Seat of the Rt Hon Welbore Ellis, at Twickenham in Middlesex.

Seat of the Rt Hon Welbore Ellis, at Twickenham in Middlesex. Alexander Pope leased this house from 1719 to his death in 1744; he remodelled it, using the architect James Gibb, and laid out the gardens (including a grotto) to such effect that when he opened them to the public in 1736 they became a huge attraction. Welbore Ellis (1713-1802) was a politician, created 1st Baron Mendip in 1794; he inherited Pope's Villa in 1772 and lived there until his death. See also 80.501/895. A later owner, Sophia Howe, was so irritated by the visiting crowds that in 1809 she destroyed both house and gardens - see 80.501/954. The three engravings show considerable remodelling of the house.