Decimus Burton

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Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton.png
painted by Thomas Lawrence
Born (1800-09-30)30 September 1800
North House, Southampton Terrace, Bloomsbury, London
Died 14 December 1881(1881-12-14)
1 Gloucester Houses, Hyde Park, London
Nationality English
Buildings Palm House & Temperate HouseRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was a prolific English architect and garden designer, A protegé of John Nash, he is particularly associated with projects in the classical style in London parks, including buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and London Zoo, and with the layout and architecture of the seaside towns of Fleetwood, St Leonards-on-Sea, and Tunbridge Wells.

Contents

Life [edit]

Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was the son of the architect James Burton. His first name, from the Latin for 'tenth', denoted his position as the tenth child in his family.

After attending Tonbridge School and then spending a few years in Royal Academy Schools, Burton initially trained in the architectural and building practice run by his father James Burton, and then with John Nash.[citation needed] Nash entrusted him with the design of Cornwall Terrace and Clarence Terrace in Regent's Park[1] the former, begun in 1821, being the first building erected in the park.[2] James Burton was the builder of both.[1] His first major project (1823) was nearby: an enormous domed exhibition hall, the Colosseum. Circular in plan with a Doric portico,it resembled the Pantheon in form.[3] It was demolished in 1875; the site is now occupied by the Royal College of Physicians). After this, he was appointed to design the gardens and buildings at the adjacent new London Zoo including the llama building (1828), complete with a clock tower,and the Giraffe House (1834)

Hyde Park [edit]

At the age of twenty-five Burton was commissioned by the Office of Woods and Forests to carry out a series of works intended, in the words of John Summerson "to bring Hyde Park within the monumental orbit of the palace". He laid out paths and driveways, designed a series of lodges, and the Ionic screen and Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner. These last two originally formed a single composition, designed to provide a monumental transition between Hyde Park and Green Park, although the arch was later moved. His other work for the Office of Woods and Forests included the elaborate Parliamentary Stables at Westminster.[4]

Athenaeum Club [edit]

In 1824 he was commissioned by the Athenaeum Club, London to build a clubhouse for them on the west side of Waterloo Place. The task was complicated by the Office of Woods and Forests' initial desire to have its facade matching that of the United Services Club opposite, on which Nash was working. This demand was eventually dropped[5] and Burton's building was constructed in 1829–30,[6] its exterior decorated with a full-size replica of the Panathenaic frieze. Burton later made alterations to the United Service Club.[5] Burton's connections to the Athenaeum lasted for many years in the form of his membership and as evidenced in the 30 years of correspondence between himself and one of the club's founders, John Wilson Croker.[7]

St Leonards [edit]

In 1828 Burton's father James bought up an estate at St Leonards, Sussex, to develop as a holiday resort. It had a frontage of about two-thirds of a mile. Burton was probably the architect of the central section, a hotel with giant Corinthian columns, flanked by terraces in the Tuscan order.[8]

Beulah Spa [edit]

Burton laid out the landscape and designed the buildings at the Beulah Spa, a spa and pleasure gardens in Croydon, for the entrepreneur John Davidson Smith. It opened in 1831.[9] and became a popular society venue attracting large crowds to its fêtes.[10] Burton's buildings were in a " rustic" style,[11] with the ticket office in the form of a thatched cottage.[9] The spa closed in 1856 soon after the opening nearby of the Crystal Palace.[12] Burton also drew up designs for a grand crescent of terraced houses on the hill above the spa, which was, however, never built.[9]

Gothic churches [edit]

Burton sometimes worked in a Gothic style, using it for the rebuilding of the church of St Mary at Goring-by-Sea[13] and at Holy Trinity, Eastbourne,[14] and St Augustine, Flimwell (1839).[15] Ian Nairm described Burton's Gothic churches as "disappointingly limp".[13]

Kew Gardens [edit]

Burton had a 30-year association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, starting initially with the layout of gardens and paths before moving on to major buildings. With iron founder Richard Turner, he designed the glass and iron Palm House (1844–1848); at the time, this greenhouse was the largest in the world at 363 ft long (111 m), 100 ft wide (30 m) and 66 ft high (20 m). He then designed the even larger Temperate House, but did not live to see the project completed: although a section opened in 1863, lack of funds meant it was not finally completed until 1898. Other projects at Kew included the Main Gate (1846) and the Water Lily House (1852).

Fleetwood [edit]

Another major concentration of Burton’s work is at Fleetwood on the Lancashire coast. Burton's work with his father on the East Sussex town of St Leonards-on-Sea (1827–1837) had impressed wealthy landowner and fellow Atheneaum Club member Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood who commissioned Burton to lay out his new port and seaside resort. Burton's buildings include the North Euston Hotel, Pharos Lighthouse and Beach Lighthouse, Queen's Terrace, St Peter's Church, the Town Hall and his own house on Dock Street (where he lived until 1844).

Death [edit]

Decimus Burton retired in 1869, died in December 1881 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

List of architectural works [16] [edit]

London [edit]

  • The Holme, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park (1818).
  • Grove House, Holford House and Winfield House villas, Regent's Park (1822–5)
  • Coliseum, Regents Park (1823–27) demolished 1875.
  • Clarence Terrace, Regent's Park (1823)
  • Hyde Park Screen (1825)
  • Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner,(1826–8)
  • London Zoo, various buildings (1826–28) and (1831–34); surviving buildings include the Giraffe House, the Camel House, the Raven Cage and the tunnel under the Outer Circle, connecting the two parts of the zoo.
  • Cornwall Terrace, Regent's Park, London (1827)
  • The Geological Society's apartments at Somerset House (1828)
  • Athenaeum gentlemen's club, Waterloo Place/Pall Mall (1828–30)
  • Charing Cross Hospital, London (1831–9)
  • Devonshire House, London, added portico and remodelled the hall and staircase (1843) demolished
  • The library at 18 Hyde Park Gardens (c.1844)
  • Oriental Club, additions (1851)

Buckinghamshire [edit]

  • Stockgrove House, Buckinghamshire/Bedfordshire border (1831) demolished circa 1928

Derbyshire [edit]

Dorset [edit]

Hampshire [edit]

Lancashire [edit]

Kent [edit]

Middlesex [edit]

  • Vicarage, Isleworth, Middlesex, alterations (1865)

Nottinghamshire [edit]

Norfolk [edit]

  • Sennowe Hall, Norfolk extended (1855–56) remodelled 1908 very little of Burton's work survives.

Surrey [edit]

  • Beulah Spa, Upper Norwood(1831)
  • The Palm House, Kew Gardens with Richard Turner (1844)
  • Main Gate, Kew Gardens (1846)
  • The Museum, Kew Gardens, Surrey (1857) extended 1881
  • The Temperate House, Kew Gardens, Surrey (1859–1863) the flanking wings part of Burton's design were only added in (1897–98)

Sussex [edit]

  • Oaklands Park, Sedlescombe, East Sussex (1830)*
  • Adelaide Crescent, Hove (1831) only numbers 1-10 were built, the remainder was completed from 1850 to much grander design
  • St Mary's Church, Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex (1836-8)
  • Holy Trinity Church, Eastbourne (1837-9) later extended
  • St. Augustine's Church, Flimwell (1839)
  • Wick Hall, Hove, East Sussex (1840) (Demolished 1936)
  • West Marina, The Lawn, and Uplands, at St Leonards (1850s)

Yorkshire [edit]

Ireland [edit]

Gallery [edit]

  • The Holme, Regent's Park "If you want a definition of western civilization in a single view, then here it is." Ian Nairn 1818

  • Regents london.jpg

    Holford House, Regent's Park 1822-1825

  • Coliseum, Regent's Park, London 1823-27 demolished

  • Screen, Hyde Park Corner 1825

  • Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner 1826-28

  • The Staircase, The Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, London 1828-1830

  • The Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, London 1828-1830

  • Adelaide Crescent, Hove, Brighton, Burton's houses are on the left 1831

  • Charing Cross Hospital, now police station 1831-39

  • The Monkey House, London Zoo c.1830

  • The Camel House, London Zoo c.1830

  • The Giraffe House, London Zoo 1834

  • London Zoo c.1854

  • St Mary's Church, Goring-by-Sea 1836-38

  • Great Conservatory, Chatsworth House, with Joseph Paxton, 1836-1840 demolished

  • Grimston Park, Yorkshire 1839-40

  • Beach Lighthouse, Fleetwood 1839-40

  • St. Peter's Church, Fleetwood 1839-41

  • Pharos Lighthouse, Fleetwood 1840

  • North Euston Hotel, Fleetwood 1841-42

  • The Palm House, Kew Gardens, London with Richard Turner 1844

  • The Museum, Kew Gardens 1857

  • The Temperate House, Kew Gardens, London 1859-1863

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Summerson 1962, p.181
  2. ^ Britton, John; Pugin, A. (1825). Illustrations of the Public Buildings of London: With Historical and Descriptive Accounts of each Edifice 1. London. p. 233. 
  3. ^ Elmes, James (1852). Sir Christopher Wren and his Times. London: Chapman and Hall. p. 144. 
  4. ^ Summerson 1962, pp.202– 4
  5. ^ a b Summerson 1962, p.246
  6. ^ Summerson 1962, p.301
  7. ^ Decimus Burton video, 22 minutes in, RIBA, accessed 21 January 2013
  8. ^ Pevsner and Nairn 1965, p.527–8
  9. ^ a b c Coulter, John (1996). Norwood Past. London: Historical Publications. pp. 80–4. 
  10. ^ {{cite web web|url=http://www.croydon.gov.uk/leisure/parksandopenspaces/parksatoz/lawns/tlhistory |title=London Borough of Croydon: The Lawns - The Lawns History |publisher=Croydon.gov.uk |date= |accessdate=17 July 2011}}
  11. ^ "Beulah Spa". New Monthly Magazine: 496. 1833 ("Part the Third"). 
  12. ^ Warwick, Alan R. The Phoenix Suburb: A South London Social History. Crystal Palace Foundation. ISBN 0-904034-01-1.  Unknown parameter |;chapter= ignored (help) One widely publicized event was a "Grand Scottish Fete" on 16 September 1834 "with a tightrope performance by Pablo Fanque, the black circus performer who would later dominate the Victorian circus and achieve immortality in The Beatles song, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!'
  13. ^ a b Pevsner and Nairn 1965, p.231
  14. ^ Pevsner and Nairn 1965, p.487
  15. ^ Pevsner and Nairn 1965, p.503
  16. ^ List based on: Decimus Burton Esquire, Architect and Gentleman (1800-1881), Philip Whitbourn, 2003, The Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society
  17. ^ a b c Homan, Roger (1984). The Victorian Churches of Kent. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd. p. 106. ISBN 0-85033-466-7. 

Bibliography [edit]

  • Summerson, John (1962). Georgian London (revised ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. 
  • Pevsner, Nikolaus; Nairn, Ian (1965). Sussex. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. 

External links [edit]

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