Wanstead House

In about 1713, Sir Richard Child, heir to a mercantile fortune, commissioned Colen Campbell, to build Wanstead House, ‘one of the noblest houses, not only in England, but in Europe’. Campbell’s innovative classical façade was widely influential and sowed the seeds for English Palladianism. Its opulent interior by William Kent was equal to Kensington Palace and its extensive gardens were attributed to leading landscape designers George London and Humphry Repton.

Wanstead’s glory days came to an end in 1822, when a major sale of its contents was arranged to pay off financial debts. Two years later the house was demolished, its building fabric dispersed far and wide. A large crater on an east London golf course is all that remains of this once ‘princely mansion’.

Based on scholarly research, 'Wanstead House: East London’s Lost Palace' provides the first illustrated history of the lost Georgian estate, charting the meteoric rise and fall of the Child dynasty. By restoring Wanstead’s reputation amongst the leading houses of the era, this book demonstrates that those lost in actuality, should by no means be lost to history.

Key features

• The first illustrated study to be published on the history of Wanstead House and its landscape and re-establishes its position amongst the most significant estates of the Georgian period.
• Unseen images and archive material of the lost estate will, for the first time, recreate how this lost estate developed, appeared and was experienced throughout the eighteenth century.
• Presents the first in-depth study of Colen Campbell’s and William Kent’s designs for Wanstead House, which rank amongst their earliest and most influential works.
• Serves as a case study for the study of lost houses demolished prior to the introduction of photography.
• Contributes to the ongoing conservation and preservation of the historic site of Wanstead Parklands and ensures its protection for future generations to enjoy.