Another View of Wanstead House in the County of Essex, the Seat of the Right Honble. the Earl of Tylney

Wanstead House, an 18th century Palladian mansion, was designed by the architect Colen Campbell for Richard Child (1680-1750) 1st Earl Tylney of Castlemaine.

The House, which was completed in 1720, was praised for its distinctive design, lavish interiors and impressive grounds. Visitors commented on how the house was more like a royal palace than a private home. Its grand structure rivalled buildings such as Bleinhem Palace and Holkham Hall.

Upon the death of Child in 1750, the estate passed to his son John, 2nd Earl Tylney. The 2nd Earl, famed for his party-going, made some additions to the grounds, including a grotto, a temple and a lake. This engraving was made a few years before his death in 1784.

The 2nd Earl Tylney had no descendents and the estate eventually passed to Catherine Tylney-Long who married the 4th Earl of Mornington in 1812. Unfortunately, the Earl of Mornington accrued massive debts and after the contents of the house were auctioned off to pay for them, a buyer for the house was sought. No buyer could be found so the house was demolished and sold for building stone in 1824.

Wanstead Park, the site of the house, is a Grade II listed park. Some of the ponds still exist, along with the temple and the grotto introduced by the 2nd Earl of Tylney.