William Railton
Encyclopedia
William Railton was an English
architect
, best known as the designer of Nelson's Column.
He was based in London with offices at 12 Regent Street for much of his career.
He was a pupil of the London architect and surveyor William Inwood
.
In 1825 Railton set off for a tour of Greece and Egypt. On his return to England he prepared drawings of the temple at Kardaki on Corfu which were published as a supplementary volume to James Stuart's Antiquities of Athens.
He designed a number of country houses, mostly in a neo-Tudor style, including Beaumanor Hall
for the Herrick family and Grace Dieu for Ambrose Phillipps de Lisle
, both in Leicestershire. Phillipps de Lisle also commissioned him to design the original buildings of the monastery at Mount Saint Bernard.
Between 1838 and 1848 he was employed as architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
during which time he produced two standard designs for parsonages. He also designed a palace for the Bishop of Ripon and remodelled Riseholme as a house for the Bishop of Lincoln.
In 1836 he won the fourth prize in the competition to design a replacement for the Houses of Parliament which had recently been destroyed by fire, and in 1839 came first the competition to design a monument to Admiral Lord Nelson in in Trafalgar Square
, London. His winning design - a simple Corinthian column topped with a statue of Nelson - was constructed between 1839 and 1842; the lions on the base, although part of the original plan, were not added until 1867.
Railton designed a number of churches including St Paul's, Woodhouse Eaves
and an identical one nearby at Copt Oak (both 1837 ); St Mary, Stafford Street, Wolverhampton, St Bartholomew, Bethnal Green, Holy Trinity Hoxton, and Holy Trinity, Meanwood
, Leeds (1849).
Railton exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1829 and 1851.
He built nothing after 1850 and died on October 13, 1877, while visiting Brighton.
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...
, best known as the designer of Nelson's Column.
Nelson's Column
Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in central London built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843 to a design by William Railton at a cost of £47,000. It is a column of the Corinthian...
He was based in London with offices at 12 Regent Street for much of his career.
He was a pupil of the London architect and surveyor William Inwood
William Inwood
William Inwood was an English architect, surveyor and writer on architecture.His father was bailiff to the Kenwood estate. He was the author of the Tables for the Purchasing of Estates, Freehold, Copyhold, or Leasehold, Annuities, &c. first published in 1811 and frequently revised and reprinted...
.
In 1825 Railton set off for a tour of Greece and Egypt. On his return to England he prepared drawings of the temple at Kardaki on Corfu which were published as a supplementary volume to James Stuart's Antiquities of Athens.
He designed a number of country houses, mostly in a neo-Tudor style, including Beaumanor Hall
Beaumanor Hall
Beaumanor Hall is a stately home with a park in the small village of Woodhouse on the edge of the Charnwood Forest, near the town of Loughborough in Leicestershire in the United Kingdom. It was built in 1845-7 by architect William Railton in Elizabethan style for the Herrick family. and is a Grade...
for the Herrick family and Grace Dieu for Ambrose Phillipps de Lisle
Ambrose Lisle March Phillipps De Lisle
Ambrose Lisle March Phillipps de Lisle was an English Catholic convert. He founded Mount St. Bernard Abbey, a Trappist abbey in Leicestershire and worked for the reconversion or reconciliation of Britain to Catholicism....
, both in Leicestershire. Phillipps de Lisle also commissioned him to design the original buildings of the monastery at Mount Saint Bernard.
Between 1838 and 1848 he was employed as architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title is Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorized to determine the distribution of revenues of the Church of England, and they made extensive changes in how...
during which time he produced two standard designs for parsonages. He also designed a palace for the Bishop of Ripon and remodelled Riseholme as a house for the Bishop of Lincoln.
In 1836 he won the fourth prize in the competition to design a replacement for the Houses of Parliament which had recently been destroyed by fire, and in 1839 came first the competition to design a monument to Admiral Lord Nelson in in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
, London. His winning design - a simple Corinthian column topped with a statue of Nelson - was constructed between 1839 and 1842; the lions on the base, although part of the original plan, were not added until 1867.
Railton designed a number of churches including St Paul's, Woodhouse Eaves
Woodhouse Eaves
Woodhouse Eaves is a village located on the side of Beacon Hill, in the Charnwood Forest area of Leicestershire, England.It is a sizeable rural village, having several pubs and a few shops...
and an identical one nearby at Copt Oak (both 1837 ); St Mary, Stafford Street, Wolverhampton, St Bartholomew, Bethnal Green, Holy Trinity Hoxton, and Holy Trinity, Meanwood
Meanwood
Meanwood is a suburb and former village of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-Origins and History:The name Meanwood goes back to the 12th century, and is of Anglo-Saxon derivation: the Meene wude was the boundary wood of the Manor of Alreton, the woods to the east of Meanwood Beck...
, Leeds (1849).
Railton exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1829 and 1851.
He built nothing after 1850 and died on October 13, 1877, while visiting Brighton.