Colen Campbell's Vitruvius Britannicus Great House Garden Plans 1715

Please click on each image to enlarge and for prices

Plan of the Garden and Plantation of Houghton in Norfolk
VTG1 $120

Plan of the Park, Garden and Plantation of Goodwood
VTG2 $120

Plan of the Park, Gardens, and Plantations of Thorsby in Nottinghamshire
VTG5 $120

The Geometrical Plan of the House Gardens and adjacent Parts of Cholmondeley in Cheshire
VTG6 $120

Plan of the Gardens and Plantations of Clare Mont in Surry, Duke of Newcastle
VTG7 $120

Plan of the Park, Garden and Plantations of Caversham in Oxfordshire
VTG8 $120


Plan of the Gardens and Plantations of Lowther Hall in Westmoreland VTG12 $110	Plan of the Gardens and Plantations of Narford in the County of Norfolk VTG13 SOLD	Plans of the Gardens and Plantations of Eastbury in Dorsetshire VTG14 SOLD

We are delighted to offer these exquisite & extremely rare black & white copper engravings from the first edition of Vitruvius Britannicus or, the British Architect. Containing the Plans, Elevations, and Sections of the most Regular Buildings both Publick & Private in Great Britain.

Colen Campbell (1676-1729) was a Scotsman & a lawyer who took up architecture. Vitruvius Britannicus was the first English architectural publication since Elizabethan times, & catalogued the work of great architects of the time, including Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren, as well as Campbell himself.

It was a time when Britain was growing tired of the excesses of the ornate Baroque period and returning to classical or Neo-Palladian architecture. It was also the beginning of a building boom amongst the aristocracy & Whig politicians of the day. Campbell’s work secured him many commissions & for a short time he served as a government advisor.

These superb engravings are certainly testament to the extent & grandeur of this new architectural style, epitomized by the magnificent Blenheim Palace, home of the Duke of Marlborough, set in sweeping parks in Woodstock, near Oxford.

The grounds of this palace have long been open to the public, & we played in them as children. In keeping with modern aristocrats, the present Duke has made a business of his ancestral home & one can even fish in Blenheim’s great lake. It is definitely worth a trip when in the UK, as it is an oasis of tranquility in the midst of a very populated area.

Each single print measures approximately 10 3/4 inches by 17 inches & the doubles 20 inches by 17 inches, on strong creamy white chain linked paper without blemishes & occasional crown watermarks. In most cases, the plan for the building accompanies the view, so it is a “two for one”. A copy of the original title page accompanies each print, along with a copy of the book listing from the 1800's, pricing the work at two guineas. The photos are very accurate, so please review carefully. All our prints are authentic antique prints and guaranteed to be from the date stated. These prints are about 295 years old, over a quarter of a millennium!