B u rto n in c lu d e d W o b u m and T o rrin g to n Squares. Some o f the p lo ts were le t to s u b -c o n tra c tin g m asons, jo in e rs and iro n w o rk e rs a ctin g as sm all scale sp e cula tive d e velopers. B ut B u rto n ensure d s ty lis tic u n ifo rm ity even m ore rig o ro u s ly th a n he had d u rin g th e w o rk on the F o u n dlin g Estate. Indeed B u rto n 's design fo r one o f th e terraces on th e B e dford Estate was e x h ib ite d a t the R oyal A cadem y in 1800.24 The B ed fo rd Estate was a ris k ie r v e n tu re as o v e r h a lf o f th e houses w ere fir s t ra te . By th is tim e fa sh io n a b le L o ndon was fu rth e r w est and the b e tte r class o f te n a n t w anted to liv e th e re . Even the Duke o f B edford vacated B e d fo rd House in 1800 g ivin g i t o ve r to d e m o litio n and w ent to liv e o n a n o th e r estate in a leasehold house in th e w est end. T his raises th e questions o f w h e th e r the B loom sbury estates m et p u b lic dem and fo r h o usin g stock o r w h e th e r m a rk e t forces w ere ig n o re d in fa v o u r o f an im posed, id e a l dem ographic m ake-up w h ich ra n co u n te r to a ctu a l trends.
T he S k in n e rs a n d Lucas Estates w ere d e v e lo p e d a t B u rto n 's in s tig a tio n . D u rin g the years 1803-7 he n e go tia te d w ith b o th p a rtie s and co n vin ce d th e m th a t such a v e n tu re w o u ld be p ro fita b le fo r a ll co n cern e d . O f a ll o f B lo o m sb u ry th is has B u rto n 's m o st p e rso n a l stam p. M a n y o f th e place nam es have s ig n ific a n c e . For in sta n ce B urton S treet and Crescent o n the S kinner's Estate and M abledon and T o n b rid g e S treet re fe rrin g to B u rto n 's house in K ent on the Lucas Estate. The a rc h ite c tu re was s im ila r to th a t on th e B edford Estate b u t the b u lk o f th e housing stock was o f th ird and fo u rth rate.
I t is a lre a d y cle a r th a t B loom sbury was n o t a hom ogeneous area rip e
24 This was exhibited as No 1066 West view o f the houses erecting a t the back o f Bedford House on the south side o f Russell Square, J Burton, Architect, Southampton Terrace.
fo r d e v e lo p m e n t a n d b o th the m o tiv a tio n and re sista n ce to th e b u ild in g o f houses w ere co m p le x an d c o n s id e ra b le fo rc e s . The in te ra c tio n o f these and B urton's ow n ideas shaped th e u rb a n fa b ric .
T h e U rb a n F a b ric
In h is c re a tio n o f th e u rb a n fa b ric B u rto n had lea st o v e ra ll c o n tro l in h is w o rk on th e F o u n d lin g Estate. T h e ir a rc h ite c t S P C ocke re ll p re p a re d a p la n w h ic h placed th e m id e ig h te e n th -c e n tu ry h o s p ita l in the ce n tre o f th e new d e velo p m en t fla n k e d b y open spacesj these la te r becam e M e c k le n b u rg h Square a n d B ru n sw ick Square w ith G u ilfo rd S treet on th e so u th e rn b o u n d a ry o f th e estate. This iso la te d th e H o sp ita l in the ce n tre o f an otherw ise sim ple g rid p a tte rn w h ic h co n ne cted w ith th e e x is tin g streets b e yo n d th e p e rim e te r o f th e estate. The p la n m ay have been in flu e n c e d b y the ra tio n a lis t p lans p re v a le n t in o th e r m a jo r E uropean c itie s - m o st n o ta b ly P aris - w h ic h m ade th e p rin c ip a l b u ild in g th e fo c a l p o in t o f th e design. B u rto n became th e executant a rc h ite c t and he p la n te d o u t o r fenced in m ost o f th e area. D u rin g th e b u ild in g process h is re la tio n s h ip w ith th e governors and C ockerell developed as he gained th e ir tru s t and d e m o n stra te d h is com petence and a b ility to h a n d le such la rg e scale p ro je cts. M any o f th e design ideas can be a ttrib u te d to B urton as C ockerell operated a 'hands o f f p o lic y on m atters o f style and la y o u t. B u rto n co n stru cte d n e a rly six h u n d re d houses and im posed a s ty lis tic u n ifo rm ity o n th e b u ild in g s w h ich m ade an im p o rta n t c o n trib u tio n to the developm ent o f th e terrace as a to o l fo r shaping and c o d ify in g th e u rb a n lan dscape. T he u n ifo rm te rra ce s h e lp e d c o u n te r th e dom estic appearance o f th e London streetscape. In th is w ay B u rto n was c a rry in g on th e m e th o d begun b y R obert A dam in th e F itz ro y
Square w here he used classical d e ta ilin g to create a m o re u n ifo rm a n d g ra n d p a la c e -lik e fa ca d e . M o re o v e r, th e p ra c tic e o f su b c o n tra c tin g to sm all-scale b u ild e rs b y a p rin c ip a l le a se h o ld e r was fro w n e d on b y some la n d o w n e rs as i t was c la im e d th is a d ve rse ly a ffe cte d th e q u a lity o f th e b u ild in g s and th e o v e ra ll d e ve lo p m e n t. B u rto n ’s s tric t c o n tro l o ve r h is s u b -c o n tra c to rs an d im p o s itio n o f u n ifo rm designs m ust have helped to overcom e th is a n xie ty.
B u rto n also b o u g h t la n d to de velo p w h ic h b o rd e re d th e F o u n d lin g Estate. On 4 th M arch 1794 he purchased M r Newenham ’s la n d on th e n o rth o f Queen’ s Square ju s t so u th o f G u ilfo rd Street.25 T his h e lp e d th e g e n e ra l d e v e lo p m e n t o f th e area, a lth o u g h i t e n su re d th e H osp ita l was fu rth e r hem m ed in b y b u ild in g s , and c o n trib u te d to th e s tre e t-p la n o f the area.
B u rto n e n jo ye d g re a te r fre e d o m in th e B e d fo rd Estate. T h is was a re c ta n g u la r p lo t w ith a n o rth so u th axis b o u n d e d to the south b y B loom sbury Square to th e w est b y B ed fo rd Square and th e east b y S o u th a m pton Row. B u rto n used a g rid p a tte rn an d cre a te d a new square in th e ce n tre o f th e p lo t on a lin e w ith B lo om sb u ry S q u a rÿ" th is was ca lle d Russell Square.
In 1800 th e re was new im petus as S outham pton House was dem olished a n d th re e s tre e ts o f te rra c e h o u s in g w e re b u ilt o n its s ite : S o u th a m p to n Row, B e d fo rd Place a n d M ontague S treet, (p la te 2) S outham pton Row and M ontague S treet were a lre a d y la id o u t as roads b u t w ith d iffe re n t names (S outham pton Terrace and B edford Terrace re s p e c tiv e ly ) (p la te 3) T h is la y o u t m ade i t im p o ssib le to create a s q u a re . H ow ever B u rto n p la ce d lo n g p riv a te law ns a t th e back o f
these houses u sin g ga rde n fe a tu re s fro m th e g ro u n d s o f th e o ld S o u th a m p to n House. The p la n o f th e estate m u st have appeared e x c e p tio n a lly r a tio n a l w ith a n in te re s tin g b a la n c e b e tw e e n a rc h ite c tu re an d landscape. The lo n g re c ta n g u la r areas o f garden here and in M ontague and W o b u rn Squares m ake a v e ry d iffe re n t k in d o f u rb a n e n v iro n m e n t. These houses w ere co n stru cte d la te r b y C u b itt and Sim.26
B u rto n 's c o m m itm e n t to th e la n d sca p e a n d re c o g n itio n o f its im p o rta n ce in th e shaping o f u rb a n space is seen fu rth e r in h is use o f H u m p h ry R epton to landscape Russell Square along p ictu re sq u e lines using m eandering paths and v a rie ty to p la y on the senses. On th e S kinners* Estate B u rto n 's p la n n in g becam e in c re a s in g ly a m b itio u s. B u rto n S treet ra n across th e op en in g o f B u rto n C rescent w h ich faced eastw ards to fo llo w th e lie o f th e la n d , (plates 4 an d 5) The choice o f a crescent shape was unusual in term s o f London tow n p la n n in g . G eorge Dance h a d re c e n tly co n s tru c te d a c ircu s o n the south side o f S outhw ark B ridge w here B u rto n had begun his London b u ild in g c a re e r. P erhaps m o re re le v a n tly th e re is a g a in a co n ne ctio n w ith th e b u ild in g o f Bath as John W ood jn r had re c e n tly com pleted h is fa th e r's design fo r the R oyal Crescent. M oreover, the un usual shape p ro v id e d a focus fo r the w hole p la n . In term s o f the la n d sca p e th e c re s c e n t lik e th e lo n g re c ta n g le set up a v e ry d iffe re n t re la tio n s h ip betw een open space an d a rc h ite c tu re . The tra d itio n a l squares w ere in s u la r d is c re e t e n titie s as d e scrib e d b y Rasmussen
T h e E nglish square is a re s tric te d w hole as com plete as the c o u rty a rd o f a co n ven t. T h e y fo rm fin e g e om e trica l fig u re s in