The Giffards have lived at Chillington since in or about 1187.  Soane's client was Thomas Giffard who inherited the house in 1776 at the age of 12. His grandfather (Peter Giffard) had begun the rebuilding of Chillington by employing Francis Smith of Warwick to design additions including a south front, 1724. 

In the 1760s, Peter Giffard's son Thomas Giffard senior employed Capability Brown to re-design the park; the village was swept away, a 66-acre lake with bridge designed by James Paine c.1770 was introduced. There also seems to have been an unexecuted commission from the office of Robert and James Adam for building an entirely new house and alternatively re-modelling the old one.  There are six Adam drawings for Chillington in the Soane Museum.  These are: south and north elevations and ground floor plan dated 1 July 1772 for a new house (SM volume 44/47-9); undated ground and first floor plans for alterations and additions retaining the 1724 building (SM volume 44/45-6).  A sketch design in Robert Adam's hand for a table (SM volume 5/37) seems not to have been executed. 

In 1785, the younger Thomas Giffard, now 21 years old, gave Soane his first commission for the remodelling of a substantial country house.  Giffard's marriage in 1788 may have speeded up the building programme.

In his Plans, elevations and sections of buildings erected in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk ... 1788 (1789) Soane devoted plates 12-17 to Chillington.  Plate 12 is a plan of the ground floor 'with the alterations and additions' and Soane notes that the 'Saloon was intended for the chapel...'.  Plate 13 is a plan of the first floor (there is none among the surviving drawings). Plate 14 is a perspective of the east 'Entrance front, as executed' that corresponds with drawing 9.  Plate 15 is an elevation for the entrance front 'as proposed': two storeys and eleven bays wide with a four-column Ionic portico it differs from the built design by having a central dome, pairs of Ionic pilasters on the end bays and a continuous roofline without the attics at each end that, as executed, related to the three-storey 1724 building to the south.  It may represent a design for an entirely new house.  Plate 16 is a 'Section of the Great Room or Saloon as proposed' , that is, not as executed.  'Plate 17 is a plan and elevation of an intended bridge, which was not built and for which there are no surviving drawings. 

Thirteen 'journeys' (site visits) by Soane are recorded between 6 September 1785 and 24 January 1790 in the office 'Journal'.  On 29 September 1792, Soane sent in his bill (Ledger A) and was paid in full on 18 September 1794 the sum of £526.6.0.  

Soane exhibited at the Royal Academy 'Elevation of bridge for a gentleman in Staffordshire' in 1786.  The following year he exhibited 'The great room at Chillington built in the year 1786' and 'Entrance front to Chillington erected in the year 1786'.

Literature.  A. Oswald, 'Chillington Hall, Staffordshire' in Country Life, 13, 20 and 28 February 1948; D. Stroud, Sir John Soane, architect, 2nd ed., 1996, p.130; P.Dean, Sir John Soane and the country estate, 1999, pp.40-53; P. Dean, 'Chillington Hall, Staffordshire', Country Life, 30 September, 1999

Typed selective transcript of extracts from 'Journal N^o 1' relating to Chillington, compiled by Christopher Woodward, 1998, in SM green information files

? John Sanders (pupil 1 September 1784-1790)

3 Plan of the Principal floor of a House designed for Tho^s Gyffard Esq^re with slight (pencil) plan with dimensions.  Verso, (pencil) poorly drawn rectangular plan

4 Plan of the Chamber Story for Thomas Giffard Esq^r House at Chillington

5 Plan of the Attick floor of Chillington

6 Plan of ground floor

7 Elevations of East Front of Chillington, north and west fronts to north range

John McDonnell (1770-   , pupil 18 March 1786-1791)

8 Elevation of the Entrance Front of Chillington near Woverhampton, the Seat of Thomas Giffard Esq^re

9 Perspective View of the Entrance Front of Chillington in Staffordshire, the Seat of Thomas Giffard Esq^re

10  Dressings to Windows on the / Hall Story at Chillington

11 Base of the Pilasters & Columns of the Ionic portico

12 Cornice for the Attics

13 Great Cornice to the House (verso) poorly drawn elevation of an Ionic column 

14 Ground floor plan and elevation of Entrance Front of the Building proposed for the / Chaplain & Stewart (sic)

15 Ground floor and roof plans, The Elevation of the Entrance from of the (sic) intended / Building for the Chaplain & Steward and elevation of the The Entrance front of the Chapel

16 Section through the domed saloon (to the left) and entrance hall with first floor over

17 Plan of the Great Hall [vestibule] & Sections of the sides with details of doors, shutters and base moulding

18 Plan and Sections (laid-out wall elevations) of Dressing Room at Chillington with details (some freehand) of door lining, base mouldings, architrave and window and (verso) full size detail of Entrance Door Frame, Door and Mouldings / at large

19 Plan & Sections of Finishings to first floor Corridor and (verso) Plan & Sections of Finishings to Staircase at Chillington

(16) Soane (17) John Sanders (pupil, 1 September 1784-90) see note below (18) Sanders and (recto) Robert Woodgate (30 June 1788-91, clerk) (19) John McDonnell (1770-    , pupil 1786-91) 

20 A Plan of the lead Covering to great Hall and section of roof truss

21  Details For the Darmers of two front Garets - Chillington

22 Details for Darmers to front Garets Chillington

23-24  Plans and elevations of crane and capstan used at Chillington

25 Plans and elevations for a hoist, location not given