Aston Webb
Encyclopedia
Sir Aston Webb, RA
, FRIBA
(Clapham
, London, (22 May 1849) - Kensington
, London, (21 August 1930)) was an English
architect
, active in the late 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. He was President of the Royal Academy
from 1919 to 1924.
The son of a water-colour painter (and former pupil of landscape artist David Cox
), Edward Webb, Aston Webb was born in London
and received his initial architectural training articled in the firm of Banks
and Barry from 1866 to 1871, after which he spent a year travelling in Europe and Asia. He returned to London in 1874 to set up his own practice.
From the early 1880s, he joined the Royal Institute of British Architects
(1883) and began working in partnership with Ingress Bell
(1836–1914). Their first major commission was a winning design for the Victoria Law Courts
in Birmingham
(1886), the first of numerous public building schemes the pair designed over the next 23 years. Towards the end of his career Webb was assisted by his sons, Maurice and Philip. Ralph Knott
, who designed London's County Hall
, began his work as an apprentice to Webb executing the drawings for his competition entries.
He served as RIBA President (1902–1904) and, having been elected as a full member of the Royal Academy in 1903, served as acting president from 1919 to 1924. He was knighted in 1904, received the Royal Gold Medal
for Architecture in 1905 and was the first recipient of the American Institute of Architects
Gold Medal in 1907.
One of his earliest works was built for the Six Masters of The Royal Grammar School Worcester
in 1877. These almshouse
s are in the Arts and crafts
style, different from his later work.
Webb's first major work was the restoration of the medieval St Bartholomew-the-Great
in Smithfield, London. His brother Edward Alfred Webb was the churchwarden at the time, and his association with the church probably helped the young architect get the job. In London, Webb's best known works include the Queen Victoria Memorial
and The Mall
approach to, and the principal facade of, Buckingham Palace
, which he re-designed in 1913. He also designed the Victoria and Albert Museum
's main building (designed 1891, opened 1909), the Royal United Services Institute
, Whitehall
(1893–1895) and – as part of The Mall scheme – Admiralty Arch
(1908–1909). He also designed the Britannia Royal Naval College
, Devon, where Royal Naval officers are still trained. He enlarged and sympathetically restored the perpendicular Church of St John Baptist, Claines
, Worcester, finishing in 1886. Nearby he was also responsible for the new church of St. George, consecrated in 1895, which replaced an earlier smaller building in St. George's Square, Barbourne, Worcester. With his partner Ingress Bell
, he extended St Andrew's Church, Fulham Fields (London), remodelled the chancel and built the Lady Chapel.
Other educational commissions included the new buildings of Christ's Hospital
in Horsham
, Sussex (1893–1902), the Royal College of Science
, South Kensington
(1900–1906), King's College, Cambridge
(1908), the Royal School of Mines
, South Kensington (1909–1913), Royal Russell School
, Coombe, Croydon
, Surrey
and the Royal College of Science for Ireland
which now houses the Irish Government Buildings
.
Residential commissions included Nos 2 (The Gables) and 4 (Windermere) Blackheath Park, in Blackheath
, south-east London. He also designed (1895-6) a library wing, including the Cedar Library, at The Hendre
, a large Victorian mansion in Monmouthshire, for John Allan Rolls, first Lord Llangattock.
In March 1889, the consistory of the French Protestant Church of London
commissioned (Sir) Aston Webb to design a new church. It was erected in 1891-93 at 8-9 Soho Square in London. The church is one of Aston Webb's Gothic school works.
In 1901, Aston Webb designed the headquarters for a brewery at 115 Tooley Street, London, recently converted into 14 apartments as "Aston Webb House". This was done as part of the development of More London
.
The central building of Chancellor's Court at the University of Birmingham
, UK
was designed by Webb and Ingress Bell
and named after Aston Webb. It includes the Great Hall. The main feature is a large dome that sits atop the building.
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, FRIBA
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
(Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
, London, (22 May 1849) - Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London, (21 August 1930)) was an English
England
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, active in the late 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. He was President of the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
from 1919 to 1924.
The son of a water-colour painter (and former pupil of landscape artist David Cox
David Cox (artist)
- David Cox Junior :David Cox had a son of the same name who followed his calling as a watercolour painter. He was born in Dulwich, but educated in Hereford. He exhibited in London from 1827, although today he is known mainly through association with his father. He died in Streatham on 4 December...
), Edward Webb, Aston Webb was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and received his initial architectural training articled in the firm of Banks
Robert Richardson Banks
Robert Richardson Banks was a notable English architect of the mid 19th century who worked for many years in partnership with Charles Barry....
and Barry from 1866 to 1871, after which he spent a year travelling in Europe and Asia. He returned to London in 1874 to set up his own practice.
From the early 1880s, he joined the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
(1883) and began working in partnership with Ingress Bell
Ingress Bell
Edward Ingress Bell was an English architect of the late 19th and early 20th century, who worked for many years in partnership with the more well-known Sir Aston Webb....
(1836–1914). Their first major commission was a winning design for the Victoria Law Courts
Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham
The Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street, Birmingham 4, England is a Grade I listed, red brick and terracotta building that now houses Birmingham Magistrates' Court.-History:...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
(1886), the first of numerous public building schemes the pair designed over the next 23 years. Towards the end of his career Webb was assisted by his sons, Maurice and Philip. Ralph Knott
Ralph Knott
Ralph Knott FRIBA was a British architect responsible for building the massive 6-storey "Edwardian Baroque" style County Hall building for the London County Council....
, who designed London's County Hall
County Hall, London
County Hall is a building in Lambeth, London, which was the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council . The building is on the bank of the River Thames, just north of Westminster Bridge, facing west toward the City of Westminster, and close to the Palace of...
, began his work as an apprentice to Webb executing the drawings for his competition entries.
He served as RIBA President (1902–1904) and, having been elected as a full member of the Royal Academy in 1903, served as acting president from 1919 to 1924. He was knighted in 1904, received the 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 1905 and was the first recipient of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
Gold Medal in 1907.
Works
Royal Grammar School Worcester
The Royal Grammar School Worcester is an independent coeducational school in Worcester, United Kingdom. Founded before 1291, it is one of the oldest British independent schools....
in 1877. These almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s are in the Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
style, different from his later work.
Webb's first major work was the restoration of the medieval St Bartholomew-the-Great
St Bartholomew-the-Great
The Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great is an Anglican church located at West Smithfield in the City of London, founded as an Augustinian priory in 1123 -History:...
in Smithfield, London. His brother Edward Alfred Webb was the churchwarden at the time, and his association with the church probably helped the young architect get the job. In London, Webb's best known works include the Queen Victoria Memorial
Victoria Memorial (London)
The Victoria Memorial is a sculpture in London, placed at the centre of Queen's Gardens in front of Buckingham Palace and dedicated to Queen Victoria....
and The Mall
The Mall (London)
The Mall in central London is the road running from Buckingham Palace at its western end to Admiralty Arch and on to Trafalgar Square at its eastern end. It then crosses Spring Gardens, which was where the Metropolitan Board of Works and, for a number of years, the London County Council were...
approach to, and the principal facade of, Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, which he re-designed in 1913. He also designed the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
's main building (designed 1891, opened 1909), the Royal United Services Institute
Royal United Services Institute
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies , officially still known by its old name, the Royal United Services Institution, is a British defence and security think tank. It was founded in 1831 by The Duke of Wellington.RUSI describes itself asIt won Prospect Magazine's...
, Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
(1893–1895) and – as part of The Mall scheme – Admiralty Arch
Admiralty Arch
Admiralty Arch is a large office building in London which incorporates an archway providing road and pedestrian access between The Mall, which extends to the South-West, and Trafalgar Square to the North-East. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb, constructed by John Mowlem & Co and completed in 1912...
(1908–1909). He also designed the Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
, Devon, where Royal Naval officers are still trained. He enlarged and sympathetically restored the perpendicular Church of St John Baptist, Claines
Claines
Claines is a small village just to the north of Worcester, England, on the left bank of the River Severn. Claines is situated in the heart of Worcestershire on the A449 between Worcester and Kidderminster. It has a church which dates from the 10th Century....
, Worcester, finishing in 1886. Nearby he was also responsible for the new church of St. George, consecrated in 1895, which replaced an earlier smaller building in St. George's Square, Barbourne, Worcester. With his partner Ingress Bell
Ingress Bell
Edward Ingress Bell was an English architect of the late 19th and early 20th century, who worked for many years in partnership with the more well-known Sir Aston Webb....
, he extended St Andrew's Church, Fulham Fields (London), remodelled the chancel and built the Lady Chapel.
Other educational commissions included the new buildings of Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
in Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, Sussex (1893–1902), the Royal College of Science
Royal College of Science
The Royal College of Science was a higher education institution located in South Kensington; it was a constituent college of Imperial College London from 1907 until it was wholly absorbed by Imperial in 2002. Alumni include H. G. Wells and Brian May and are distinguishable by the letters ARCS ...
, South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
(1900–1906), King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
(1908), the Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London.- History :The Royal School of Mines was established in 1851, as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts...
, South Kensington (1909–1913), Royal Russell School
Royal Russell School
Royal Russell School is an independent school in Coombe Lane, Croydon, south London. The Royal Russell School is a co-educational day and boarding school. The motto of the school is "Non sibi sed omnibus" meaning "Not for self but for all". The School is a member of the Headmasters' and...
, Coombe, Croydon
Coombe, Croydon
Coombe is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, not far from central Croydon.Coombe is located between the green spaces of Shirley Hills, Lloyd Park, Ballards and Coombe Wood. It is unusual in this part of South London as it has barely been urbanised and has retained its collection of large...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and the Royal College of Science for Ireland
Royal College of Science for Ireland
The Royal College of Science for Ireland was created as a result of a decision of HM Treasury in 1865 to merge a number of science-oriented education bodies including the Museum of Irish Industry and Government School of Science applied to Mining and the Arts. It was originally based at 51 St...
which now houses the Irish Government Buildings
Government Buildings
Government Buildings is a large Edwardian building enclosing a quadrangle on Merrion Street in Dublin, Ireland, in which several key offices of the government of Ireland are located...
.
Residential commissions included Nos 2 (The Gables) and 4 (Windermere) Blackheath Park, in Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
, south-east London. He also designed (1895-6) a library wing, including the Cedar Library, at The Hendre
The Hendre
The Hendre is Monmouthshire's only full-scale Victorian country house, constructed in the Victorian Gothic style...
, a large Victorian mansion in Monmouthshire, for John Allan Rolls, first Lord Llangattock.
French Protestant Church of London
The French Protestant Church of London is a Huguenot Protestant church in Soho Square, London. It is a registered charity under English law....
commissioned (Sir) Aston Webb to design a new church. It was erected in 1891-93 at 8-9 Soho Square in London. The church is one of Aston Webb's Gothic school works.
In 1901, Aston Webb designed the headquarters for a brewery at 115 Tooley Street, London, recently converted into 14 apartments as "Aston Webb House". This was done as part of the development of More London
More London
More London is a new development on the south bank of the River Thames, immediately south-west of Tower Bridge in London. The southern exit is on Tooley Street....
.
The central building of Chancellor's Court at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was designed by Webb and Ingress Bell
Ingress Bell
Edward Ingress Bell was an English architect of the late 19th and early 20th century, who worked for many years in partnership with the more well-known Sir Aston Webb....
and named after Aston Webb. It includes the Great Hall. The main feature is a large dome that sits atop the building.
External links
- Webb's biography, with emphasis on his work at St. Bartholomew's; includes numerous references
- Claines Church one of Webbs restorations from 1886
- St. George's Church, Barbourne, Worcester by Aston Webb, 1895.
- http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/periods_styles/features/history/history_buildling/section5/index.html story of his building at the V&A