Description:This pencil sketch by John Phillp is looking across Hockley Pool and Birmingham Heath towards Birmingham. To the left can be seen Hockley Abbey, built in 1779 by Richard Ford of waste slag from Aston furnace. On the skyline to the right can be seen Perrotts Folly, thought to be the inspiration for JRR Tolkein's The Two Towers.
This image is from the Phillp album, a collection of watercolours and sketches by John Phillp (c.1778-1815). Phillp may have been Matthew Boulton's son but the evidence is inconclusive. He was born in Falmouth, Cornwall and came to Soho in 1793. Boulton paid for William Hollins to teach him architectural drawing in 1795. During his time at Soho he produced designs for silver, plate, medals and tokens.
Conservation and cleaning had to be undertaken on the album before it could be scanned and this was carried out as part of the Digital Handsworth Project. When this picture was removed from the album a previously unknown elevation of the service wing at Soho House was found under it.