phillips laid out kemp town enclosures in 1828.
phillips athenaeum scheme of 1825 not executed, associated oriental place development (west side pictured) went ahead.
henry phillips reputation landscape gardener brought him work in brighton , hove area; first commission came in 1822, while still living in london. local architect amon henry wilds designed level, triangular area of former common land between ditchling , lewes roads. owned thomas read kemp until donated people of brighton in 1822. became popular venue games, circuses , similar public events.
in 1823, produced proposed layout gardens on kemp town estate, high-class speculative residential development being built east of brighton thomas read kemp. scheme not implemented, , read kemp decided put iron railings round open space instead. 5 years later, though, phillips revised scheme put in place. kemp town enclosures, gardens became known, covered 15 acres (6.1 ha) , had paths around edges surrounded informally laid out flowers , small shrubs planted on small mounds protect them windy weather on exposed clifftop. planting began in 1828: brighton herald of 8 february 1828 reported plants possess great novelty , beauty of style ... 20,000 plants have been selected embellish grounds . brighton guardian stated size , beauty of trees, should have taken grove of 7 years standing, rather ... few weeks . phillips charged read kemp £371.10s.8d (equivalent £29,210 in 2016), paid when went first meeting of kemp town enclosures management committee on 3 june 1828. original layout (since altered) consisted of 3 linked sections, 1 of featured rustic wooden summer-house used until 1935 when became dilapidated keep. flowerbed surrounded removed @ same time in favour of grass.
another unexecuted scheme thomas read kemp extravagant plan develop empty downland between read kemp s house in embryonic montpelier suburb , completed (1818) bedford square large villas surrounding informally planted public garden. brighton gazette newspaper said of proposal: [it like] cemetery of père lachaise or city of constantinople roofs , minarets encircled trees .
in 1825, phillips worked amon henry wilds again on ambitious scheme build seafront square north side occupied athenaeum—an exuberant oriental-style glass , iron conservatory housing plants, library , other public attractions, set in landscaped grounds. engraving produced @ time outlandish scheme announced showed 2 greek revival-style sea-facing terraces similar terraces leading seafront large glazed building several domes , minarets. have been tall enough have grown trees inside. other sections of complex have housed literary institute, museum , school specialising in scientific education. residential buildings started (and completed wilds, under names oriental terrace , oriental place), in 1827 money ran out , athenaeum idea abandoned. sillwood place, northern continuation of oriental place , wilds project, occupies intended site.
the anthaeum
the gardens of palmeira square occupy site of ill-fated anthaeum.
unable forget dream of gigantic domed conservatory, phillips revisited idea in 1830s. launching scheme under different name, anthaeum (meaning flower-house), secured land , finance sir isaac goldsmid, 1st baronet , engaged amon henry wilds architect. site provided goldsmid in hove, small town west of brighton beginning develop fashionable residential area: anthaeum built north of adelaide crescent, on work had started in 1830. structure large dome diameter of 165 feet (50 m) , height of 65 feet (20 m) (excluding 16-foot (4.9 m) cupola in centre), made of ribs of iron sunk 10 feet (3.0 m) soil , glazed. inside dome, enclosed area of more 1.5 acres (0.61 ha), phillips planned exotic garden tropical trees , plants, unusual shrubs, lake, birds , other features, not unlike modern eden project in cornwall . work started in late 1832, when deep foundations dug, , iron ribs steadily erected on next few months. disagreements emerged between wilds, phillips, project engineer mr hollis , contractor mr english, though, led dismissal or resignation of wilds , hollis. english, decision not build intended central supporting pillar led hollis , wilds abandoning project, continued working no proper supervision several months, despite phillips concerns; , on 30 august 1833, day before official opening, anthaeum spectacularly collapsed: immense ribs of iron snapped asunder ... , great part of [the structure], height fell, buried several feet deep in earth . shock made phillips go blind, , tangled wreckage not cleared away 17 years. palmeira square occupies site.
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