John Brandon-Jones
Encyclopedia
John Brandon-Jones was a British
architect
. His work was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement
, of which he was a noted architectural historian
.
tradition, and was christened by the Rev Charles Voysey
(with whose grandson Brandon-Jones would later enter into an architectural partnership). Brandon-Jones' father was an art teacher, while his mother studied dress at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and wrote books on embroidery.
The family moved to Harpenden
and Brandon-Jones' father was engaged as an art teacher at Berkhamsted School, and where Brandon-Jones was enrolled in 1919. However, after contracting tuberculosis
in 1921, he was sent to Bembridge School
on the Isle of Wight
, which most likely influenced his decision to become an architect. While at Bembridge he learned his skills in wood working, engraving and printing, as well as becoming passionate about building and sailing boats.
At the age of 18, he was apprenticed to the architect, Oswald Milne (former assistant to Edwin Lutyens
), and in 1929 attended the Architectural Association School of Architecture
. However, he found the new Le Corbusier
style of Modern Architecture
unappealing, preferring to honour continuity with the past in his designs.
In 1933, he joined the partnership of Charles Cowles-Voysey
as an assistant, later a partner. Voysey and Brandon-Jones won a competition for the design of Watford
Town Hall, and later designed the town halls in Worthing
and Bromley
, as well as the Guildhall in Cambridge
and the Hull
Festival House.
In 1937 he was appointed a lecturer in architecture at Liverpool University's School of Architecture 'where he reinstated measured drawing and the study of the classical orders, the latter as a way of learning construction, weathering and colour." , but with the start of World War II
he joined the Navy as part of the Admiralty Works Department. Posted to Scapa Flow
on Orkney and placed in charge of the engineers' drawing office, he designed a temporary cinema. While on Orkney he met (and later married in 1944), Helen, a cipher clerk from Glasgow.
It was also on Orkney that he encountered three rare houses on Hoy
designed by William Lethaby
, and his interest in and study of these led him to become one of the most respected authorities in arts and crafts domestic architecture. By pure chance, this interest was encouraged by the gift from his good friend, Dorothy Walker (the daughter of Emery Walker
), of a bundle of original designs and sketches by Philip Webb
. In 1955 Brandon-Jones purchased one of a pair of houses designed by Webb in Redington Road, Hampstead
, in which house Brandon-Jones lived with his family until his death in 1999. His championship of Webb's reputation helped persuade the National Trust
to take the Webb designed Standen
into their collection.
When the war ended, he taught at the Architectural Association but resigned when the director objected to him telling the students about Webb and Lethaby "because you will undermine their confidence in the Modern Movement."
He rejoined Cowles-Voysey's office in 1949 as a full partner, continuing to design civic offices. In 1955 Cowles-Voysey retired and Brandon-Jones and the other partners inherited the firm. By this time, he was in partnership with Robert Ashton and John Broadbent. With them he designed the Civic Offices in Brentwood
, and rebuilt the bomb-damaged Morley College
in South London. In 1960, the Hampshire
County Offices in Winchester
, considered to be his masterpiece, were completed. His last large civic commission was for the Surrey
County buildings in Staines
.
He was president of the Architectural Association School from 1957-8, and on the Royal Institute of British Architects
board of architectural education. With his good friend, John Betjeman
, he helped found The Victorian Society
in 1958. He was a member of the William Morris Society, the Society of Antiquaries of London
, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
and the Art Workers Guild
, and sat on the Architects Registration Council
.
John Brandon-Jones died in London
on 1 May 1999 after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, four daughters (two of whom followed him into architecture) and a son.
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...
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...
. His work was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
, of which he was a noted architectural historian
Architectural History
Architectural History is the main journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain .The journal is published each autumn. The architecture of the British Isles is a major theme of the journal, although it includes more general papers on the history of architecture. Member of...
.
Life and career
Brandon-Jones was born in Hendon into a family with a strong UnitarianUnitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
tradition, and was christened by the Rev Charles Voysey
Charles Voysey (theist)
Charles Voysey was an English Anglican priest who was condemned by the Privy Council for heresy and went on to found the Theist Church....
(with whose grandson Brandon-Jones would later enter into an architectural partnership). Brandon-Jones' father was an art teacher, while his mother studied dress at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and wrote books on embroidery.
The family moved to Harpenden
Harpenden
Harpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.The town's total population is just under 30,000.-Geography and administration:There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural....
and Brandon-Jones' father was engaged as an art teacher at Berkhamsted School, and where Brandon-Jones was enrolled in 1919. However, after contracting tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1921, he was sent to Bembridge School
Bembridge School
Bembridge School was an independent school in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight founded in 1919 by social reformer and Liberal MP John Howard Whitehouse. Set in over on the eastern most tip of the Isle of Wight Bembridge was a public school intended to challenge the traditional concept of education...
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, which most likely influenced his decision to become an architect. While at Bembridge he learned his skills in wood working, engraving and printing, as well as becoming passionate about building and sailing boats.
At the age of 18, he was apprenticed to the architect, Oswald Milne (former assistant to Edwin Lutyens
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
), and in 1929 attended the Architectural Association School of Architecture
Architectural Association School of Architecture
The Architectural Association School of Architecture, more usually known as the AA, is an architectural school in London, United Kingdom...
. However, he found the new Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
style of Modern Architecture
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
unappealing, preferring to honour continuity with the past in his designs.
In 1933, he joined the partnership of Charles Cowles-Voysey
Charles Cowles-Voysey
Charles Cowles-Voysey was born in London, UK on 24 June 1889 and died there on 10 April 1981. He was the son of Charles Voysey and was responsible for the design of Kingsley Hall which included a main hall also used for worship, and five rooftop cells for community volunteers.John Brandon-Jones...
as an assistant, later a partner. Voysey and Brandon-Jones won a competition for the design of Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
Town Hall, and later designed the town halls in Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
and Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, as well as the Guildhall in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and the Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
Festival House.
In 1937 he was appointed a lecturer in architecture at Liverpool University's School of Architecture 'where he reinstated measured drawing and the study of the classical orders, the latter as a way of learning construction, weathering and colour." , but with the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he joined the Navy as part of the Admiralty Works Department. Posted to Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
on Orkney and placed in charge of the engineers' drawing office, he designed a temporary cinema. While on Orkney he met (and later married in 1944), Helen, a cipher clerk from Glasgow.
It was also on Orkney that he encountered three rare houses on Hoy
Hoy
Hoy is an island in Orkney, Scotland. With an area of it is the second largest in the archipelago after the Mainland. It is connected by a causeway called The Ayre to South Walls...
designed by William Lethaby
William Lethaby
William Richard Lethaby was an English architect and architectural historian whose ideas were highly influential on the late Arts and Crafts and early Modern movements in architecture, and in the fields of conservation and art education.-Early life:Lethaby was born in Barnstaple, Devon, the son of...
, and his interest in and study of these led him to become one of the most respected authorities in arts and crafts domestic architecture. By pure chance, this interest was encouraged by the gift from his good friend, Dorothy Walker (the daughter of Emery Walker
Emery Walker
Sir Emery Walker was an English engraver and printer.Born in London, Walker took an active role in many organisations that were at the heart of the Arts and Crafts movement, including the Art Workers Guild, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition...
), of a bundle of original designs and sketches by Philip Webb
Philip Webb
Another Philip Webb — Philip Edward Webb was the architect son of leading architect Sir Aston Webb. Along with his brother, Maurice, he assisted his father towards the end of his career....
. In 1955 Brandon-Jones purchased one of a pair of houses designed by Webb in Redington Road, Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, in which house Brandon-Jones lived with his family until his death in 1999. His championship of Webb's reputation helped persuade the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
to take the Webb designed Standen
Standen
Standen is an Arts and Crafts house located near East Grinstead, West Sussex, England. The house and its surrounding gardens belong to the National Trust and are open to the public.-The house:...
into their collection.
When the war ended, he taught at the Architectural Association but resigned when the director objected to him telling the students about Webb and Lethaby "because you will undermine their confidence in the Modern Movement."
He rejoined Cowles-Voysey's office in 1949 as a full partner, continuing to design civic offices. In 1955 Cowles-Voysey retired and Brandon-Jones and the other partners inherited the firm. By this time, he was in partnership with Robert Ashton and John Broadbent. With them he designed the Civic Offices in Brentwood
Brentwood, Essex
Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
, and rebuilt the bomb-damaged Morley College
Morley College
Morley College is an adult education college in London, England. It was founded in the 1880s and has a student population of 10,806 adult students...
in South London. In 1960, the Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
County Offices in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, considered to be his masterpiece, were completed. His last large civic commission was for the 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...
County buildings in Staines
Staines
Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
.
He was president of the Architectural Association School from 1957-8, and on 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:...
board of architectural education. With his good friend, John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
, he helped found The Victorian Society
The Victorian Society
The Victorian Society is the national charity responsible for the study and protection of Victorian and Edwardian architecture and other arts in Britain....
in 1958. He was a member of the William Morris Society, the Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris, Philip Webb and J.J.Stevenson, and other notable members of the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood, in 1877, to oppose what they saw as the insensitive renovation of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian...
and the Art Workers Guild
Art Workers Guild
The Art Workers Guild or Art-Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British architects associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of all the arts', denying the distinction between fine and applied art...
, and sat on the Architects Registration Council
Architects' Registration Council of the United Kingdom
Under an Act passed by the UK Parliament in 1931, there was established an Architects' Registration Council of the United Kingdom , referred to in the Act as "the Council". The constitution of the Council was prescribed by the First Schedule to the Act. The Act made the Council a body corporate...
.
John Brandon-Jones died 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...
on 1 May 1999 after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, four daughters (two of whom followed him into architecture) and a son.