Richard Tyler (architect)
Encyclopedia
Richard Michael Townsend Tyler (9 November 1916 – 13 January 2009) was an English
architect
who was notable for his restoration work on large private houses after the Second World War, which allowed families to own more manageable homes while remaining sympathetic to their original designs.
in 1916, where his father was an officer in the colonial police. At the age of seven he was sent to Bath in England to live with an aunt of his mother. As a child he was educated at Charterhouse
where he became captain of the rifle Eight. Showing a flair for drawing he was awarded a place at the Bristol School of Architecture.
In 1937, while holidaying in Germany
, he was bullied by a group of people in an attempt to make him throw stones at a synagogue. This event led Tyler to believe that a war with Nazi Germany was inevitable and he signed up for military service once war was declared. Although Tyler was unfit for service due to poor eyesight and hearing, he still managed to be accepted and joined the Royal Engineers
. He was assigned to the 7th Armoured Division's Support Group under the command of Brigadier John Charles Campbell
. In 1941, as part of Operation Crusader, Tyler was injured in the defence of the Sidi Rezegh airfield. While trying to move a munitions truck, Tyler was struck in the thigh by shrapnel from a German tank. By the time he reached Cairo
, the wound was gangrenous and his leg was amputated.
, he discovered that his father had remarried; Tyler had only heard of his mother's death shortley before seeing action in Africa. His stepmother, Madeleine Allhusen, was the former wife of Sir Geoffrey Congreve, and Tyler married one of her daughters, Henrietta in 1944. His stepmother inherited Brahan Castle
in Dingwall
, Scotland
, but the property was full of dry rot and beyond fiscal repair. Tyler used gelignite to demolish the Victorian additions to the building to leave a purposeful ruin; while converting outhouses into living quarters on the estate.
Tyler set up an architects' practice in London with fellow war veteran Tom Bird. The two had met in a Cairo hospital having been wounded on the same day. Although the partners tended to work on separate projects, they sometimes made joint reconstructions. A notable joint venture was Hall Barn near Beaconsfield
for Lord Burham
, in which the architects stripped the house back, removing Victorian additions to revert the building to a state resembling its original form.
Other works by Tyler included reconstruction to Forde Abbey
in Dorset
, Salisbury Cathedral
, Levens Hall
in Cumbria and Knebworth House
in Hertfordshire.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
who was notable for his restoration work on large private houses after the Second World War, which allowed families to own more manageable homes while remaining sympathetic to their original designs.
Early life and military career
Tyler was born in CeylonSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in 1916, where his father was an officer in the colonial police. At the age of seven he was sent to Bath in England to live with an aunt of his mother. As a child he was educated at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
where he became captain of the rifle Eight. Showing a flair for drawing he was awarded a place at the Bristol School of Architecture.
In 1937, while holidaying in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he was bullied by a group of people in an attempt to make him throw stones at a synagogue. This event led Tyler to believe that a war with Nazi Germany was inevitable and he signed up for military service once war was declared. Although Tyler was unfit for service due to poor eyesight and hearing, he still managed to be accepted and joined the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. He was assigned to the 7th Armoured Division's Support Group under the command of Brigadier John Charles Campbell
John Charles Campbell
Major-General John Charles "Jock" Campbell VC, DSO & Bar, MC was a Scottish officer in the British Army, recipient of the Victoria Cross.-History:Campbell was born in Thurso...
. In 1941, as part of Operation Crusader, Tyler was injured in the defence of the Sidi Rezegh airfield. While trying to move a munitions truck, Tyler was struck in the thigh by shrapnel from a German tank. By the time he reached Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, the wound was gangrenous and his leg was amputated.
Return to England and practice as an architect
On returning to England, after convalescing in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, he discovered that his father had remarried; Tyler had only heard of his mother's death shortley before seeing action in Africa. His stepmother, Madeleine Allhusen, was the former wife of Sir Geoffrey Congreve, and Tyler married one of her daughters, Henrietta in 1944. His stepmother inherited Brahan Castle
Brahan Castle
Brahan Castle was situated south-west of Dingwall, in Easter Ross, Scotland. The castle belonged to the Earls of Seaforth, chiefs of the Clan Mackenzie, who dominated the area.-History:...
in Dingwall
Dingwall
Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, but the property was full of dry rot and beyond fiscal repair. Tyler used gelignite to demolish the Victorian additions to the building to leave a purposeful ruin; while converting outhouses into living quarters on the estate.
Tyler set up an architects' practice in London with fellow war veteran Tom Bird. The two had met in a Cairo hospital having been wounded on the same day. Although the partners tended to work on separate projects, they sometimes made joint reconstructions. A notable joint venture was Hall Barn near Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield is a market town and civil parish operating as a town council within the South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies northwest of Charing Cross in Central London, and south-east of the county town of Aylesbury...
for Lord Burham
Baron Burnham
Baron Burnham, of Hall Barn in the Parish of Beaconsfield in the County of Buckingham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1903 for the influential newspaper magnate Sir Edward Levy-Lawson, 1st Baronet, owner of the Daily Telegraph...
, in which the architects stripped the house back, removing Victorian additions to revert the building to a state resembling its original form.
Other works by Tyler included reconstruction to Forde Abbey
Forde Abbey
Forde Abbey is a privately owned former Cistercian monastery in Dorset, England. The house and gardens are run as a tourist attraction while the estate is farmed to provide additional revenue...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
, Levens Hall
Levens Hall
Levens Hall is a manor house in the county of Cumbria in northern England. The first house on the site was a pele tower built by the Redman family in around 1350. Much of the present building dates from the Elizabethan era, when the Bellingham family extended the house...
in Cumbria and Knebworth House
Knebworth House
Knebworth House is a country house in the civil parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England.-History and description:The home of the Lytton family since 1490, when Thomas Bourchier sold the reversion of the manor to Sir Robert Lytton, Knebworth House was originally a genuine red-brick Late Gothic...
in Hertfordshire.
External links
- Richard Tyler: architect known for restoring country houses Timesonline 06/02/2009
- Richard Tyler, obituary Telegraph.co.uk 04/02/2009