142 APPEARANCE OF SIR CHRISTOPHER WREX 



at the Restoration. The reasons for his failure are obscure, but 

 it may be that his active employment during the Commonwealth 

 told against him, for his clients of that period were obviously 

 not such devoted adherents of the royal cause as to be in exile, 

 or suffering other great hardships. It may be that he lacked 

 the support and patronage of John Evelyn, whose influence with 

 Charles II. in all matters of culture was enormous. It may be 

 that his age was against him, for when Wren was appointed on 

 the death of Denham, Webb was fifty-seven years old. But 

 whatever the cause, his failure was complete, and he eventually 

 retired to his home at Butleigh where he died in 1672. Although 

 he missed the goal of his ambition, although the men who have 

 had the ear of the world have not sounded his name in high 

 notes, he was a remarkable man. The work conceded to him 

 by general consent is noteworthy, and he probably did more to 

 influence domestic architecture in England than any other man 

 of his time, Inigo Jones not excepted. For any student, divesting 

 himself of established prejudices, who will examine his original 

 drawings, can hardly fail to come to the conclusion that it was 

 his imagination and his hand which developed and prepared most 

 of the designs which, published as the work of Inigo Jones, had 

 so wide an effect upon English houses in the eighteenth century. 

 Charles II.'s interest in the pastime of building was but 

 fitful. The Whitehall Palace got little further than Webb's 

 old designs, nor did that at Greenwich go beyond the one 

 block called after the king. He was preoccupied with matters 

 of more personal interest, and what money he had for his own 

 purposes was spent in directions other than that of architecture. 

 Nevertheless incidental to the kingly role was the patronage of 

 the arts, and when the necessity arose he bestowed his atten- 

 tion upon them and upon those, who were engaged in their 

 pursuit. It was in this way that Wren was brought to his 

 notice, and thereby obtained that official position which led to 

 the development of his extraordinary powers. That Charles 

 had no special acquaintance with architecture nor any consuming 

 love for it, is sufficiently proved by his sanction of that design 

 of Wren's for St Paul's Cathedral known as the " warrant " 

 design, and by the spasmodic way in which he sought to house 

 himself in regal fashion ; for another abortive attempt at a 

 palace was made in 1683, this time at Winchester and with the 

 help of Wren. 



