William Weir (architect)
Encyclopedia
William Weir was a Scottish architect
who specialised in the repair of ancient structures.
Weir left school at sixteen to become a pupil of Edinburgh architect Archibald MacPherson, while also attending the Edinburgh School of Art
. He moved to London at nineteen to work in the studios of first Leonard Stokes
and then Arts and Crafts
pioneer Philip Webb
.
Weir set up independent practice in 1900 and was admitted as a Licentiate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects
in 1911.
William Weir is best known for overseeing repairs to historic buildings including Dartington Hall
, Tattershall Castle
and Bodiam Castle
. His work spanned more than forty British counties and more than 300 buildings, including scores of small town and country churches. He collaborated with many of the leading figures of the Arts and Crafts Movement such as William Morris
, Ernest Gimson
, Norman Jewson
and Detmar Blow
.
From his mid-thirties Weir was a committed campaigner for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
, founded by Webb and Morris to promote the repair (rather than restoration) of ancient buildings. An SPAB annual report in the 1920s said Weir had "perhaps been more closely connected with [the society] than any other individual 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 specialised in the repair of ancient structures.
Weir left school at sixteen to become a pupil of Edinburgh architect Archibald MacPherson, while also attending the Edinburgh School of Art
Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art is an art school in Edinburgh, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design disciplines for over two thousand students....
. He moved to London at nineteen to work in the studios of first Leonard Stokes
Leonard Stokes
Leonard Aloysius Scott Stokes was an English architect.Leonard Stokes was born in Southport in 1858. He trained in London and travelled in Germany and Italy. Most of his designs were for Roman Catholic buildings, including churches, convents and schools. His first outstanding work was the...
and then Arts and Crafts
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...
pioneer 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....
.
Weir set up independent practice in 1900 and was admitted as a Licentiate member 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:...
in 1911.
William Weir is best known for overseeing repairs to historic buildings including Dartington Hall
Dartington Hall
The Dartington Hall Trust, near Totnes, Devon, United Kingdom is a charity specialising in the arts, social justice and sustainability.The Trust currently runs 16 charitable programmes, including The Dartington International Summer School and Schumacher Environmental College...
, Tattershall Castle
Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire
Tattershall Castle is a castle in Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England, north east of Sleaford, and in the care of the National Trust.-History:...
and Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, with the permission of Richard II, ostensibly to defend the area against French invasion during the Hundred Years' War...
. His work spanned more than forty British counties and more than 300 buildings, including scores of small town and country churches. He collaborated with many of the leading figures of the Arts and Crafts Movement such as William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, Ernest Gimson
Ernest Gimson
Ernest William Gimson was an English furniture designer and architect. Gimson was described by the art critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers"...
, Norman Jewson
Norman Jewson
Norman Jewson was an English architect-craftsman of the Arts and Crafts movement, who practiced in the Cotswolds. He was a distinguished, younger member of the group which had settled in Sapperton, Gloucestershire, a feudal village in rural southwest England, under the influence of Ernest Gimson...
and Detmar Blow
Detmar Blow
Detmar Jellings Blow was a British architect of the early 20th century, who designed principally in the arts and crafts style. His clients belonged chiefly to the British aristocracy, and later he became estates manager to the Duke of Westminster...
.
From his mid-thirties Weir was a committed campaigner for 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...
, founded by Webb and Morris to promote the repair (rather than restoration) of ancient buildings. An SPAB annual report in the 1920s said Weir had "perhaps been more closely connected with [the society] than any other individual architect."