Richard's Augustinian nunnery. Burnham Abbey, Buckinghamshire. Grose view c1785

by Grose, Francis

Burnham Abbey near Maidenhead, just north of Eton in Buckinghamshire - "where Richard, King of the Romans, began a nunnery of the order of St Augustine".

Francis Grose (1731-1791) wrote “The Antiquities of England and Wales; Being a Collection of Views of the Most remarkable Ruins and antient(sic) Buildings, Accurately drawn on the spot. To each view is added An Historical Account of its Situation, when & by whom built, with every interesting Circumstance relating thereto. Collected from the best authorities.”  Published in London between 1783 and 1787, this wonderful series of copperplate engravings with descriptive text capture the character of the ruins and ancient buildings.

Born in Greenford, Middlesex, the father of Francis Grose was a jeweller from Switzerland who came to London and fashioned George II’s coronation crown. Francis joined the military and rose to the rank of Captain. He then became Paymaster and Adjutant of the Surrey Militia, but his lackadaisical attitude to book-keeping resulted in his rectifying his financial shortfall in this field by the use of his inheritance from his father. From 1763 to 1769 he was an innkeeper. His life experiences and his exposure to the hurly-burly and coarse speech of army and street life equipped him well to produce the work for which he gained most fame.

Page size. 12 x 9 inches or 30 x 23cm