James Thomas Knowles
Encyclopedia
James Thomas Knowles was a British architect with an extensive practice in building upper-class houses in the Italianate manner more familiar in the work of Sir Charles Barry
. His designs submitted in the competition for the new Houses of Parliament lost to Barry's design. In London, Knowles built the confident and technically assured palazzo at 15, Kensington Palace Gardens
(1854). Together with his son, (Sir) James Thomas Knowles (1831–1908), he was responsible for the Grosvenor Hotel.
His vast Italianate mansion at Silverton Park
, Devon
, for the fourth Earl of Egremont
, who had inherited the title but not the great family seat, Petworth
in Sussex, determined to build a rival structure. It was not fully complete when the earl died in 1845, and after a house sale in 1892 dispersed its contents, it was demolished; only the stables remain.
One of his sketchbooks is in the library of the Royal Institute of British Architects
.
His son, Sir James Knowles (1831 - 1908), was an architect
in partnership with his father, and editor
of the Contemporary Review
, 1870–77.
Charles Barry
Sir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.- Background and training :Born on 23 May 1795 in Bridge Street, Westminster...
. His designs submitted in the competition for the new Houses of Parliament lost to Barry's design. In London, Knowles built the confident and technically assured palazzo at 15, Kensington Palace Gardens
Kensington Palace Gardens
Kensington Palace Gardens is a street in west central London which contains some of the grandest and most expensive houses in the world. It was the location of the London Cage, the British government MI9 centre used during the Second World War and the Cold War.A tree-lined avenue half a mile long...
(1854). Together with his son, (Sir) James Thomas Knowles (1831–1908), he was responsible for the Grosvenor Hotel.
His vast Italianate mansion at Silverton Park
Silverton Park
Silverton Park, a mansion near Silverton, Devon, England, was erected for George Wyndham, fourth Earl of Egremont, in 1839–45. Having inherited the Egremont title but not the great Egremont seat, Petworth House, he determined to rival Petworth with a house of his own. His architect, James Thomas...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, for the fourth Earl of Egremont
Earl of Egremont
Earls of Egremont was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1749, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Cockermouth, for Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, with remainder to his nephews Sir Charles Wyndham, 4th Baronet, of Orchard Wyndham, and Percy Wyndham-O’Brien...
, who had inherited the title but not the great family seat, Petworth
Petworth House
Petworth House in Petworth, West Sussex, England, is a late 17th-century mansion, rebuilt in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s by Anthony Salvin...
in Sussex, determined to build a rival structure. It was not fully complete when the earl died in 1845, and after a house sale in 1892 dispersed its contents, it was demolished; only the stables remain.
One of his sketchbooks is in the library 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:...
.
His son, Sir James Knowles (1831 - 1908), was an 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...
in partnership with his father, and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the Contemporary Review
Contemporary Review
-Foundation:It was founded in 1866 by Alexander Strahan and a group of intellectuals anxious to promote intelligent and independent opinion about the great issues of their day. They intended it to be the church-minded counterpart of the resolutely secular Fortnightly Review, which was founded by...
, 1870–77.
Further reading
- Metcalf, Priscilla, James Knowles: Victorian Editor and Architect (Oxford: Clarendon Press) 1980, also contains some further biographical information on the elder Knowles.