George Dance the Elder (1695 – 8 February 1768) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
of the 18th century. He served as the
City of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
surveyor and architect from 1735 until his death.
Among his public buildings in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, the most important is the neo-Palladian
Mansion HouseMansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in London, England. It is used for some of the City of London's official functions, including an annual dinner, hosted by the Lord Mayor, at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer customarily gives a speech – his...
(1739–1752). He also designed churches, including
St Botolph-without-BishopsgateSt Botolph-without-Bishopsgate is a Church of England church in the City of London, dedicated to St Botolph.The nearest London Underground station is Liverpool Street.-History:...
(1725),
St Leonard's, ShoreditchSt Leonard's, Shoreditch is the ancient parish church of Shoreditch, often known simply as Shoreditch Church. It is located at the intersection of Shoreditch High Street with Hackney Road, within the London Borough of Hackney. The current building dates from about 1740...
(1736-1740), St Botolph-without-Aldersgate,
AldgateAldgate was the easternmost gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
(1741-1744),
St Botolph's AldgateSt Botolph's Church, Aldgate is a Church of England liberal inclusive parish church in the City of London standing at the junction of Houndsditch and Aldgate High Street. The current 18th Century church is made of brick with stone quoins and window casings. The tower is square with an obelisk spire...
(1744), and St Matthew's, Bethnal Green (1743-1746).
St Luke's, Old Street, where Dance worshipped and was later buried, is sometimes attributed to him but is likely to have been designed by John James and
Nicholas HawksmoorNicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born to a humble family in Nottinghamshire.His career formed the brilliant middle link in Britain's trio of great baroque architects...
; however, he designed the adjacent St Luke's Hospital in 1750-1751.
Further afield, Dance also designed the Town Hall of
ColeraineColeraine is a large town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland near to the mouth of the River Bann. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...
in
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
(1743; demolished in 1859).
He had five sons, three of whom enjoyed fame in their own right.
George Dance the Elder (1695 – 8 February 1768) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
of the 18th century. He served as the
City of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
surveyor and architect from 1735 until his death.
Among his public buildings in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, the most important is the neo-Palladian
Mansion HouseMansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in London, England. It is used for some of the City of London's official functions, including an annual dinner, hosted by the Lord Mayor, at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer customarily gives a speech – his...
(1739–1752). He also designed churches, including
St Botolph-without-BishopsgateSt Botolph-without-Bishopsgate is a Church of England church in the City of London, dedicated to St Botolph.The nearest London Underground station is Liverpool Street.-History:...
(1725),
St Leonard's, ShoreditchSt Leonard's, Shoreditch is the ancient parish church of Shoreditch, often known simply as Shoreditch Church. It is located at the intersection of Shoreditch High Street with Hackney Road, within the London Borough of Hackney. The current building dates from about 1740...
(1736-1740), St Botolph-without-Aldersgate,
AldgateAldgate was the easternmost gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
(1741-1744),
St Botolph's AldgateSt Botolph's Church, Aldgate is a Church of England liberal inclusive parish church in the City of London standing at the junction of Houndsditch and Aldgate High Street. The current 18th Century church is made of brick with stone quoins and window casings. The tower is square with an obelisk spire...
(1744), and St Matthew's, Bethnal Green (1743-1746).
St Luke's, Old Street, where Dance worshipped and was later buried, is sometimes attributed to him but is likely to have been designed by John James and
Nicholas HawksmoorNicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born to a humble family in Nottinghamshire.His career formed the brilliant middle link in Britain's trio of great baroque architects...
; however, he designed the adjacent St Luke's Hospital in 1750-1751.
Further afield, Dance also designed the Town Hall of
ColeraineColeraine is a large town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland near to the mouth of the River Bann. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...
in
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
(1743; demolished in 1859).
He had five sons, three of whom enjoyed fame in their own right. Eldest son James Dance (1722-1744) became an
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and
playwrightA playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or drama. These works are usually written to be performed in front of a live audience by actors...
connected with
Drury LaneDrury Lane is a street in the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
theatre. Third son
Nathaniel Dance-HollandSir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, 1st Baronet was a notable English portrait painter and later a politician.The third son of architect George Dance the Elder, Dance studied art under Francis Hayman, and like many contemporaries also studied in Italy...
(1735-1811) was a notable
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
. Fifth son
George Dance the YoungerGeorge Dance the Younger was an English architect and surveyor. The fifth and youngest son of George Dance the Elder, he came from a distinguished family of architects, artists and dramatists. He was hailed by Sir John Summerson as "among the few really outstanding architects of the century",...
(1741-1825) succeeded him as city architect. His grandson by James Dance was
Nathaniel DanceSir Nathaniel Dance was an officer of the Honourable East India Company who had a long and varied career on merchant vessels, making numerous voyages to India and back with the fleets of East Indiamen...
, a noted commodore of the fleets of the
East India CompanyEast India Company was a historical English company, founded in 1600, and chartered with the monopoly of trading with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and India...
, and victor of the
Battle of Pulo AuraThe Battle of Pulo Aura was a minor naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought on 14 February 1804, in which a large squadron of Honourable East India Company East Indiamen, large and well armed merchant ships, intimidated, drove off and chased a powerful French naval squadron...
.
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