Matthew Brettingham the Younger facts for kids
Matthew Brettingham the Younger (1725 – 1803) was an English architect. He was the eldest son of another famous architect, Matthew Brettingham the Elder. Like his father, he designed buildings in the beautiful Palladian style, which was popular at the time.
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Early Life and Travels
Matthew Brettingham the Younger traveled to Italy in 1747. While there, he bought many sculptures and pieces of art. These artworks were for wealthy people in Britain who supported artists and architects, known as his "patrons." One important patron was Thomas Coke. Matthew returned to England in 1754.
Meeting Important People in Rome
During his time in Rome, Matthew Brettingham met a young man named Frederick North, Lord North. This meeting would become very important later in Matthew's life.
Working for the Government
Frederick North, who became a very powerful politician, remembered Matthew. He appointed Matthew Brettingham to a special job called President of the Board of Green Cloth. This board managed the royal household's expenses.
Changes in Government Roles
Later, a new law called the Civil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782 changed how much money this job paid. The value of Matthew's position went down. Because of this, Lord North gave Matthew another job. He became the deputy revenue collector for the Cinque Ports. This was a group of historic coastal towns in England. This new job paid Matthew several hundred pounds each year.
His Architectural Career
For a long time, Matthew Brettingham mostly worked with his father on architectural projects. It wasn't until 1769, when his father passed away, that Matthew started to work more on his own. However, his architectural work was still somewhat limited.
Why His Practice Was Small
A historian named Howard Colvin explained why Matthew didn't have a huge architectural business. He said that the money Matthew earned from his government jobs, which were often called "sinecures" (jobs that paid well but didn't require much work), meant he didn't need to find many architectural projects to make a living.
