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Stiff Leadbetter facts for kids

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Stiff Leadbetter (born around 1705, died August 18, 1766) was a talented British architect and builder. He was one of the most successful people in his field during the 1750s and 1760s. Leadbetter worked for many important and wealthy families of his time.

What Was Stiff Leadbetter's Career Like?

Stiff Leadbetter started his career as a carpenter's apprentice in 1719. For about ten years, he worked as a journeyman carpenter. By 1731, he had settled in Eton and married Elizabeth Hill. Her father was a timber merchant from London.

Leadbetter became the carpenter for Eton College in 1740. From 1744, he leased Eton College Wharf as his main home and workshop. By the 1740s, he was working as a builder on his own. Over the next two decades, he designed and built many new country houses. He also worked on hospitals and new city developments.

In 1756, Leadbetter got an important job. He was named the Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral. This role helped him get many jobs for churches too. Many of his buildings were built close to Eton. He also built designs made by other famous architects. These included Robert Adam and James Stuart.

Leadbetter had a powerful supporter named Francis Godolphin. Through Godolphin, Leadbetter met and worked for many other important people. These included the dukes of Portland, Marlborough, and Bedford. He also worked for the countesses of Essex and Pomfret, Lord Foley, Admiral Boscawen, and Sir John Elwill.

A famous architect named John Hawks trained under Leadbetter. Hawks later designed Tryon Palace in North Carolina, USA. This palace was the official home of the governor.

What Did People Think of Leadbetter's Work?

People have had different opinions about Leadbetter's work. Some praised him, while others were less impressed. Giles Worsley, who has written a lot about Leadbetter, said good things about him.

Worsley noted that Leadbetter was an inventive planner. He worked at a time when country house design was changing fast. His country houses had simple insides and outsides. But they were creative, varied, and very practical in their layout. Leadbetter wasn't a leader in new styles. However, Elvills in Surrey (built 1758–63) was the first new house built in the Georgian Gothic revival style.

Some of his best houses are Langley Park, Nuneham House, and Newton Park. Nikolaus Pevsner called Newton Park "one of the finest country mansions of the 18th century in Somerset."

Other critics were not as kind. They sometimes focused on his early job as a carpenter. They often ignored his work as an architect. Some called him "a minor provincial carpenter and builder." Others said he was a "second generation Palladian whose works lacked flair." He was also described as a "competent but dull architect" and "a thorough but uninspired architect."

Leadbetter does not have his own entry in Colvin's famous dictionary of British architects. But he is mentioned in another architect's entry. There, he is called "the master carpenter employed to carry out Robert Adam's designs" at Syon House.

Stiff Leadbetter's Family Life

Stiff Leadbetter and his wife Elizabeth had five children. Sadly, Elizabeth died in 1737, after a short marriage. Four of their children also died before Leadbetter himself passed away.

Notable Projects by Stiff Leadbetter

Here is a list of some of the important buildings Leadbetter worked on:

Images for kids

  • NunehamHouse02

    Nuneham House, Nuneham Courtenay, Oxfordshire. Designed by Leadbetter, 1757.

  • Elvills, Englefield Green, Surrey, 1827

    Elvills, Englefield Green, Surrey. Designed by Leadbetter, 1758–63.

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