Daniel Robertson
Encyclopedia
Career
Robertson may have worked under Robert AdamRobert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
in London, England; later he worked at Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Robertson was an early exponent of the Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
Revival, designing both St Clement's Church, Oxford
St Clement's Church, Oxford
St Clement's Church is an evangelical Church of England parish church east of central Oxford, England.-History:The parish of St Clement's was outside the city of Oxford until 1835, sited where the roads into Oxford from the east meet to cross Magdalen Bridge into the centre of Oxford. In 1004 AD,...
and St Swithun's parish church in Kennington, Berkshire
Kennington, Oxfordshire
Kennington is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, just south of Oxford. The village occupies a narrow stretch of land between the River Thames and the A34 dual carriageway...
(now in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
) in this style as early as 1828.
Robertson then moved to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, where he had considerable success and carried out commissions for notable country houses particularly in the southeastern part of the country. His work was in both the Neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
and then in the Gothic Revival style of the 1830s with which he may be most associated.
Works
Robertson's buildings include:- Oriel College, Oxford: west range of St. Mary's Quad, 1826
- Wadham College, OxfordWadham College, OxfordWadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
: fireplace in hall, 1826 - Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, Oxford, 1826-30 - St. Clement's parish church, Oxford, 1828
- St. Swithun's parish church, Kennington, Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), 1828
- Ballinkeele House (home of the Maher family)
- Bloomfield Castle in County WexfordCounty WexfordCounty Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
- Carrigglas Manor in County LongfordCounty LongfordCounty Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
(owned by Thomas Langlois LefroyThomas Langlois LefroyThomas Langlois Lefroy was an Irish-Huguenot politician and judge. He served as an MP for the constituency of Dublin University 1830–1841, Privy Councillor of Ireland 1835–1869 and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland 1852–1866....
, Chief Justice of Ireland from 1852 to 1866)) - Castleboro House (home of the Carew family)
- Dunleckney Manor in County CarlowCounty CarlowCounty Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...
(seat of the Bagenal and Newton families) - Johnstown Castle in Co. Wexford (home of the Grogan & Morgan families)
- Wilton Castle in Co. Wexford (home of the Alcock family)
In addition to numerous major country house commissions, Robertson was also particularly noted as a landscape designer. His greatest accomplishments in that field were at Powerscourt and Killruddery, both of which capture long distance views of the Sugar Loaf mountain in County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
.