The Belvedere

The Belvedere is a Grade I listed building constructed between 1725 and 1727 by Lord Burlington for Sir Henry Furnese. It is made of plum-coloured brick with Portland stone dressings. The building has a rectangular plan externally, resembling a double cube, while the interior is arranged in a circular layout. It stands three storeys high on a stone plinth, featuring rusticated quoins on the ground floor only, a double projecting plat band, and a sill-course above.

The main entrance is located on the north front, showcasing a large rusticated semi-circular doorway. Above this, at first floor level, is a large Venetian window with a Gibbs surround and triple keystones for all three openings; the main window was originally balustraded. There is also a single lugged square mezzanine window. The south front mirrors the north front but lacks the basement doorway. The east and west fronts are identical, with central semi-circular windows (or doors) in the basement, also featuring a Gibbs surround, flanked by side windows with large keystones and moulded surrounds. The first floor includes flanking windows with a pulvinated frieze and cornice, and central semi-circular Ionic windows, although the balustrading below is damaged. There are three square lugged mezzanine windows, one on the east face with a missing moulded stone surround, and a pulvinated cornice and balustrade on top.

Inside, the ground floor features a circular saucer domed ceiling, which is mostly intact except for a small hole roughly 2 feet square. There is a fireplace on the southern wall. In the angles of the square that encloses the circular space, there are three chambers and a spiral stair, which is largely intact in the south-east corner. The upper storeys, originally circular and intended as a music room, are now in a ruinous state. The total cost of construction was £1,703 7s 4d, making The Belvedere one of Burlington's few surviving documented buildings.