Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire was built by James Wyatt (1746-1813) between 1793 and 1813 for the wealthy and eccentric collector and Gothic novelist William Beckford (1759-1844). Although a country house, Fonthill Abbey had the appearance of a gothic cathedral. It was dominated by a central tower, 280 feet high. Beckford commissioned Turner to paint seven large watercolours of the house and Turner spent three weeks at Fonthill in 1799 making drawings for the commission. Five watercolours eventually seem to have been completed, showing the abbey from different vantage points and at different times of day. The structure of Fonthill later proved unstable and by 1825 the majority of the building had fallen down.