Chartwell, stepped gablet

Gable, Chartwell

mid- to late-nineteenth century

Westerham, Kent

Chartwell's prominent gables probably owe something to the Scottish background of the Colquhoun family who bought it in the Victorian period. This was just the time when the publication of Robert Billings's Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland (1845-52) had promoted the revival of the Scotch Baronial style throughout rural Scotland (see Glendinning and MacKechnie 144). Stefan Buczaki believes that the gables make the house look somewhat "galleon-like" (125).

Photograph and text by Jacqueline Banerjee

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Note

Billings's book, with many accompanying illustrations of castles, cathedrals, priories, abbeys and so on, replete with towers, battlements, crow-stepped gables etc, is available here [click on this link], in the internet archive. One of the best examples of Scotch Baronial style in Victorian country houses was Craigends in Renfrewshire (1857-59), since demolished. Details of this lost building may be found on the Canmore site: [click on this link].

Bibliography

Buczaki, Stefan. Churchill and Charwell: The Untold Story of Churchill's Houses and Gardens. London: Francis Lincoln, 2007.

Glendinning, Miles, and Aonighus MacKechnie. Scottish Architecture. London: Thames and Hudson, 2004.

Last modified 31 August 2008