Edward I'Anson (25 July 1812 – 30 January 1888) was an English architect who was president of both the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
and the
Surveyors' Institution. He was a leading designer of commercial buildings in the City of London.
Life
Born in
St. Laurence Pountney Hill in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
, he was the eldest son of the
surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
and architect Edward P. I'Anson (1775–1853).
He was educated at the
Merchant Taylors' School and at the College of Henri IV in France, and articled to his father at an early age. Subsequently, he entered the office of
John Wallen
John Wallen (1785–1865) was a 19th-century British architect and surveyor. He was the principal quantity surveyor in the City of London during the 1830s. Many of his former students, such as Edward I'Anson went on to have notable careers.
...
, principal
quantity surveyor
A quantity surveyor (QS) is a construction industry professional with expert knowledge on construction costs and contracts. Qualified professional quantity surveyors are known as Chartered Surveyors (Members and Fellows of RICS) in the UK and Ce ...
at that time in the City. At the close of his indentures I'Anson travelled for two years, extending his tour as far as
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
. On his return in 1837 he entered into practice, both as assistant to his father and as an independent architect.
In 1823, the I'Anson family bought 9, St Laurence Pountney Lane, the house neighbouring their own.
The firm of Edward I'Anson and Sons operated from there from 1850. I'Anson made various changes to the property, including a new roof, and some Venetian-inspired windows. He also acquired the adjoining disused churchyard for use as a garden.
In 1861, I'Anson and his wife, Catherine Blakeway, purchased land at
Grayshott
Grayshott is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is on the Hampshire / Surrey border northwest of Haslemere by road, and southwest of central London. The nearest rail link is Haslemere railway sta ...
in Surrey, a village then part of Headley. The family provided a site for the
National School established there in 1871, and maintained a close connection to the area. I'Anson's son Edward Blakeway made funds available for the construction of the church, and many of his family are buried and memorialised in its churchyard.
Works
His first important building in the City was the Royal Exchange Buildings, designed for Sir
Francis Graham Moon in 1837. There he made use of concrete for the internal works, an early example of this modern construction method that had previously only been used in experimental or minor projects.
This brought him into repute, and obtained for him the chief practice as architect in the City.
I'Anson developed a career as a pioneering designer of purpose-built commercial buildings in the City.
Those executed by him in the Italian style, such as the buildings of the
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.
The Soc ...
at 146
Queen Victoria Street (1866–8) were the most successful. His designs in the
Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style included the school of the
Merchant Taylors' Company
]
The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 110 Livery company, livery companies of the City of London.
The Company, originally known as the ''Guild and Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London'', was founded prio ...
at the Charterhouse. I'Anson was surveyor to the Merchant Taylors for many years, and also to
St. Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust.
History
Early history
Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...
, for which he designed a new museum and library.
He was responsible for the remodelling of
Fetcham Park,
Leatherhead, and the restorations of the
Dutch Church in Austin Friars and of
St. Mary Abchurch.
I'Anson was elected a fellow of the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
in 1840, and was chosen president in 1886. He contributed numerous papers to the ''Transactions'' of the institute. He was also a fellow of the
Geological Society
The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows.
Fe ...
, and in 1886 became president of the
Surveyors' Institution. He was a frequent traveller on the continent, and in 1867 visited Russia. In many of his numerous duties as surveyor, and in some of his architectural works, notably the new Corn Exchange in Mark Lane, he was assisted by his eldest son, Edward Blakeway I'Anson.
Death
I'Anson died unexpectedly on 30 January 1888, and was buried at All Saints church in
Headley, East Hampshire
Headley is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east of Bordon on the B3002 road.
The nearest railway station is 3.6 miles (5.8 km) south of the village at Liphook.
T ...
.
A portrait of him will be found in the ''Builder'', xxix. 1006.
Edward Blakeway I'Anson continued the practice at St Lawrence Pountney Hill.
References
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ianson, Edward
1812 births
1888 deaths
People from the City of London
19th-century English architects
People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Presidents of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Architects from London
People from Grayshott