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User:Shard47/William Atkins (architect)

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William Ringrose Atkins (1811–1887) was an Irish architect of the Victorian era.

William R. Atkins
Born
William Ringrose Atkins

1811
Died1887
NationalityIrish
OccupationArchitect
Parents
  • Ringrose Atkins (father)
  • Sarah Atkins (mother)

A native of Cork, William R. Atkins is an architect whose fame has been lost to posterity, although in 1846 he received one of the largest public commissions in Cork city, to build the city and county asylum. This was a commission received from the Board of Works, and was being angled for at the time by the more established Cork architect Thomas Deane who was then engaged in the building of Queen's College Cork. Built in a revival Gothic style, 1846-53, this is popularly held to have the longest corridor in all of Europe - it is now converted into modern apartments. He also received the first prize for a design for a new town hall for Cork in 1851, although this was never built. [1]

Early Life and Career

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File:Holytrinity interior lge.jpg
Interior of the Holy Trinity & Capuchin Monastery, Cork designed by Atkins after the death of the original architect George Richard Pain.[2]
File:St marys popesquay priory2 lge.jpg
St Mary's Priory by Atkins, showcasing his usage of classical and Victorian Gothic Architecture.[3]

William Atkins was the fourth son of Ringrose Atkins, MD, and Sarah Atkins (daughter and co-heiress of William Atkins of Fountainville, Mallow, Co. Cork) was born at Firville, near Mallow, roughly around 1812. His father's youngest sister Margaret was the second wife of George Richard Pain , to whom he was apprenticed. In 1831 a drawing by Atkins was judged the second best architectural drawing in the exhibition of the Cork Society for Promoting the Fine Arts; his premium was, however, withheld. The drawing in question may have been the 'Design for a Temple to the Fine Arts' which he exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy the following year. Between 1845 and 1869 Atkins entered at least thirteen architectural competitions, achieving the rank of first place in five of them. Two of his successful designs - for Cork Town Hall and Killarney Railway Hotel, both of 1852 - were produced in collaboration with another architect. In the second half of the 1860s he designed several new Church of Ireland churches in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel, which suggests that he may have been a district architect for the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in this period. [4]

In 1845 Atkins married his cousin Louisa Gelston (1812-1904). Two years later he inherited half the estate of his maternal grandfather William Atkins at Fountainville. He farmed the property until 1854.[4]

Death and Legacy

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He died on 5 January 1887, at age 76, leaving a widow, three sons and a daughter and an estate of £5000 in Ireland and £500 in England. His pupils and assistants included Samuel Francis Hynes and Edward James Martin. [4]

Estates

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11 Morrison's Island, Cork, 1842-44;(8) Bridge Street, Cork, 1854;(9) 6 Adelaide Place, Cork, 1858-1860;(10) 22 Warren's Place, Cork, 1863;(11) 39 South Mall, and 6 Adelaide Place, St Luke's, 1867.(12) 39 South Mall, 1871.(13) [4]

Works

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Year Building Location (Ireland) Description or Contribution
1843-45 Leamy's School Upper Hartstonge Street, Limerick Competed for plans and specifications for new school announced in Mar 1843. Plans of WA for Tudor Revival building selected. Contractor: Joseph Fogerty, Henry St.
1845 County Court House Gort Road, Ennis, Clare Atkins was a competition entrant, but competition won by Henry Whitestone.
1845 Mount Jerome Cemetery, Chapel Harold's Cross Road, Dublin Winner of Competition
1847-1852; 1861 District Lunatic Asylum (Our Lady's Hospital) Lee Road, Cork Chief Architect. New asylum in 'First Pointed' style. Begun 1849. Opened 1852 when accommodation was for 250 men and 250 women. Cost £87,000. Extended 1861,1873.(Robert Walker contractor for 1873 extension) Atkins resigns in 1876 as a result of dispute with Board.
1848-1852 St. Mary's Dominican Priory Pope's Quay, Cork Italianate with campanile 100ft high. Cork Red sandstone with limestone dressings.. FS laid 2 May 1848. In course of erection, 1850, when Builder correspondent opined that a 'Flemish-looking gable takes from the general effect produced by the rest of the façade'. Described as 'newly erected', Aug 1851. Contractor for interior: Cornelius O'Leary.
1849 Church(CI) Castlecomer, Kilkenny Restoration
1849 St. Columbia College College Road, Dublin Atkins was the executant architect who carried out the additions and alterations following the design of Mr P.C. Hardwick as nearly as possible.
1850 Church of Holy Trinity Cork Completion of interior. Red pine roof coloured to imitate oak. North window by Gibbs of London in memory of Daniel O'Connell. Opened Oct 1850 although not quite finished.
1850-51;1869 St. Marie's of the Isle Convent of Mercy Sharman Crawford Street, Cork New convent in First Pointed style; red stone with limestone dressings. FS laid 2 May 1850. Chapel added, 1869.
1851 Town Hall Cork Atkins & Johnson winners of competition with design costing about £14,000. Not Built.
1852 Great Southern Hotel Railway Road, Killarney Atkins & Johnson winners of competition, but building erected to designs of Frederick Darley
1852-53 Corn Exchange Mulgrave Street, Limerick Winner of competition (prize of £75). Butter weigh-house opened (3 compartments beneath glass dome), Jul 1854
1855 Doneraile Streamhill, Cork For Cavanaugh Murphy.
1855 Ryves Castle Limerick Improvements for - Franks (cousin of Atkins)
1855 Lindville Private Lunatic Asylum Blackwall, Limerick Neo-Romanesque private lunatic asylum being erected on the Blackwall side of the river for Dr Osborne. Red brick with limestone dressings.
1857 Anner Castle Tipperary Completion of Charles Anderson's design after latter's emigration to USA in 1849. Date given as 1857 by Williams and as 1860s by Bence Jones.
1857-1860 Oakpark House Kerry Northern Italian Gothic, for Maurice Fitzgerald Sandes.
1859 Church of SS. Peter & Paul SS. Peter & Paul Place Competition entrant. Placed 3rd.
1859 McCarthy Memorial Diamond Hill, Cork Campanile column of limestone inset with encaustic tiling. Panels at base originally inset with bronze plaques, showing events in Irish history connected with McCarthy family. Bronze plaques on upper tier said to represent 4 of the kings of Munster from whom McCarthys descended. Seemingly erected by Alex McCarthy.
1859 Church of Holy Trinity Muckross, Kerry In course of erection 'for some time past'. Walls of Muckross red and white marble. Exterior not in character with beauty of the interior. Works executed under superintendence of Mr Lee. Expense of building and endowing church defrayed by Rt. Hon. Col. Henry Arthur Herbert and Admiral Sir Thomas Herbert.
1860 St. Andrew's Church St Andrew's Street, Dublin Competition entrant; exhibits design in 1861.
1862 Cathedral of St Finn Barre(CI) Bishop, Cork Competition Entrant
1862 Aghadoe House Kerry For 3rd Lord Headley.
1868 Church of St. Mary Main Street, Killarney New cruciform church (replacing church of 1802) with 3-bay nave, semicircular apse to seat 350. Estimated cost £8,000. FS laid 4 Aug 1868. Burnt 1888 and restored by J.F. Fuller. Contractor: James Hunter, Bandon. Drawing(s), signed and dated 1868
1868 Church Rooska, Cork Proposed new church. Signed contract drawing(s), 1868
1869 Town Hall & Municipal Offices Victoria Street, Belfast Competition entrant.
1869-70 Church of St. Nicholas Cove Street, Cork Addition of spire. For Rev. George Webster. Completed 31 Mar 1870.
1873-1876 District Lunatic Asylum (Our Lady's Hospital) Lee Road, Cork Enlargement and improvement (including hospitals and airing courts). Atkins prepares plans, 1873. Contractor: Robert Walker, Jr (£5,300). Atkins's plans, originally approved, rejected in May 1875 'owing it appears to some alterations made in them by Mr Atkins to whom they were referred for revision'. Atkins resigns, 1876, and W.H. Hill appointed to superintend completion of works in hand 'immediately'. Atkins paid £350.
1881 Church of St Michael & All Angels Whitegate, Cork Gothic, with wheel window in W. gable. Consecrated 23 Apr 1881. Contractor: Samuel Hill, Cork.

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References

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  1. ^ The Architecture of Deane and Woodward, F. O'Dwyer (Dublin 1997).
  2. ^ Paul Clerkin. St. Mar'ys Priory. N.d. Photograph. archiseek.com, Cork, Ireland. Web. 8 Dec 2011. <http://archiseek.com/2009/1850-st-marys-priory-cork/>.
  3. ^ Paul Clerkin. Holy Trinity & Capuchin Monastery, Cork. N.d. Photograph. archiseek.com, Cork, Ireland. Web. 8 Dec 2011. <http://archiseek.com/2009/holy-trinity-capuchin-monastery-cork/>.
  4. ^ a b c d e Williams, Jeremy. 'William Atkins 1812-1887, a forgotten Cork Pre-Raphaelite'. 1992. Print. Retrieved 08 December 2011