18th Century Drawing by Hawksmoor Discovered
An original drawing by Nicholas Hawksmoor, one of England’s most significant architects, has recently been discovered at Greenwich Heritage Centre during a National Lottery funded research project at St Alfege Church.
The discovery was made by Richard Hill, of Richard Griffiths Architects who is working for St Alfege Church as Conservation Architect for the ‘Heart of Greenwich - Place and People’ project, which has been made possible by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). During a visit to the Royal Greenwich Heritage Centre in February he found the uncatalogued drawing in a box of miscellaneous prints, photos and press cuttings of Greenwich.
Greenwich Heritage Centre, part of Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust, is home to the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s museum and archive collections. The drawing, which shows the north elevation of St Alfege Church, is an original ink and wash drawing by Nicholas Hawksmoor himself. A trace of the plan of the building can also be seen, probably pricked through from another drawing.