John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) was an English writer, dramatist and architect.
His main literary works include The Relapse (1696), The Provok'd Wife (1697), The Country House (1703), The Confederacy (1705) and The Provok'd Husband (left incomplete and later completed by Colley Cibber in 1728).
As an architect, Vanbrugh designed some famous buildings like Castle Howard, Blenheim Palace and the original Haymarket Theatre.
John Vanbrugh Media
Sketch of the infamous French state prison the Bastille in Paris, where Vanbrugh was incarcerated
The Queen's Theatre, by William Capon
Vanbrugh Castle in Greenwich, south London
Actor Colley Cibber's comedy Love's Last Shift, or Virtue Rewarded inspired Vanbrugh to write The Relapse, or, Virtue in Danger.
Thomas Betterton, Sir John Brute in The Provoked Wife. Betterton's acting ability was lavishly praised by Samuel Pepys, Alexander Pope, Richard Steele and Colley Cibber.
Elizabeth Barry was a celebrated tragedienne who brought depth to Lady Brute in Vanbrugh's comedy The Provoked Wife.
Anne Bracegirdle, Bellinda in The Provoked Wife, often played the comic half of a contrasted tragic/comic heroine pair with Elizabeth Barry.
Vanbrugh's south facade of Castle Howard
The Temple of Four Winds in the Grounds of Castle Howard, near York.
The West facade of Blenheim Palace ("Vanbrugh's castle air") shows the unique severe towering stone belvederes ornamenting the skyline.
