Vanbrugh’s Greatest Houses - An architectural journey 300 years since his death

One of Britain’s greatest architects, Sir John Vanbrugh (1664–1726) is responsible for some of the country’s most magnificent large houses – among them Castle Howard and Blenheim Palace. Marking the tercentenary of his death in March 1726, Sir Charles Saumarez Smith leads a celebration of this remarkable man and his achievements, in a special tour featuring several ‘behind the scenes’ arrangements. 

We will look closely at the circumstances of their design, their architecture – interior and exterior in most cases and Vanbrugh’s contributions to their garden design, placing each house in historical context. Blenheim Palace, for example, commissioned by the Duke of Marlborough in January 1705 to celebrate his victory at that battle a few months before, was hated by Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and became the subject of long-drawn-out arguments between her and Vanbrugh over its design and cost, ending up in a legal battle in the House of Lords. 

Besides his work as an architect, Vanbrugh had a remarkably adventurous life. Travelling out to India as a young man, serving in the army under James II, he was captured by the French, who believed him to be a spy, and served four years in French prisons, ending in the Bastille in Paris. He later became a successful playwright and designer and manager of the Queen’s Theatre, Haymarket, where Handel’s early operas were first performed. He was appointed Comptroller of the Office of Works shortly after the accession of Queen Anne in 1702. 

The tour begins at Seaton Delaval, one of Vanbrugh’s most powerful designs, near the coast east of Newcastle, and completes at Greenwich, where he built a small fortified castle for himself at the end of his life. Our speaker, the author of the latest biography, John Vanbrugh: The Drama of Architecture (November 2025), could not be better placed to bring this subject vividly to life.