Francis Johnston (architect)
Encyclopedia
See Francis Johnson (architect)
for English architect of similar name.
Francis Johnston (1760–14 March 1829) was an Irish
architect
, best known for building the General Post Office (GPO) on O’Connell Street
, Dublin.
, Ireland, son of William Johnston, also an architect. He studied architecture and practised in Armagh for some years before moving to Dublin about 1793. In 1805 he was appointed to the Board of Works as an architect.
In 1824 he was made president of the Royal Hibernian Academy
of Arts which had been founded the previous year, and he provided headquarters for the Academy in Lower Abbey Street at his own expense.
in whose office he first trained. In 1790 he designed a new club house for Daly's Club
on College Green
, close to the Irish Houses of Parliament
. Townley Hall, 5 km west of Drogheda
, built between 1794 and 1798, is considered his finest work. He was responsible for the design of Armagh Courthouse
built between 1806 and 1809.
At a time of huge rebuilding in Georgian Dublin
, Johnston was one of the architects responsible for Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street
). The great Pillar and Post Office were designed to harmonise with each other in the street adding grandeur and elegance to the boulevard
.
His work is interesting from an architectural point of view, in that it spans both the Neo-Classical and Neo-Gothic styles. His Chapel Royal
in Dublin Castle (1807–1814) is a fine example of an early Gothic revival church in Dublin. On this project (as on many others) he worked closely with the stuccodore George Stapleton
, son of the better-known Michael Stapleton
. The chapel proved a seminal building for later Gothic revival architects in Ireland, with the Cork architect Thomas Deane
using the detailing from the windows as a model for those of the Aula Maxima of Queens College Cork
.
Among his other most notable projects were the construction of St. George’s Church
on the North side of Dublin (1802), overseeing the conversion of Parliament House
into the Bank of Ireland (1803) and the construction of the Tudor Gothic gateway to the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham
. This gateway originally stood beside the river Liffey at Bloody Bridge (now Rory O'More Bridge
), but had to be moved after the arrival of the railway in 1844 increased traffic congestion (obviously not new to Dublin!). He had placed his personal coat of arms above the arch, concealed by a piece of wood painted to match the stone, his idea being that his arms would be revealed to future generations after the wood became rotten. However, his little trick was uncovered when the gateway was taken down for removal. The coat of arms at present on the gateway is that of the Royal Hospital.
In 1813 he began work on Richmond Gaol
as a prison to relieve the pressure on Newgate Prison, Dublin
, which had been designed by his teacher Thomas Cooley.
He played a major role in designing Nelson's Pillar
in Dublin, the construction of which was started in 1808. The original plans for the Pillar were submitted to the organising committee by William Wilkins
, a London architect, Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge, and accepted by them in 1808. However, for some reason, the committee wrote later that they were incapable of "executing his design precisely as he had given it." Johnston "afforded the necessary assistance with his acknowledged ability, which...he did with the utmost cheerfulness." He made several drawings, one of which met the approval of the committee sufficiently for construction to start. Curiously, the table of expenditure for the Pillar does not include an architect's fee. The Pillar was destroyed by a bomb in 1966.
He was also responsible for the design of Charleville Forest Castle
in Tullamore
, County Offaly
, considered one of the finest of its type in the country. As well as the 1807 design of Ballycurry House, Ballycurry Demesne, Ashford, County Wicklow
He assisted in the design of plans that were later used for St. Andrew's Church, Westland Row, Dublin
, and designed the east gates of Slane Castle
demesne in County Meath
.
He lived for many years in his house at 64 Eccles Street, where he kept a large collection of curiosities. He died in 1829 and was buried in St. George's
churchyard, which was attached to a temporary church on Whitworth Road (later taken over by the Whitworth Hospital
).
Francis Johnson (architect)
See Francis Johnston for Irish architect of similar name.Francis Frederick Johnson CBE, , was an English architect, born in Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire.-Education and Early career:...
for English architect of similar name.
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...
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...
, best known for building the General Post Office (GPO) on O’Connell Street
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m in width at its southern end, 46 m at the north, and is 500 m in length...
, Dublin.
Life
Johnston was born in ArmaghArmagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
, Ireland, son of William Johnston, also an architect. He studied architecture and practised in Armagh for some years before moving to Dublin about 1793. In 1805 he was appointed to the Board of Works as an architect.
In 1824 he was made president of the Royal Hibernian Academy
Royal Hibernian Academy
The Royal Hibernian Academy is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823.-History:The RHA was founded as the result of 30 Irish artists petitioning the government for a charter of incorporation...
of Arts which had been founded the previous year, and he provided headquarters for the Academy in Lower Abbey Street at his own expense.
Works
Two early projects were the completion of Rokeby Hall and Ballymakenny Church, Co. Louth, to the designs of Thomas CooleyThomas Cooley (architect)
Thomas Cooley was an English architect who came to Dublin from London after winning a competition for the design of Dublin's Royal Exchange in 1768. He built several public buildings in Dublin in the neoclassical style...
in whose office he first trained. In 1790 he designed a new club house for Daly's Club
Daly's Club
Daly's Club, with premises known as Daly's Club House, was a gentlemen's club in Dublin, Ireland, a centre of social and political life between its origins in about 1750 and its end in 1823.-History:...
on College Green
College Green
College Green is a three-sided "square" in the centre of Dublin. On its northern side is a building known today as the Bank of Ireland which until 1800 was Ireland's Parliament House. To its east stands Trinity College Dublin, the only constituent college of the University of Dublin. To its south...
, close to the Irish Houses of Parliament
Irish Houses of Parliament
The Irish Houses of Parliament , also known as the Irish Parliament House, today called the Bank of Ireland, College Green due to its use as by the bank, was the world's first purpose-built two-chamber parliament house...
. Townley Hall, 5 km west of Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
, built between 1794 and 1798, is considered his finest work. He was responsible for the design of Armagh Courthouse
Armagh Courthouse
Armagh Courthouse is situated in Armagh, Northern Ireland and is home to Armagh Magistrate courts and also a County and Crown court.It deals mainly with magistrates’ court business for the Petty Sessions District of Armagh, including adult and youth criminal and domestic proceedings business...
built between 1806 and 1809.
At a time of huge rebuilding in Georgian Dublin
Georgian Dublin
Georgian Dublin is a phrase used in the History of Dublin that has two interwoven meanings,# to describe a historic period in the development of the city of Dublin, Ireland, from 1714 to the death in 1830 of King George IV...
, Johnston was one of the architects responsible for Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m in width at its southern end, 46 m at the north, and is 500 m in length...
). The great Pillar and Post Office were designed to harmonise with each other in the street adding grandeur and elegance to the boulevard
Boulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
.
His work is interesting from an architectural point of view, in that it spans both the Neo-Classical and Neo-Gothic styles. His Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal (Dublin Castle)
The Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle was the official Church of Ireland chapel of the Household of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1814 until the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922...
in Dublin Castle (1807–1814) is a fine example of an early Gothic revival church in Dublin. On this project (as on many others) he worked closely with the stuccodore George Stapleton
George Stapleton
George Stapleton was a prominent Irish stuccodore, son of Michael Stapleton.-Life:Stapleton was first listed in the Dublin Directory in 1817 as a plasterer residing at No. 1 Mountjoy Place . Between 1818 and 1828 he was listed as a "Stucco-worker and builder"...
, son of the better-known Michael Stapleton
Michael Stapleton
Michael Stapleton is regarded as having been the most skilled stuccodore working in the neoclassical or "Adam" style that dominated Dublin interior decoration in the final decades of the 18th century.-Life:Stapleton was born in Dublin, the son of George Stapleton, who may have been a plasterer by...
. The chapel proved a seminal building for later Gothic revival architects in Ireland, with the Cork architect Thomas Deane
Thomas Deane
Sir Thomas Deane was an Irish architect. He was the father of Sir Thomas Newenham Deane, and grandfather of Sir Thomas Manly Deane, who were also architects.-Life:...
using the detailing from the windows as a model for those of the Aula Maxima of Queens College Cork
UCC
-Law:* Uniform civil code of India, referring to proposed Civil code in the legal system of India, which would apply equally to all irrespective of their religion...
.
Among his other most notable projects were the construction of St. George’s Church
St. George's Church, Dublin
St. George's Church is a former parish church in Dublin, Ireland, designed by Francis Johnston, which is considered to be one of his finest works. It is located at Hardwicke Place, just north of the city centre. The elegant spire, high, became a landmark of the north inner city.-The...
on the North side of Dublin (1802), overseeing the conversion of Parliament House
Irish Houses of Parliament
The Irish Houses of Parliament , also known as the Irish Parliament House, today called the Bank of Ireland, College Green due to its use as by the bank, was the world's first purpose-built two-chamber parliament house...
into the Bank of Ireland (1803) and the construction of the Tudor Gothic gateway to the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham
Kilmainham
Kilmainham is a suburb of Dublin south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre, in the Dublin 8 postal district.-History:In the Viking era, the monastery was home to the first Norse base in Ireland....
. This gateway originally stood beside the river Liffey at Bloody Bridge (now Rory O'More Bridge
Rory O'More Bridge
Rory O'More Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland and joining Watling Street to Ellis Street and the north quays....
), but had to be moved after the arrival of the railway in 1844 increased traffic congestion (obviously not new to Dublin!). He had placed his personal coat of arms above the arch, concealed by a piece of wood painted to match the stone, his idea being that his arms would be revealed to future generations after the wood became rotten. However, his little trick was uncovered when the gateway was taken down for removal. The coat of arms at present on the gateway is that of the Royal Hospital.
In 1813 he began work on Richmond Gaol
Griffith Barracks
Griffith Barracks is a former military barracks located on the South Circular Road, Dublin, Ireland.-History:The site of Griffith Barracks was originally known as Grimswoods Nurseries. The first buildings on the site were those of a Remand Prison or Bridewell. Begun in 1813 by the architect Francis...
as a prison to relieve the pressure on Newgate Prison, Dublin
Newgate Prison, Dublin
Newgate Prison was a place of detention in Dublin until its closure in 1863. It was initially located at Cornmarket, near Christ Church Cathedral, on the south side of the Liffey, and was originally one of the city gates.-From city gate to prison:...
, which had been designed by his teacher Thomas Cooley.
He played a major role in designing Nelson's Pillar
Nelson's Pillar
The Nelson Pillar , known locally as Nelson's Pillar or simply The Pillar, was a large granite pillar topped by a statue of Horatio Nelson in the middle of O'Connell Street, Dublin...
in Dublin, the construction of which was started in 1808. The original plans for the Pillar were submitted to the organising committee by William Wilkins
William Wilkins (architect)
William Wilkins RA was an English architect, classical scholar and archaeologist. He designed the National Gallery and University College in London, and buildings for several Cambridge colleges.-Life:...
, a London architect, Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge, and accepted by them in 1808. However, for some reason, the committee wrote later that they were incapable of "executing his design precisely as he had given it." Johnston "afforded the necessary assistance with his acknowledged ability, which...he did with the utmost cheerfulness." He made several drawings, one of which met the approval of the committee sufficiently for construction to start. Curiously, the table of expenditure for the Pillar does not include an architect's fee. The Pillar was destroyed by a bomb in 1966.
He was also responsible for the design of Charleville Forest Castle
Charleville Forest Castle
Charleville Forest Castle is a Gothic-style castle located in Co. Offaly, Ireland, bordering the town of Tullamore, near the Shannon River. It is considered one of the finest of its type in the country.-Location:...
in Tullamore
Tullamore
Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...
, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly 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 ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, considered one of the finest of its type in the country. As well as the 1807 design of Ballycurry House, Ballycurry Demesne, Ashford, County Wicklow
Ashford, County Wicklow
Ashford , historically known as Ballymacahara , is a village County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland. It lies on the R772 regional road. The Vartry River flows under the road in the village centre...
He assisted in the design of plans that were later used for St. Andrew's Church, Westland Row, Dublin
St. Andrew's Church, Westland Row, Dublin
St. Andrew's Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Westland Row, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Construction started in 1832, it opened for public worship in 1834 but was not completed until 1837.-History:...
, and designed the east gates of Slane Castle
Slane Castle
Slane Castle is located in the town of Slane, within the Boyne Valley of County Meath, Ireland. The castle has been the family home of the Conyngham Marquessate since the 18th century....
demesne in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath 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 ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
.
He lived for many years in his house at 64 Eccles Street, where he kept a large collection of curiosities. He died in 1829 and was buried in St. George's
St. George's Church, Dublin
St. George's Church is a former parish church in Dublin, Ireland, designed by Francis Johnston, which is considered to be one of his finest works. It is located at Hardwicke Place, just north of the city centre. The elegant spire, high, became a landmark of the north inner city.-The...
churchyard, which was attached to a temporary church on Whitworth Road (later taken over by the Whitworth Hospital
Drumcondra Hospital
Drumcondra Hospital was a voluntary hospital on Whitworth Road in Dublin, Ireland, that became part of the Rotunda Hospital in 1970.-History:...
).