Victoria & Albert Museum
A circa 1712 rendering from Vanbrugh’s office of the south, or…
The manor house of King’s Weston, in Gloucestershire in South West England, was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh starting around 1710. Less well known and far smaller than Castle Howard or Blenheim Palace, the house nonetheless exhibits the architect’s predilection for massive scale. A case in point: the mass of chimneys clustered into a Roman arcade on the roof. The privately owned house is now available for lease (it most recently served as a conference center and wedding venue). The leasehold expires in 2125. The asking price for a century in a Baroque masterpiece? Slightly over $3 million.
