bɪkˈʌz ʌv sˌɜːɹ ˈædəmz kˈoːɹt kənˈɛkʃənz, ðə dɪzˈaɪnɚɹ ʌvðə hˈaʊs ɪz ˈɔfən pɹɪzˈuːmd təbi dʒˈɑːn θˈoːɹp, wˈʌn ʌvðə fˈɜːst pɹəfˈɛʃənəl ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ˈɑːɹkɪtˌɛkts, hˌuː hæd sˈɜːvd æz klˈɜːk ʌv wˈɜːks fɚðə ɹˈɔɪəl pˈælɪs æt nˈɪɹbaɪ ɡɹˈɛnɪtʃ ðə pˈælɪs ʌv pləsˈɛnʃə.
Because of Sir Adam's court connections, the designer of the house is often presumed to be John Thorpe, one of the first professional English architects, who had served as Clerk of Works for the royal palace at nearby Greenwich – the Palace of Placentia.