Francis Fowke (7 July 1823 – 4 December 1865) was an Irish
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the lim ...
and
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
, and a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the
Corps of Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
. Most of his architectural work was executed in the
Renaissance style, although he made use of relatively new technologies to create iron framed buildings, with large open galleries and spaces.
Fowke was born in
Ballysillan
Oldpark is one of the nine district electoral areas (DEA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located in the North of the city, the district elects six members to Belfast City Council and contains the wards of Ardoyne; Ballysillan; Cliftonville; Lego ...
,
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
. He studied at The Royal School
Dungannon
Dungannon () is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in t ...
, County Tyrone, and the
Royal Military Academy,
Woolwich. He obtained a commission in the Royal Engineers, and served with distinction in
Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = " Hail to Bermuda"
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and
Paris. On his return to England, he was appointed architect and engineer in charge of the construction of several government buildings.
Among his projects were the
Prince Consort's Library in
Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the Engli ...
, the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...
and parts of the
Victoria and Albert Museum in
London, the
Industrial Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art) in
Edinburgh, and the
National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin. He was also responsible for planning the 1862
International Exhibition
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
in London. The International Exhibition building was described as 'a wretched shed' by
The Art Journal;
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around th ...
at the
Great Exhibition of 1851 being a hard act to follow. Parliament declined the Government's proposal to purchase the building; the materials were sold and used for the construction of
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...
.
Before his sudden death from a burst blood vessel, he won the competition for the design of the
Natural History Museum, although he did not live to see it executed. His renaissance designs for the museum were altered and realised in the 1870s by
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905) was an English architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known f ...
, on the site of Fowke's Exhibition building.
He died in 1865 and is buried in
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Es ...
, London.
A medal was issued by the Royal Engineers in 1865, as a memorial prize for architectural works carried out by members of the corps. With the demise of great architectural works the prize has transformed into the prize awarded to the top student on the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the '' Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...
Clerks of Works course.
Gallery of architectural work
File:Londres 453..jpg, Victoria & Albert Museum, north side of garden, original main entrance
File:Royal Albert Hall.jpg, Royal Albert Hall
File:Royal Museum.jpg, Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art (Royal Museum)
File:Royal Museum, Edinburgh, main hall.jpg, Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art (Royal Museum), main hall
References
Royal Engineers Museum– Biography of Captain Francis Fowke
– Dictionary of Ulster Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowke, Francis
British civil engineers
Royal Engineers officers
1823 births
1865 deaths
Burials at Brompton Cemetery
Architects from Belfast
19th-century British engineers
19th-century British Army personnel
19th-century architects from Northern Ireland
Engineers from Belfast