Cecil Pinsent: architecture and landscape design

This thesis presents the first detailed account of the life and work of Cecil Ross Pinsent (1884-1963), an English architect and landscape designer who lived and practised almost exclusively in Italy from 1907 to circa 1935. During this time he was involved in the restoration and renovation of many of the most historically sensitive villas and landscapes in Tuscany, and responsible for the design and construction of more than twenty new buildings and fifteen gardens in Florence and its vicinity. Although successful and sought-after during the active years of his practise, Pinsent1s contribution to twentieth century Italian architecture and landscape design has been little recognised and his role diminished by his association with Geoffrey Scott, the author of the seminal treatise The Architecture of Humanism, who had an informal business partnership with Pinsent between the years 1911 and 1918. Reading collections of Pinsent1s private correspondence between family members, friends, and clients, and conducting interviews with Pinsent1s relatives provided insights to his character and upbringing, as well as an indication of his working methods. An investigation of Pinsent1s education places him amongst the first generation of architects schooled in the Arts and Crafts tradition of retaining control over all that they designed and built, while exercising a sympathetic response to vernacular styles, materials and regional craft traditions. In addition to membership applications for the Royal Institute of British Architects for which Pinsent itemised details of his education, early employers, work experience and the clients of his mature practice, Pinsent also, in 1955, compiled a complete list of clients and the work done for them; from these sources we know where and for whom he worked and what he designed. Pinsent1s education and career spanned two well-defined transitional periods which might be worthy of further of investigation: the first being the move within the English architectural education system from Ruskinism to neo-Renaissance classicism, and the second being the stylistic dominance of doctrinaire Modernism over Arts and Crafts humanism. As Italian law governing the listing of historic buildings does not ordinarily extend to the protection of gardens, it is especially important that attention be drawn to Cecil Pinsent to further the efforts of garden historians and conservation groups in Italy to obtain listed status for Pinsent1s gardens as well as his buildings. Supplementalto this thesis, further work remains to be done with priority being given to the survey and recording of the Pinsent's existing villas and gardens and which could be properly identified by Pinsent's own list of work. The symposium 'Cecil Pinsent and his Gardens in Tuscany' conducted at the Villa Le Balze, Fiesole on 22 June 1995, was a first move in acquiring the recognition Pinsent deserves for his contribution to villa and garden design. This work may serve as the impetus to further symposia or conferences.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

MPhil

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

De Montfort University

Year dc:date.issued

2001

Author dc:creator

• Clarke, E. L.

Licence

• https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/bitstreams/080de0ff-954f-42a2-8748-95c655231618/download