William Buckland | Menokin: Rubble With A Cause

I was on a personal pilgrimage while in Annapolis this weekend to visit the Hammond Harwood House.

William Buckland, who most likely had a hand in the carved panelling of Menokin, was the commissioned architect of this house.

If you look closely at the carved pattern directly over the doorway you’ll recognize the frieze on the best chamber mantelpiece from Menokin.

Being inside HHH was the closest I’ll probably ever come to being inside the original Menokin. The floor plans are almost identical. And I got to meet Buckland firsthand in this copy of his portrait by Peale.

While much more ornate throughout than Menokin, it was fun to catch glimpses of some familiar carvings. I highly recommend a visit.

Hammond-Harwood House. Beautifully carved front door.

Inside the front door and looking back toward the dining room.

From the dining room looking toward the front door.

Calder Loth, Honorary Menokin Trustee and Vice President of the Center for Palladian Studies in America, published an article in the latest volume of the organization’s journal Palladiana.

The article focuses on a big mystery surrounding Menokin. While it is true that Menokin is one of the best documented 18th-century tidewater homes, there are clues, but no answers, to who is responsible for its design.

Loth systematically identifies Menokin’s unique design features and explores their relationships to contemporary sources such as Batty Langley (1740) and Abraham Swan (1757). It’s a fascinating read.

Click here for a PDF of the article. — Click here for PDF of the article.

Menokin: Rubble With A Cause

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A Visit With William Buckland

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Menokin’s Mysterious Designer

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