THOMAS SANDBY (1723-1798) Nottingham Castle, c. 1760-1770
$3,500
Pencil and ink washes, 3 ½ x 12 ½ inches
Initialed “T. S.”
Provenance:
William Sandby, by descent
Charles Craig, Jr., Santa Barbara
Thomas Sandby’s most notable architectural commission was the design of the first Freemason’s Hall at Great Queen Street in central London. The building was opened with great ceremony on 23 May 1776, when the title of ‘Grand Architect’ was conferred by the Freemasons. The Hall was extended in the 1820s by Sir John Soane, but demolished in 1930 after suffering irreparable damage in a fire in 1883. Sandby also designed a altar-screen for St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. His stone bridge over the Thames opened in 1796 but was removed a few years later. He built houses in the neighborhood of Windsor, including “St. Leonard’s Hill” for the Duchess of Gloucester, and another known as “Holly Grove.” His designs exist for many architectural works that cannot now be identified. In 1777 with James Adam he was appointed architect of his majesty’s works, and in 1780 he became master-carpenter of his majesty’s works in England.