George Wilkinson (architect)
Encyclopedia
George Wilkinson, FRIBA was a British architect who practised largely in Ireland. He was born at Witney, Oxfordshire in 1814. He was the elder brother of William Wilkinson
(1819–1901), who practised in Oxford
.
for the Thame
Poor Law Union
. The building is now a campus of Oxford and Cherwell Valley College
. Wilkinson went on to design a total of two dozen workhouses in England, including those at Northleach
(1835) Stow-on-the-Wold (1836) and Woodstock
(1836–37), each with wings laid out in an H-plan. Wilkinson built Tenbury
workhouse (1837) on a double courtyard plan. For two workhouses, Witney
(1835–36) and Chipping Norton (1836) he used an unusual design of a saltire
of four wings radiating from an octagonal central block. For Wolverhampton
he adapted this layout to six wings. In 1839 George Wilkinson was invited to Ireland as the architect of the Poor Law
Commission.
Wilkinson published a Practical Geology and Ancient Architecture of Ireland (1845). He also designed the railway station in Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath (1855) for the Midland Great Western Railway
and Harcourt Street Railway Station, Dublin (1858–59) for the Dublin Wicklow and Wexford Railway
.
Wilkinson was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects
in 1878. He retired to England in about 1888.
He died at Ryde House, Twickenham 4 October 1890.http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?buildings/Wilkinson.shtml
He married Mary Clinch in Witney on December 18, 1850. Mary was a daughter of John Williams Clinch (1788–1871) the Witney brewer, banker and landowner.
William Wilkinson (architect)
William Wilkinson was a British Gothic Revival architect who practised in Oxford, England.-Family:Wilkinson's father was a builder in Witney in Oxfordshire. William's elder brother George Wilkinson was also an architect, as were William's nephews C.C. Rolfe and H.W. Moore .-Career:Wilkinson...
(1819–1901), who practised in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
Career
George Wilkinson won a competition in 1835 to design a workhouseWorkhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
for the Thame
Thame
Thame is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town....
Poor Law Union
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
. The building is now a campus of Oxford and Cherwell Valley College
Oxford and Cherwell Valley College
Oxford & Cherwell Valley College is a multi-campus college in Oxfordshire, England. It was created in 2003 as "Oxford & Cherwell College" - a result of the merger between Oxford College of Further Education, North Oxfordshire College in Banbury and Rycotewood College in Thame...
. Wilkinson went on to design a total of two dozen workhouses in England, including those at Northleach
Northleach
Northleach is a small Cotswold market town in Gloucestershire, England. It constitutes the major part of the civil parish of Northleach with Eastington.The nearest railway stations are Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham and Shipton on the Cotswold Line....
(1835) Stow-on-the-Wold (1836) and Woodstock
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
(1836–37), each with wings laid out in an H-plan. Wilkinson built Tenbury
Tenbury Wells
Tenbury Wells is a market town and civil parish in the north-western extremity of the Malvern Hills District administrative area of Worcestershire, England. The 2001 census reported a population of 3,316.-Geography:...
workhouse (1837) on a double courtyard plan. For two workhouses, Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
(1835–36) and Chipping Norton (1836) he used an unusual design of a saltire
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
of four wings radiating from an octagonal central block. For Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
he adapted this layout to six wings. In 1839 George Wilkinson was invited to Ireland as the architect of the Poor Law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
Commission.
Wilkinson published a Practical Geology and Ancient Architecture of Ireland (1845). He also designed the railway station in Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath (1855) for the Midland Great Western Railway
Midland Great Western Railway
The Midland Great Western Railway was the third largest Irish gauge railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railway in 1924. It served part of Leinster, County Cavan in Ulster and much of Connaught...
and Harcourt Street Railway Station, Dublin (1858–59) for the Dublin Wicklow and Wexford Railway
Dublin and South Eastern Railway
The Dublin and South Eastern Railway was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland from 1846 to 1925.It was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1846 as the "Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin Railway Company". In 1860 it was renamed the "Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway Company" and on 31...
.
Wilkinson was made a Fellow of 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:...
in 1878. He retired to England in about 1888.
He died at Ryde House, Twickenham 4 October 1890.http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?buildings/Wilkinson.shtml
He married Mary Clinch in Witney on December 18, 1850. Mary was a daughter of John Williams Clinch (1788–1871) the Witney brewer, banker and landowner.