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Robert Smirke (architect)

 

 
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Robert Smirke (architect)
 
 
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Sir Robert Smirke (1781 – 18 April 1867) was an English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 architect
Architect

An architect is trained and licenced 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....
.

ke was the son of portrait painter Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke (painter)

Robert Smirke , England Painting, was born at Wigton near Carlisle.In his thirteenth year he was apprenticed in London with an heraldic painter, and at the age of twenty he began to study in the schools of the Royal Academy, to whose exhibition he contributed in 1786 a "Narcissus" and a "Sabrina," which were followed by many works, usually...
, and studied architecture
Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
 as a pupil of classical architect John Soane
John Soane

Sir John Soane was an England architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources....
 in 1796, the same year he commenced his studies at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy

The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London, England. As an academy, it functions to encourage British art, and has a membership of practising artists....
. He also studied and travelled in southern Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 for several years.

Smirke designed public buildings in the classical style, among the most famous being those still standing in London, including:

Of those no longer extant, he also designed:

His buildings outside London included the Shire Halls of Gloucester
Gloucester

Gloucester is a city status in the United Kingdom, Non-metropolitan district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England region of England....
, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is home to 70,689 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement of the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham, which has a population of 95,850....
, Hereford
Hereford

Hereford is a cathedral city City status in the United Kingdom, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester....
 and the Old Council House, Bristol
Old Council House, Bristol

The Old Council House is in Corn Street, Bristol, England.It was built as the city council chamber and treasurer's office between 1824 and 1827 by Robert Smirke , on the site of the old St Ewan's church....
.

Domestic buildings include alterations to Luton Hoo
Luton Hoo

Luton Hoo is a country house hotel in Bedfordshire, England, on the edge of the town of Luton. It is a Grade I listed building. The unusual name "Hoo" is a Old English language word meaning the spur of a hill, and is more commonly found in East Anglia....
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a county in England that forms part of the East of England Regions of England.Its county town is Bedford, Bedfordshire. It borders Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire....
, and Hardwicke Court
Hardwicke (Stroud), Gloucestershire

Hardwicke is a village south of Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. Despite its close proximity to Gloucester, the village actually comes under Stroud Council....
, near Gloucester.






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Sir Robert Smirke (1781 – 18 April 1867) was an English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 architect
Architect

An architect is trained and licenced 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....
.

Biography

Smirke was the son of portrait painter Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke (painter)

Robert Smirke , England Painting, was born at Wigton near Carlisle.In his thirteenth year he was apprenticed in London with an heraldic painter, and at the age of twenty he began to study in the schools of the Royal Academy, to whose exhibition he contributed in 1786 a "Narcissus" and a "Sabrina," which were followed by many works, usually...
, and studied architecture
Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
 as a pupil of classical architect John Soane
John Soane

Sir John Soane was an England architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources....
 in 1796, the same year he commenced his studies at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy

The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London, England. As an academy, it functions to encourage British art, and has a membership of practising artists....
. He also studied and travelled in southern Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 for several years.

Smirke designed public buildings in the classical style, among the most famous being those still standing in London, including:
  • the Royal Mint
    Royal Mint

    The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint , Coins of the pound sterling in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but has functioned since 1975 as a Trading Fund, operating in much the same way as a government-owned company....
    , Tower Hill (1809);
  • the main block and facade of the British Museum
    British Museum

    The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture situated in London. Its collections, which number more than 7 million Object , are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present....
    , Bloomsbury (1823-31);
  • the Royal College of Physicians
    Royal College of Physicians

    The Royal College of Physicians of London was the first medical institution in England to receive a Royal Charter. It was founded in 1518 and is one of the most active of all medical professional organisations....
     building in Trafalgar Square
    Trafalgar Square

    Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. With its position in the heart of London, it is a tourist attraction; its trademark is Nelson's Column which stands in the centre and the four lion statues that guard the column....
     (now known as Canada House
    Canada House

    The High Commission of Canada to the United Kingdom in London is the diplomatic mission from Canada to the United Kingdom. It is housed in two buildings in London....
    ) (1824-27);
  • the east wing of Somerset House
    Somerset House

    Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand, London in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge....
    , and the adjacent King's (formerly Smirke) Building of King's College London
    King's College London

    King's College London is a United Kingdom higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by George IV of the United Kingdom and the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of University of Oxford and Un...
    , on the Strand (1831);
  • the Oxford and Cambridge Club
    Oxford and Cambridge Club

    The Oxford and Cambridge Club is at 71 Pall Mall, London, London, England. The clubhouse was designed for the membership by architect Sir Robert Smirke and completed towards the end of 1837....
     building in Pall Mall
    Pall Mall

    Pall Mall may refer to:*Pall Mall, London, a famous street in central London*Pall Mall, Bendigo the historic main street of Bendigo, Australia...
     (1837).


Of those no longer extant, he also designed:
  • the second incarnation of the Covent Garden Theatre, now the Royal Opera House
    Royal Opera House

    The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in the London district of Covent Garden. The large building, often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", is the home of Royal Opera, London , Royal Ballet, London and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House....
     (1808-9, but destroyed by fire in 1857),
  • the General Post Office building in St Martins-le-Grand in the City of London
    City of London

    The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
     (1825-1829, but demolished c. 1910).


His buildings outside London included the Shire Halls of Gloucester
Gloucester

Gloucester is a city status in the United Kingdom, Non-metropolitan district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England region of England....
, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is home to 70,689 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement of the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham, which has a population of 95,850....
, Hereford
Hereford

Hereford is a cathedral city City status in the United Kingdom, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester....
 and the Old Council House, Bristol
Old Council House, Bristol

The Old Council House is in Corn Street, Bristol, England.It was built as the city council chamber and treasurer's office between 1824 and 1827 by Robert Smirke , on the site of the old St Ewan's church....
.

Domestic buildings include alterations to Luton Hoo
Luton Hoo

Luton Hoo is a country house hotel in Bedfordshire, England, on the edge of the town of Luton. It is a Grade I listed building. The unusual name "Hoo" is a Old English language word meaning the spur of a hill, and is more commonly found in East Anglia....
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a county in England that forms part of the East of England Regions of England.Its county town is Bedford, Bedfordshire. It borders Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire....
, and Hardwicke Court
Hardwicke (Stroud), Gloucestershire

Hardwicke is a village south of Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. Despite its close proximity to Gloucester, the village actually comes under Stroud Council....
, near Gloucester. His domestic buildings in the neo-Gothic style include Lowther Castle
Lowther Castle

Lowther Castle is a country house in the historic county of Westmorland, which now forms part of the non-metropolitan county of Cumbria, England....
 in Cumbria
Cumbria

Cumbria is a non-metropolitan county in the North West England of England. Cumbria came into existence as a county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, (his first job in 1806 when he was 25), Wilton Castle,(near Redcar) 1810, Normanby Hall, (near Scunthorpe) 1830 and Eastnor Castle
Eastnor Castle

Eastnor Castle is a 19th century Castle#Revival_castles_and_the_castle_as_a_country_house, two miles from the town of Ledbury in Herefordshire, by the village of Eastnor....
, Ledbury
Ledbury

Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom.It is east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills AONB. Ledbury is an ancient borough, dating back to the Domesday Book, where it was recorded as Liedeberge, and returned members to Parliament of England in the reign of Edward I of England....
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire

Herefordshire is a Historic counties of England and Ceremonial counties of England Counties of England in the West Midlands Regions of England of England....
, designed in the early 19th century.

Stgeorgeschapel
Together with John Nash
John Nash (architect)

John Nash was an Anglo-Welsh architect responsible for much of the layout of English Regency London.Born in Lambeth, London as the son of a Wales millwright, Nash trained with architect Sir Robert Taylor , but his own career was initially unsuccessful and short-lived....
 and Sir John Soane
John Soane

Sir John Soane was an England architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources....
, he became official architect to the Office of Works
Office of Works

The Office of Works was established in the England Royal Household in 1378 to oversee the building of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it became the Works Department within the Office of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works and Buildings....
 in 1813. He advised the Parliamentary Commissioners on the building of new Churches from 1818 onwards, contributing four himself, including St George, Brandon Hill in Bristol
Bristol

Bristol is a City status in the United Kingdom, unitary authority area and Ceremonial counties of England in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff....
.

He was knighted in 1832, and received the RIBA
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 Donaldson and John Buonarotti Papwor...
 Royal Gold Medal
Royal Gold Medal

The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture....
 for Architecture in 1853.

His brothers were also notable - Sydney Smirke
Sydney Smirke

Sydney Smirke, architect, was born in London, England, the younger brother of Sir Robert Smirke , also an architect. Their father, also Robert Smirke , had been a well-known 18th Century painter....
 was also an architect, best known for the circular reading room at the British Museum
British Museum

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture situated in London. Its collections, which number more than 7 million Object , are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present....
, and Edward Smirke
Edward Smirke

Sir Edward Smirke, , lawyer and antiquary, third son of Robert Smirke , and brother of Sir Robert Smirke , and of Sydney Smirke, was born at Marylebone in 1795....
 was a lawyer and antiquarian.

Robert Smirke lived at 81 Charlotte Street, London. A blue plaque
Blue plaque

In the United Kingdom, a blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event....
 commemorating his residence is situated on the exterior of the building. He died in Cheltenham
Cheltenham

Cheltenham , or Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England. The town has a population of 110,013 . The people of the town are known as "Cheltonians"....
 on 18 April 1867.

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