Observations on the Western Parts of England, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty
To Which Are Added, a Few Remarks on the Picturesque Beauties of the Isle of Wight

This illustrated 1798 work explores the picturesque in Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

William Gilpin (Author)

9781108066921, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 January 2014

414 pages, 18 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 2.3 cm, 0.52 kg

Clergyman, schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics, William Gilpin (1724–1804) is best known for his works on the picturesque. In his Essay on Prints, published in 1768 and reissued in this series, he defined picturesque as 'a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture'. First published in 1798, the present work is one of a series which records his reflections on the picturesque across British landscapes. It traces the journey he made, equipped with notebook and sketching materials, westwards from Wiltshire through Somerset and Devon to Cornwall, returning via Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. He describes his impressions of famous landmarks such as Stonehenge, Glastonbury Abbey, the River Tamar and Carisbrooke Castle, and includes several evocative reproductions of his pen-and-wash drawings. The companion volumes of Observations on other parts of Britain are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

Dedication
1. Nonsuch
2. Norbury Park
3. Country between Leatherhead and Guildford
4. Holt-forest
5. Country between Winchester and Salisbury
6. Longford-castle
7. Stonehenge
8. Wilton
9. Fonthill
10. Maiden-Bradley
11. Approach to Wells
12. Ruins of Glastonbury abbey
13. Gothic architecture prevalent in the west of England
14. Admiral Blake
15. Sir Charles Tint's improvements
16. View from Quantoc-hills
17. Castle hill
18. Approach to Barnstaple
19. Brentor
20. Country in returning from Bodmin to Lescard
21. Plymouth-dock
22. Mount Edgcomb
23. Edystone light-house
24. Tanner
25. Battle of Lexington
26. Exeter
27. View from fair-mile-hill
28. Coast road from Plymouth to Honiton
29. Vale of Honiton
30. Ford abbey
31. Country from Axminster to Bridport
32. Blandford
33. View of the coast from Lymington to Cowes
34. Carisbroke-castle
35. Picturesque beauty explained
36. Separation of the island from the main
37. Milbroke
38. View of Southampton
Appendix.

Subject Areas: Art forms [AF]