John Martin No. 30 Allsop's Buildings

‘ Having experienced worse conditions, Mr Loudon was relaxed when his cab stopped outside 30 Allsop's Buildings on the Marylebone Road. Light shone from the windows and a sound of merriment came from within. This was the home of Mr John Martin, his wife and their six children. The drawing room was large but cosy. It had two couches, a piano and rosewood chairs in crimson damask. There were paintings after Poussin, Vandyck and Reynolds.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024). 

John Martin's Residence at 30 Allsop's Buildings: Historical and Architectural Insights

John Martin lived at No.30. An account of the garden of a Scottish theologian (Dr Alexander Geddes (1737 – 1802) gives us an idea of the gardens in the terrace known as Allsop’s Buildings. It is also of interest as a personal account of a London garden c1800 

 Our author, who had hitherto contented himself with lodgings in different parts of the town, finding his library begin to swell to a magnitude that required more space than lodgings could easily afford, engaged, about this time, a house in Alsop's Buildings, New Road, Mary-le-bone, which promised him every convenience his heart could desire: it possessed a garden before and behind; and, while pleasant in front, commanded for its back view the whole compass of the sister hills of Highgate and Hampstead, affording one of the most lovely and luxuriant sceneries in the neighbourhood of the metropolis. Having completed his library and arranged his books, he next devoted his leisure hours to his garden; and in this he toiled, with all the industry of a labourer and all the zeal of a botanist, till he could boast of productions both for ornament and use intrinsically of prime excellence, but still sweet. er to himself, as being the fruits of his own culture.'

The Garden and Lifestyle of 30 Allsop's Buildings

30 Allsop's Buildings, located on the New Road in Marylebone, represents a significant example of early 19th-century residential architecture in London. Designed in the Georgian style, these buildings reflected the period's emphasis on symmetry and proportion. The area around Marylebone Road underwent substantial development during this era, catering to the growing affluent population of London. The buildings at Allsop’s Buildings provided not only comfortable living spaces but also showcased the period’s aesthetic preferences, including spacious interiors and classical design elements. Research into historical property records and architectural surveys reveals that these residences were integral to the urban expansion of London, offering insight into the city's architectural evolution and the lifestyles of its inhabitants.