Arthur Blomfield

Sir Arthur Blomfield
Born 6 March 1829(1829-03-06)
Died 30 October 1899(1899-10-30) (aged 70)
Nationality British
Awards Royal Gold Medal (1891)
Work
Buildings Royal College of Music in London, St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana
Projects Southwark Cathedral restoration

Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March, 1829 – 30 October 1899) was an English architect.

Contents

Background

The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College, Cambridge.[1] He was then articled as an architect to Philip Charles Hardwick, and subsequently obtained a large practice on his own account. The young Thomas Hardy joined Blomfield's practice as assistant architect in April 1862, and the writer remained friends with Blomfield. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a fellow Royal Institute of British Architects in1867 (proposed by George Gilbert Scott, H Brandon and J P Seddon); and vice-president of the RIBA in 1886. In 1889, he was knighted. He was awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 1891.

He was twice married. His second wife was Lady Blomfield a noted author and humanitarian.[2] He had two sons, Charles J. Blomfield and Arthur Conran Blomfield, who he brought up to his own profession, of which they became distinguished representatives. His nephew, Sir Reginald Blomfield, apprenticed under him, and went on to design numerous buildings, public works, and sculpture, including the Cross of Sacrifice or War Cross, for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. These are in Commonwealth cemeteries in many countries.

Major works

In 1882 Blomfield designed the Royal College of Music in London. In 1887 he became architect to the Bank of England and, in association with A. E. Street, designed the Law courts Branch in Fleet Street.[1] A. E. Street was the son of the architect G.E. Street.

In 1890-7 he rebuilt the nave of St. Saviour's parish church, Southwark (now Southwark Cathedral), replacing an earlier reconstruction of 1839-40.[3] It is a notable example of his use of a Gothic Revival style. He was highly regarded as a restorer; a spokesman for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings said of his 1898 restoration of Salisbury Cathedral spire "conducted in the most conservative way possible... I am confident that anyone who had been privileged to see the work that is being done... would not withhold his subscriptions even though he was as ardent an anti-restorer as your obedient servant."[4]

In 1899 he completed St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana, which was the tallest wooden church in the world until 2003 when the Peri Monastery near Săpânţa in northern Romania was completed.

Other works (in chronological order)

Sources

References

  1. ^ a b Blomfield, Arthur William in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
  2. ^ Memorial to a shining star London, United Kingdom, 10 August 2003 (BWNS)
  3. ^ Worley, George (1905). Southwark Cathedral. Bell's Cathedrals. London: George Bell & Sons. p. 48. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24616. Retrieved 7 October 2011. 
  4. ^ William Morris and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Andrea Elizabeth Donovan, Routledge 2008, ISBN 0-203-93790-2 (p.72)
  5. ^ Pevsner, 1966, page 299
  6. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 305
  7. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 436
  8. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 419
  9. ^ Pevsner, 1966, page 87
  10. ^ Pevsner, 1960, page 132
  11. ^ Pevsner, 1966, page 136
  12. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 290
  13. ^ British-history.ac.uk
  14. ^ Chawton Village information
  15. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 734
  16. ^ Victorianweb.org
  17. ^ Pevsner, 1966, page 124
  18. ^ Pevsner, 1960, page 172
  19. ^ Pevsner, 1967, page 471
  20. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 856
  21. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 646
  22. ^ "Church of St John the Evangelist, Upper Maze Hill, St Leonard's, Hastings, East Sussex". The National Heritage List for England. English Heritage. 2011. http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1043400. Retrieved 3 May 2011. 
  23. ^ a b c Pevsner & Hubbard, 1971, pages 135+, 265, 324
  24. ^ Buildingphotography.co.uk
  25. ^ a b Pevsner, 1966, page 262
  26. ^ Standrewsleytonstone.org
  27. ^ Pevsner, 1960, page 131
  28. ^ Lissparishchurch.co.uk
  29. ^ Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 304
  30. ^ Cracknell, 2005, countyasylums.com
  31. ^ Imagesofengland.org.uk
  32. ^ Ireland.anglican.org
  33. ^ Philip Smith (writer), An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Wicklow (Dublin: Wordwell Press / Government of Ireland, Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government, National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, 2004). p.2-3, 70-71.
  34. ^ Stmichaelsabbeywood.co.uk