Observations on the Western Parts of England, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty: To Which Are Added, a Few Remarks on the Picturesque Beauties of the Isle of Wight

by William Gilpin

Overview

Clergyman, schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics, William Gilpin (1724–1804) is best known for his works on the picturesque. In his Essay on Prints, published in 1768 and reissued in this series, he defined picturesque as 'a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture'. First published in 1798, the present work is one of a series which records his reflections on the picturesque across British landscapes. It traces the journey he made, equipped with notebook and sketching materials, westwards from Wiltshire through Somerset and Devon to Cornwall, returning via Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. He describes his impressions of famous landmarks such as Stonehenge, Glastonbury Abbey, the River Tamar and Carisbrooke Castle, and includes several evocative reproductions of his pen-and-wash drawings. The companion volumes of Observations on other parts of Britain are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108066921
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/02/2014
Series:	Cambridge Library Collection - Art and Architecture
Pages:	414
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.91(d)

Table of Contents

Dedication; 1. Nonsuch; 2. Norbury Park; 3. Country between Leatherhead and Guildford; 4. Holt-forest; 5. Country between Winchester and Salisbury; 6. Longford-castle; 7. Stonehenge; 8. Wilton; 9. Fonthill; 10. Maiden-Bradley; 11. Approach to Wells; 12. Ruins of Glastonbury abbey; 13. Gothic architecture prevalent in the west of England; 14. Admiral Blake; 15. Sir Charles Tint's improvements; 16. View from Quantoc-hills; 17. Castle hill; 18. Approach to Barnstaple; 19. Brentor; 20. Country in returning from Bodmin to Lescard; 21. Plymouth-dock; 22. Mount Edgcomb; 23. Edystone light-house; 24. Tanner; 25. Battle of Lexington; 26. Exeter; 27. View from fair-mile-hill; 28. Coast road from Plymouth to Honiton; 29. Vale of Honiton; 30. Ford abbey; 31. Country from Axminster to Bridport; 32. Blandford; 33. View of the coast from Lymington to Cowes; 34. Carisbroke-castle; 35. Picturesque beauty explained; 36. Separation of the island from the main; 37. Milbroke; 38. View of Southampton; Appendix.