Cuthbert Brodrick FRIBA (1 December 1821 – 2 March 1905) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
, whose most famous building is
Leeds Town HallLeeds Town Hall was built between 1853 and 1858 in Park Lane , Leeds, West Yorkshire, England to a design by architect Cuthbert Brodrick. It represents Leeds's emergence as an important industrial centre during the Industrial Revolution and is a symbol of civic pride and confidence...
.
Early life
Brodrick was born in the Yorkshire port of
HullKingston upon Hull , almost invariably referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located 25 miles from the North Sea on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary...
where his father was a well-to-do merchant and shipowner. Cuthbert was the sixth son of the ten children of John and Hannah Brodrick. The family lived at 39, George Street, in the best residential area of Hull.
Education and training
Brodrick attended Kingston College in Hull and, on leaving school, he became an articled pupil (a student of architecture) in the offices of
Henry Francis LockwoodHenry Francis Lockwood was an influential architect, born at Doncaster on 18 September, 1811. His father and grandfather were mayors of Doncaster. He married Emma Day whose great uncle, Charles Day , made a fortune through the Day and Martin company...
whose premises were at 8, Dock Street. Brodrick stayed with Lockwoods from 1837 until he embarked on the
Grand TourThe Grand Tour was the traditional travel of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary...
of Europe in May 1844, to continue his studies. He travelled through France and Italy, as far as
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
. Whilst on this journey he studied the architecture of
Second EmpireIn the United States, the Second Empire style usually combined a rectangular tower, or similar element, with a steep, but short, mansard roof; the roof being the most noteworthy link to the style’s French roots. This tower element could be of equal height as the highest floor, or could exceed the...
in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. This style greatly influenced his later designs.
When Brodrick returned to Hull in 1846, he was offered a partnership in Lockwood’s firm. He refused this, and set up in practice on his own at 1, Savile Street in Hull. He designed a number of local buildings in Hull including the Hull Royal Institution building and the Hull Town Hall.
Leeds
In 1852, at the age of only 29, Brodrick entered and won the competition, judged by
Charles BarrySir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in his home city of London during the mid 19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.-Training:Born in Bridge Street, Westminster, he was the son...
, for the design of
Leeds Town HallLeeds Town Hall was built between 1853 and 1858 in Park Lane , Leeds, West Yorkshire, England to a design by architect Cuthbert Brodrick. It represents Leeds's emergence as an important industrial centre during the Industrial Revolution and is a symbol of civic pride and confidence...
. This, his most famous building, was opened in September 1858 by
Queen VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
. Subsequently, Brodrick moved to an office at 30, Park Row, Leeds and acquired the nickname 'Town Hall, Leeds.' The iconic clock tower, which serves for many as a symbol of Leeds, was not part of Brodrick's initial design but he added it later when the civic leaders of Leeds sought to make an even grander architectural statement.
His other important buildings in Leeds were the
Leeds Corn ExchangeThe Corn Exchange in Leeds, West Yorkshire is one of Britain's finest Victorian buildings and a great architectural heritage of the city of Leeds.-As a corn exchange:...
(1860-3) and the
Mechanics' InstituteHistorically, Mechanics' Institutes were educational establishments formed to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men...
(1860-5). The latter building later became the Civic Theatre and in September 2008 became the new home of the
Leeds City MuseumLeeds City Museum, originally established in 1819, re-opened on 13 September 2008 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is housed in the former Mechanics' Institute built by Cuthbert Brodrick, in Millennium Square, which has been redeveloped to a design by Austin-Smith:Lord architects and Buro...
. He permanently altered the way central Leeds looked with just three buildings.
Buildings in Leeds designed by Brodrick
- The Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall was built between 1853 and 1858 in Park Lane , Leeds, West Yorkshire, England to a design by architect Cuthbert Brodrick. It represents Leeds's emergence as an important industrial centre during the Industrial Revolution and is a symbol of civic pride and confidence...
, 1858
- The Corn Exchange
The Corn Exchange in Leeds, West Yorkshire is one of Britain's finest Victorian buildings and a great architectural heritage of the city of Leeds.-As a corn exchange:...
, 1860
- The Mechanics Institute, 1860 (later Civic Theatre and now Leeds City Museum
Leeds City Museum, originally established in 1819, re-opened on 13 September 2008 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is housed in the former Mechanics' Institute built by Cuthbert Brodrick, in Millennium Square, which has been redeveloped to a design by Austin-Smith:Lord architects and Buro...
)
- The Oriental Baths in Cookridge Street, 1866 (demolished)
- King Street Warehouses, 1862 (demolished)
- Headingley Hill Congregational church, 1864 (now known as Ashwood Hall and used by City Church Leeds).
And on a smaller scale
- Moorland Terrace, 1859 (demolished)
- 7 Alma Road, 1859
- 49-51 Cookridge Street, 1864
Other works
Brodrick also designed the
Grand HotelThe Grand Hotel is a large hotel in Scarborough, England, overlooking the town's South Bay. It is now a Grade II* listed building that is owned by Britannia Hotels, and has undergone a £7 million refurbishment....
, Scarborough.
He submitted unsuccessful architectural designs for the competitions for the building of
PrestonPreston is a city and non-metropolitan district of Lancashire, in North West England. It is located on the north bank of the River Ribble, and was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign...
Town Hall, and the Exchange in
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
.
Personal life
In 1870, Brodrick went to live in France, and in 1876 bought a house at
Le VésinetLe Vésinet is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris 16.4 km from the center....
, St. Germain-en-Laye. He retired in 1875, and spent his time painting, exhibiting his work and gardening. In about 1898 he went to live with his niece in
JerseyThe Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes the nearly uninhabited islands of the Minquiers, Écréhous, the Pierres de Lecq and other rocks and reefs. Together with the bailiwick of Guernsey...
, where he rented a house, La Colline, at
GoreyGorey is a village in the parishes of St. Martin and Grouville on the east coast of Jersey. It is one of the three main harbours of the island....
. Whilst living there he designed, and planted a garden. He died there on 2 March 1905, and is buried in St. Martin's Churchyard.
Legacy
A
WetherspoonsJ D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford...
pub called the 'Cuthbert Brodrick' opened on Millennium Square in Leeds on 22 October 2007, situated between two of the buildings he designed; the town hall and Leeds City Museum.His nephew was F. S. Brodrick, also an architect, who worked with R. G. Smith.