Summary

An arch originally from Northumberland House. Probably constructed by Daniel Garrett 1748-50 based on a design by William Kent. Relocated to Bromley-by-Bow around 1875 and moved to current position in 1997.

Description

An arch originally from Northumberland House. Probably constructed by Daniel Garrett 1748-50 based on a design by William Kent. Relocated to Bromley-by-Bow around 1875 and moved to current position in 1997.

MATERIALS: rusticated, heavily vermiculated limestone.

DESCRIPTION: a semi-circular Palladian arch with rusticated and heavily vermiculated stone blocks and voussoirs. Plain stone plinths project forward slightly from the rusticated piers. The arch springs from a projecting moulded impost band and rises to a dropped keystone with a carved grotesque head. A moulded string course above the arch supports a parapet with a symmetrical balustrade and moulded cornice that follow the original pattern and were restored when the arch moved to its current position in 1997.

The arch is built into the boundary wall* of the Bromley-by-Bow Health Centre, which is built of red brick in Flemish bond. Metal gates* with lettering reading 'BROMLEY BY BOW HEALTH CENTRE' were added to the arch after it moved to its current position.

Three stone plaques* fixed to the inside face of the south pier detail the history of the arch, the opening of the Health Centre in 1997, and the provenance of a stone sculpture located in the courtyard of the Health Centre.

* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’), it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest, however any works which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require LBC and this is a matter for the LPA to determine.

History

The arch originally formed part of the north entrance to Northumberland House, which stood in the Strand from around 1605 until 1874. The arch was added to the quadrangle side of the entrance on the north wing of the house, probably during extensive renovations to the house carried out by Daniel Garrett between 1748 and 1750, during the house’s occupancy by the 7th Duke of Somerset (and from 1750, the 1st Duke of Northumberland).

The design of the arch has been attributed to William Kent (bap. 1686, d. 1748). Kent was a celebrated landscape architect and furniture designer as well as an accomplished architect. He has been credited with the revival of the Palladian style in England in the C18. It seems possible that Daniel Garrett could have seen a design for a similar arch by Kent and incorporated it during his renovations at Northumberland House. Garrett was a protégé of Lord Burlington, the “Architect Earl”, who himself was a great admirer of Kent’s architectural work and commissioned him to edit The Designs of Inigo Jones, which was published with additional Palladian designs by Burlington and Kent in 1727. It is plausible that one of these designs made its way into the hands of Garrett who served as Burlington’s clerk of works on many early projects.

When Northumberland House was demolished in 1874, many of its fixtures, fittings and architectural elements were sold off at public auction. The arch was bought by George Gammon Rutty and placed as a free-standing object in his garden at Tudor House, Bromley-by-Bow. Following Rutty's death in 1898, the London County Council purchased Tudor House and demolished it to turn its gardens into a public park, but the arch survived and was retained against the north wall of the Bromley-by-Bow Recreation Ground. Archive photographs and sketches show that, around this time, two statues were situated at the feet of the arch, but these were removed in the 1940s.

In 1997 the arch was renovated and relocated to its current position when the Bromley-by-Bow Health Centre was built on the north-east part of the recreation ground. A plaque on the arch states that the renovations were funded by Tesco Plc.

Reasons for Listing

The Arch at Bromley-by-Bow Health Centre, built 1748-50 by Daniel Garrett, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons.

Architectural interest:
* as a rare example of a Palladian-style feature constructed by the builder, Daniel Garrett, perhaps based on a design attributed to William Kent;
* as a reflection of the revived interest in Palladian architecture in England in the C18.

Historic Interest:
* Rarity: as one of the only known surviving C18 additions to Northumberland House.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q27085128

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)