Henry Hill
Perspective view of a pair of houses, Monkstown, Co. Cork
1840s
81/55
Henry Hill was born in 1807. His father, Thomas, was an architect as was his elder brother William. Henry may possibly have received part of his architectural training in England as it is known that he was in London from at least January 1826. He returned to Cork in early 1827, possibly to join the office of George Richard Pain before going on to establish his own busy practice.
Hill, in his early life at least, appears to have been as interested in landscape and topographical painting as he was in architecture. These artistic leanings are clearly discernible in this perspective view of a Tudor-style, two-storey, three-bay semi-detached pair of houses in a rustic setting. Although the inscription on the mount suggests a date of c. 1826, it in fact dates to the early 1840s, and a note on the back of the drawing states that the houses are ‘now in progress of building’.
Perspective views such as this were often produced by architects to convey to clients an overall impression of design intentions less readily understood from plans, elevations or sections. However, this work was more likely produced for exhibition as Hill regularly showed drawings of architectural subjects at exhibitions in Cork and Dublin.
