 3) was of decorative stencilling, bordered by a single row of ceramic tiles, each pictorial tile alternating with a patterned example. Further tiles, which were probably encaustic, were used on the hall floor. One most interesting feature is the built-in conservatory, which can be seen under the

staircase, on the left of figure 2, and which immediately faced visitors as they arrived at the front door of the house. This probably displayed a collection of rock plants, or perhaps orchids,12 and which seem to grow within a simulated landscape of rockwork.

The hall chimneypiece at Insole Court also makes reference to a Burges design at the Castle, where the fireplace of the clock tower bedroom is set with knobs of the different minerals found on the Bute estate. Insole's chimneypiece is set with balls of Blue John, Connemara and other marbles, whilst below are carved the botanical symbols of Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland.

Marble and alabaster, "the leading materials used" in the house, are also found in the Old Dining- room, where the most important surviving gothic decoration in the house exists in the form of a painted frieze. This delightful feature (fig.4 ), is clearly based on the decoration of The Winter Smoking-room at Cardiff Castle, which was completed by Burges's favoured painter, Fred Weekes in 1872-3.

The Smoking-room obviously appealed to Insole and his architect, for a comparison between it's decoration and that of the Insole Court frieze reveals striking similarities, and there was little surprise when recent cleaning revealed Weekes' signature, and confirmed his direct involvement at Llandaff.13

Frederick Weekes was born in 183314, son of the distinguished sculptor Henry Weekes ARA (1807-1877). Fred was known as a painter of battle scenes, and he exhibited at the Royal Academy throughout the 1860s.15 Titles such as 'Home from the war', 'Glory' and 'Impending hostilities' indicate his interest in bellicose subjects and, more especially, in antique arms and armour, about

Fig.4 The Old Dining-room frieze, by Fred Weekes c.1878. Detail

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Fig. 5 The Old Dining room frieze, 'Winter' (detail)

which he was said to have been extremely knowledgeable. It may have been through this interest that Weekes met William Burges16 and although Weekes' reputation today rests solely on his contribution to Burges' schemes, he certainly undertook decorative commissions for others.17

At Cardiff Castle, Weekes followed Burges's instructions to paint "in light and beautiful colours, such as we see in the work of the early Italian painters"18, but at Insole Court, where the decoration has an identical theme of the labours of the four seasons, Weekes evidently had a freer hand, independent of the exacting Burges, and consequently his work is more detailed and accomplished. In parts, for example in the scenes of 'Spring' and 'Autumn', the iconography of the frieze is identical to that in the Winter Smoking- room, but the treatment here is altogether more lively and amusing. Figures in mediaeval costume endure winter ice, spring and autumn rains and summer heat. Figure 5 shows a winter scene, and the figure of a confident skater who has just speared a fish through the ice so resembles a self portrait of Fred Weekes in Burges's house in Melbury Road that it is tempting to think that Fred has included himself here too.

Weekes's frieze includes two further panels; one shows the Sun god, representing Day, and it is flanked by the Moon goddess depicting Night. Both of these designs derive from the 'Times of the Day' corbels in the Castle where, just as at Insole Court, they are seen on either side of a large built-in sideboard set within a stone archway, yet another borrowed device. Seward's sideboard is of mahogany, with drawers and cupboards mounted with Gothic gilded iron. High quality woodwork is

quite a feature of the Insole Court interiors, (teak and other hardwoods were imported as ballast into Cardiff Docks), and that in the Old Dining-room is particularly fine. The ceiling of the room is of well- matched boards of pitch pine, above an elaborate teak cornice, carved and pierced with foliage, amongst which are carved and gilded birds. More birds, in this case parrots, originally peered down from the top of the sideboard, just as they do in Burges's Arab Room at Cardiff Castle. Even the ceiling rose (fig.6), a quatrefoil of gilded iron is set with balls of coloured glass and amber and derives from Lord Bute's own bedroom, where "Twelve glass knobs in the vaulting will represent the twelve precious stones".19

Fig.6 The Old Dining room ceiling rose

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Despite all these similarities, there is a different sensibility at work at Insole Court, although it attempts to unite them into an overall theme, as Burges did at Cardiff Castle.20

There is further elaborate metalwork seen on the door to the Old Dining-room, which is mounted with brass hinges engraved with scenes of mediaeval hunting and the Insole griffin. The door itself is of teak, and it's unusual design of a large quatrefoil mounted with curved strap hinges again comes from the castle where a similar, version would have been well known to Weekes, who had painted it with scenes of 'the triumph of virtue over vice' some years before.

Doors throughout the house were carved with panels of animals, birds, insects and flowers, executed by Clarke's workmen.21 The door of Insole's upstairs library enclosed painted panels, which complemented the painted vaulted ceiling of the room. This was decorated with appropriate mottoes (fig. 7) in English and Latin, interspersed with Insole's monogram and crest.

Fig. 7 The Library ceiling, (detail)

Although Insole Court was the most elaborate house in the area, others began to follow, and it's neighbouring mansion, "Rookwood ", designed by John Prichard for Sir Edward Stock Hill , included 1881 interiors by Crace.

William Burges had also designed a town house in Cardiff at the same time as he was working on the castle. Park House, built for John McConnochie between 1871 and 1874 was described as "the best house in the town", and proved extremely influential on local domestic architecture, which underwent a dramatic change from the mid-1870s on.

The Bute estate, which laid out large areas of the town, developed an 'Estate style'22, which featured Gothic doorways, carved stonework and tiled porches, and in some ways reflected the taste of the Marquess himself. In the year following Burges's death in 1881 it was reported of Cardiff that: "The residences of its more opulent inhabitants display a great architectural merit ... in no considerable degree due to the example set by the late Mr Burges in his admirable and artistic restoration of Cardiff Castle."

Although many of the Gothic revival interiors were swept away during the Edwardian period, nowhere else was "Mr Burges example" followed as closely as it was by Edwin Seward at Insole Court. The involvement of Fred Weekes, one of Burges's closest collaborators, and the survival of his frieze, only adds interest to this story of artistic plagiarism by the new rich of industrial South Wales.

MATTHEW WILLIAMS Matthew Williams has been Keeper of Collections

at Cardiff castle since 1990. He has written and lectured extensively on the subject of William Burges, and is particularly interested in Burges's interiors and furniture. He is currently researching Burges's textiles, which have recently been returned to the Castle collections.

Notes 1 Tenders for the residence of Jas. Insole, Llandaff. The Builder 28th July 1855. The house was renamed Insole Court in the 1930s. 2 James Harvey Insole, colliery proprietor 1821-1901 obituary South Wales Daily News 22nd January 1901. 3 "Our Rambler at Cardiff Castle" The Architect 14th March 1874 pp. 146-8. 4 George Edward Robinson, Architect, of St. Mary Street, Cardiff. 5 Edwin Seward RIBA, 1854-1924. Went on to design some of Cardiff's more distinguished buildings of the period, including the Library (1880), the Infirmary (1886), and Coal Exchange (1884-8). 6 Since altered. The upper story, which enclosed a smoking room, was removed as part of the extensive alterations of 1906-9. 7 The firm of W. Clarke and Sons were retained to undertake all alterations on the estate until the Insole family sold up in 1931. 8 RIBA nomination papers for Edwin Seward, 1888. 9 The illustrated guide to Cardiff D . Owen, Howell & Co. Cardiff 1882. p. 65. 10 The friable nature of Penarth alabaster made extensive repairs necessary to the staircase on several occasions. Clarke supplied some 30 cu ft. at 10/- per ft. in 1896. (W Clarke & Sons, archives). 11 J H Insole purchased Arms from the College of Heralds in April 1872 at a cost of £76.10.0 the Insole griffin appears in decoration at several places throughout the house and grounds. 12 The family were keen gardeners, and their collections notable. The indoor conservatory was removed in 1906-9. 13 An existing monogram of W F, was confirmed as Weekes' when a full signature was uncovered by conservators in 1994. 14 Fred Weekes's usually accepted date of death, 1893, is inaccurate. He is described as "still painting away most vigorously" in his London studio in 1918. S W Allen Reminiscences Cardiff 1918. 15 The Royal Academy of Arts; A complete dictionary of contributors and their work. Algernon Graves, London 1906 pp. 191-2. 16 "...bought armour with Weekes" see. J M Crook William Burges and the High Victorian dream John Murray 1981 p. 96. 17 Apart from the work at Insole Court, Weekes worked on stained glass for Cardiff library, (1882) and glass at Nether Court (1885). 18 William Burges "The new tower at Cardiff castle"; The Architect May 27th 1871 p. 276. 19 Ibid. p. 276. 20 see W Clarke & Sons, Archives. 21 "Coal metropolis Cardiff 1870-1914" M J Daunton Leicester University Press 1977. 22 The Cardiff tide times almanac Cardiff 1882 p. 5

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