Matthew Digby Wyatt
Encyclopedia
Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt was a British
architect
and art historian who became Secretary of the Great Exhibition, Surveyor of the East India Company
and the first Slade Professor of Fine Art
at the University of Cambridge
.
, Wyatt trained as an architect in the office of his elder brother, Thomas Henry Wyatt
. He assisted Isambard Kingdom Brunel
on the London terminus of the Great Western Railway
at Paddington Station
(1854) and later designed a considerable expansion to the Temple Meads station (1871–8) in Bristol. He also enlarged and rebuilt Addenbrooke's Hospital
in Cambridge
(1866: now the Judge Institute of Management). He designed the Rothschild Mausoleum
in the Jewish Cemetery at West Ham.
In 1851, Wyatt produced the book The Industrial Arts of the Nineteenth Century, an imposing imperial folio in two volumes which illustrates a selection of items from the Great Exhibition of 1851
. The book, which has won widespread acclaim for the quality of its plates, appeared in two parts, with the first dated October 1, 1851, through to the extra illustrated title-pages dated March 15, 1853. There are 160 chromolithographed
plates produced by a team of skilled artists and lithographers such as Francis Bedford, J.A. Vinter and Henry Rafter
.
He was appointed to the post of Surveyor of the East India Company in 1855, shortly before its role in governing India was taken over by the Crown, and subsequently became Architect to the Council of India
. In this role he designed the interiors of the India Office
in London
(1867: now part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
) and the Royal Indian Engineering College
(1871-3: now the Runnymede campus of Brunel University
).
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...
and art historian who became Secretary of the Great Exhibition, Surveyor of the East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and the first Slade Professor of Fine Art
Slade Professor of Fine Art
The Slade Professorship of Fine Art is the oldest professorship of art at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and London.-History:The chairs were founded concurrently in 1869 by a bequest from the art collector and philanthropist Felix Slade, with studentships also created in the University of...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
Life
Born in RowdeRowde
Rowde is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire.-History:The village now mainly consists of modern brick built houses, but a number of 17th century buildings still remain in the centre of the village including the George & Dragon public house...
, Wyatt trained as an architect in the office of his elder brother, Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt was an Irish British architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870-73 and awarded their Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1873...
. He assisted Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
on the London terminus of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
at Paddington Station
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
(1854) and later designed a considerable expansion to the Temple Meads station (1871–8) in Bristol. He also enlarged and rebuilt Addenbrooke's Hospital
Addenbrooke's Hospital
Addenbrooke's Hospital is an internationally renowned teaching hospital in Cambridge, England, with strong links to the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1766 on Trumpington Street with £4,500 from the will of Dr John Addenbrooke, a fellow of St Catharine's College...
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...
(1866: now the Judge Institute of Management). He designed the Rothschild Mausoleum
Rothschild Mausoleum
The Rothschild Mausoleum is a mausoleum in the Jewish Cemetery at West Ham, England. -Architecture:The circular, domed, mausoleum was built in 1866 by Ferdinand James von Rothschild for his late wife Evelina de Rothschild who died in childbed at age 27. The architect was Matthew Digby Wyatt. It...
in the Jewish Cemetery at West Ham.
In 1851, Wyatt produced the book The Industrial Arts of the Nineteenth Century, an imposing imperial folio in two volumes which illustrates a selection of items from the Great Exhibition of 1851
The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...
. The book, which has won widespread acclaim for the quality of its plates, appeared in two parts, with the first dated October 1, 1851, through to the extra illustrated title-pages dated March 15, 1853. There are 160 chromolithographed
Chromolithography
Chromolithography is a method for making multi-color prints. This type of color printing stemmed from the process of lithography, and it includes all types of lithography that are printed in color. When chromolithography is used to reproduce photographs, the term photochrom is frequently used...
plates produced by a team of skilled artists and lithographers such as Francis Bedford, J.A. Vinter and Henry Rafter
Henry Rafter
Henry Rafter was a British master artist who can be categorized as part of the naturalism and realism movements. He is noted for his scenes of landscapes, nature and animals. He was also a prolific book illustrator, and produced several portraits as well...
.
He was appointed to the post of Surveyor of the East India Company in 1855, shortly before its role in governing India was taken over by the Crown, and subsequently became Architect to the Council of India
Council of India
The Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India.The original Council of India was established by the Regulating Act of 1773 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governor-General at Fort William...
. In this role he designed the interiors of the India Office
India Office
The India Office was a British government department created in 1858 to oversee the colonial administration of India, i.e. the modern-day nations of Bangladesh, Burma, India, and Pakistan, as well as territories in South-east and Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of the east coast of Africa...
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...
(1867: now part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
) and the Royal Indian Engineering College
Royal Indian Engineering College
The Royal Indian Engineering College was a British college of Civil Engineering founded by Sir George Tomkyns Chesney in 1870. It was intended to train engineers for the Indian Public Works department. The work of the college was transferred to India in 1906....
(1871-3: now the Runnymede campus of Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
).
See also
- Wyatts, an architectural dynasty
- The Pitt ClubPitt ClubThe University Pitt Club, popularly referred to as the Pitt Club, is a club, only open to male students at the University of Cambridge. In the past, most of its membership attended certain private schools, and whilst this is no longer a criterion for membership it is still largely true...
in CambridgeCambridgeThe 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...
, designed by Wyatt
External links
- Matthew Digby Wyatt at the Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
Dictionary of Art Historians