Page 134 - AIT0319_E-Paper

WOHNEN • LIVING THEORIE • THEORY

Abbildung: Ruins of the Fonthill Abbey by John Buckler, © Trustees of the British Museum

Drei Jahre nach dem Verkauf stürzte der Turm zusammen und begrub weite Teile des Gebäudes unter sich.

The exaggerated illusion of an isolated gothic abbey

It is hardly imaginable today that here, in the middle of nowhere, a gigantic building
complex rose up 90 metres into the sky. If it weren't for the paintings of William
Turner, the great English landscape painter, countless engravings, and contemporary
architectural descriptions that plausibly testified to its existence, we considered
Fonthill Abbey, as Beckford called his grotesque home, to be a pure fiction of history. Foto: Creative Commons, © Rictor Norton & David Allen
There are hardly any traces of it left on the site: a small, square tower, attached to
it a short part of a nave with a hexagonal choir apse, next to it the rest of a cloister.
Everything seems as if it was an abandoned, old village church that has stood here
since the Middle Ages. But if one compares the building with the drawings of
Fonthill Abbey that have been preserved, the romantic masonry, which stands iso- Was von Fonthill Abbey übrig geblieben ist, sind ein paar Räume am äußersten Ende des Nordflügels.
lated at the edge of the wide clearing, turns out in reality to be a fragment, the last
remaining part of Beckford's bizarre country estate. None other than James Wyatt,
the star architect of his time, was responsible for the original building. long – the remains of which can still be found along the access road. Only a few people
Commissioned by Beckford, he constructed the exaggerated illusion of an isolated were allowed in. Beckford opened his world mainly to artists such as Turner and
Gothic abbey in the forest on top of a cruciform ground plan with four arms of Constable; the British heir to the throne, on the other hand, who desperately wanted to
almost equal length. Where the four arms of the cross intersected, an octagonal see Fonthill Abbey, was rejected. Beckford kept his distance from the social elites of his
tower rose 90 metres into the sky. The lower third of its shaft accommodated the so- time. This was not always the case: young Beckford, due to his origins, his excellent
called octagon, probably the architect's most impressive spatial creation. education, and ultimately his immense fortune, entertained justified hopes of a brilliant
Surrounded by mighty pillars, the room reached a height of almost 24 metres or six social, political, and literary career, and was not averse to such a development. In 1784,
storeys and formed the centre of the entire complex. The collection rooms were however, a homoerotic relationship with William Courtenay, who was eight years
located to the east. Here, Beckford housed one of the most impressive private art col- younger, became his downfall. When this was discovered by chance, an unprecedented
lections ever owned in the United Kingdom. In addition, there were precious books smear campaign began. The press reported, friends distanced themselves, and Beckford
and countless antiques. To the south of the octagon there was a gallery, covered by was rejected by society. He left England and settled for the next ten years near Lake
a delicate fan vault, dedicated to Saint Michael, while to the north the gallery, cov- Geneva in Switzerland. When he returned in the mid-1790s, the scandal may have been
ered by a golden coffered ceiling, opened up in honour of King Edward. It led to the forgotten, but Beckford had not forgotten how he had been treated. In exile, he had
outermost rooms of the north wing, known as the Sanctuary and Oratory, which, forged a plan. He wanted his father's house demolished and his own secluded world
together with the stairwell tower on the side, form the relic of Fonthill Abbey built in the forest. A wall was to keep away unwelcome visitors and hide his activities
described above. The fourth arm of the cross, oriented to the west, served only to from the disapproving eyes of the world. Finally, a tower would raise him above his
stage arrival. After passing through a portal more than ten metres high, the visitor hated fellow men: The construction of Fonthill Abbey began!
arrived in a high and wide cathedral room, the Great Western Hall, at the end of
which a wide staircase led up into the central octagon. The artificial dream world of a modern aesthete

Withdrawn from the resentful eyes of the world Works were completed in 1812. More than 500 craftsmen were often working simul-
taneously. And even after completion, it took a huge number of employees to main-
However, it was not only the building itself that Beckford had designed according to his tain the building and the surrounding gardens. In addition, Beckford maintained a
ideas of fabulous size and splendour, but also the surrounding landscape had to subor- small household consisting primarily of young, attractive middle-class men. It was an
dinate itself to the writer's fantastic and fanatical design intentions. He had an artificial eccentric, decadent hermitage that Beckford lived in Fonthill, splendidly furnished,
lake built and employed an army of gardeners who had to take care of the planting and surrounded by countless works of art and exquisite collections, and accompanied by
cultivation of countless exotic plants. Last but not least, Beckford surrounded his artifi- a spoiled entourage of young, pretty favourites. Beckford lived the life of a modern
cial paradise with a wall – three and a half metres high and a total of eleven kilometres aesthete, and 100 years later still delivered a blueprint for the homophile character

134 • AIT 3.2019