Fonthill Abbey, (Wiltshire, England), 1796-1813, Gothic Revival
Fonthill Abbey was a large Gothic Revival home built in the country. The abbey was designed for William Beckford, and piqued the curiosities of the public. Beckford tragically lost his wife during childbirth. After this he traveled Europe ending up in England even though he had been exiled due to the accusation of adultery [4]. He then purchased the Fonthill Estate and after enclosing the grounds in a six-mile long wall (high enough to prevent hunters from chasing foxes and hares on his property), he then decided to have the Gothic Cathedral constructed as his home.Since the estate was closed to visitors under the ownership of Beckford, when it was placed on the market, it received over 600 visitors per day. The Architect designed by James Wyatt who was known to miss client meetings, and not supervise construction, inevitably delaying construction (sometimes by years). Beckford seemed to have no issue with Wyatts absences as it gave him more control of the grand project.This did not ...