Sir
John William Simpson FRIBAThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom.Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton...
(born
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
, 9 August 1858, died
HighgateHighgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
,
MiddlesexMiddlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, 30 March 1933) 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...
and was President of the
Royal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom.Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton...
from 1919 to 1921.
Simpson was the eldest son of the
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
architect Thomas Simpson and his wife Clara Hart. He was the brother of another architect, Gilbert Murray Simpson.
He was educated privately and articled to his father in 1875, but later attended the Royal Academy Schools.
bob.
Simpson became an Associate of the
Royal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom.Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton...
in 1882.
Sir
John William Simpson FRIBAThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom.Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton...
(born
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
, 9 August 1858, died
HighgateHighgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
,
MiddlesexMiddlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, 30 March 1933) 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...
and was President of the
Royal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom.Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton...
from 1919 to 1921.
Background and early life
Simpson was the eldest son of the
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
architect Thomas Simpson and his wife Clara Hart. He was the brother of another architect, Gilbert Murray Simpson.
He was educated privately and articled to his father in 1875, but later attended the Royal Academy Schools.
bob.
Career
Simpson became an Associate of the
Royal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom.Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton...
in 1882. He was in partnership with M. P. Manning from 1881 to 1884 and subsequently with E. J. Milner Allen, specializing in public buildings.
He was an active member of the
Royal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom.Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton...
, rising to be its President, and of a number of architectural associations in other countries. He also wrote books and articles on architecture.
In 1905, he was joined in his practice by the young
Maxwell AyrtonOrmrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA , known as Maxwell Ayrton, was a Scottish architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges.- Career :...
, and they entered into a partnership in 1910.
He never married, and died at home in West Hill, Highgate, Middlesex, on 30 March 1933.
Publications
- Introduction to Sir Lawrence Weaver's Architectural Copyright (1911)
- Essays and Memorials (1923)
- Paris Rosemary (1927)
- Some Account of the Old Hall of Lincoln's Inn (1928)
- The Architecture of the Renaissance in France by W. H. Ward (second edition, ed. J. W. Simpson, 1926)
Simpson wrote many professional papers on architecture and town planning. He edited the periodical
The Book of Book-Plates between 1900 and 1903.
Memberships and appointments
- Secretary-general of the London Town Planning Conference, 1910
- Member of Council of the British School at Rome
The British School at Rome was established in 1901 and granted a Royal Charter in 1912 as an educational institute culminating the study of awarded British scholars in the fields of archaeology, literature, music, and history of Rome and Italy of every period, and for the study of the fine arts and...
- Corresponding member of the Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française....
- Member of the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
- Member of the Centralvereinigung der Architekten, Vienna
Vienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
Honours
- Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom.Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton...
, 1900
- President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, 1919
- Gold medal of the Société des Artistes Français
The Société des Artistes Français is the association of French painters and sculptors established in 1881. Its annual exhibition is called the Salon....
, 1922
- President of the Union Franco-Britannique des Architectes, 1922
- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
, 1924
- Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
The Légion d'honneur or Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
Major works
- Victoria Institute, Worcester
Worcester is a city and county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles southwest of Birmingham, 29 miles north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people...
(1896) (collaboration)
- Offices of the Crown Agents for the Colonies at Millbank
Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster...
- West Downs School
West Downs School, Romsey Road, Winchester, Hampshire, was an English independent preparatory school, which was established in 1897 and closed in 1988.-History:...
, WinchesterWinchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen...
(1897-98)
- Roedean School
Roedean School is an independent girls' school in Roedean village on the outskirts of Brighton, East Sussex in the United Kingdom. The school overlooks the sea and is situated close to the marina. Students attend from many different parts of the world...
(1898–99, 1906, 1908, 1911)
- New school buildings at Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school at Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
(completed 1903)
- Restoration of the Old Hall of Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn...
, London
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. The building houses one of Europe's great civic art collections. Since its refurbishment the museum is the most popular free to enter visitor attraction in Scotland, and the most visited museum in the United Kingdom...
(with E.J. Milner Allen)
- New buildings for Lancing College
Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard, whose aim was to provide education based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith. Lancing was to be the first of a family of over 30 schools founded by Woodard...
- New buildings for Haileybury College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a British independent school founded in 1862. It is a co-educational boarding school enrolling pupils at 11+, 13+ and 16+. Over 750 pupils go to Haileybury, of which 452 live at Haileybury for either week nights or for an entire half term...
(now called Haileybury and Imperial Service College)
- Queen Victoria memorial at Bradford
Bradford is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
- Royal Sussex Regiment
The Royal Sussex Regiment, a regiment in the British Army, was formed in 1881 from the 35th Regiment of Foot and the 107th Regiment of Foot .- The Royal Sussex Regiment 1881 - 1914 :...
memorial at BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
- Onslow Ford memorial in St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
- Cartwright Memorial Hall
Cartwright Hall is the civic art gallery in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, situated about a mile from the city centre in the Manningham district....
at BradfordBradford is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
- Palace of Industry, Palace of Engineering and Stadium at British Empire Exhibition
The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley, Middlesex in 1924 and 1925.It was opened by King George V on St George’s Day, 23 April. The British Empire contained 58 countries at that time, and only Gambia and Gibraltar did not take part...
, WembleyWembley is an area of north-west London, UK, and part of the London Borough of Brent.-Location:Wembley is bounded on the south and east by the River Brent and the A406 North Circular Road, separating it from Neasden, Willesden and Park Royal. To its west and northwest are Sudbury and Harrow...
, 1924 (with Maxwell AyrtonOrmrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA , known as Maxwell Ayrton, was a Scottish architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges.- Career :...
)
- Grafton Street Hospital, Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
(collaboration)
- National Hospital for the Paralysed and Epileptic, Queen Square, London (collaboration)
- Glasgow Art Galleries for the Corporation of Glasgow (collaboration)