Silent partner: Design and making in the Early Modern Architecture of Britain

This article argues that, in early modern architecture in Britain, the role of making has been subordinated to that of design. It takes it cue from Gottfried Semper’s image of the architect in antiquity as choragus or orchestrator of the many skills required to create a building, and demonstrates that knowledge of materials and craftsmanship informed the design process. It argues that the architect’s role as orchestrator of craft production has been overlooked due to an overemphasis on conceptual design. The relationship of conceptual and intuitive approaches to building is explored, as is communication between architect and craftsmen through models and large-scale working drawings. The nonarchitectural concerns of plastic artists involved in architectural production are noted. Finally, historiographical tendencies toward stylistic and biographical attribution are shown to militate against a holistic view of design and craft in early modern architecture.