HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Francis Mawson Rattenbury (11 October 1867 – 28 March 1935) was a British architect although most of his career was spent in
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
, Canada, where he designed the province's legislative building among other public commissions. Divorced amid scandal, he was murdered in England at the age of 67 by his second wife's lover.


Architectural career

Rattenbury was born in 1867 in
Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...
, England. He began his architectural career with an apprenticeship in 1884 to the "
Lockwood Lockwood may refer to: Places Australia *Lockwood, Victoria *Lockwood South, Victoria United Kingdom * Lockwood, North Yorkshire, England *Lockwood, West Yorkshire, England United States *Lockwood, Amador County, California *Lockwood, Monterey Coun ...
and Mawson Company" in England, where he worked until he left for Canada. In 1891, he arrived in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The province, anxious to show its growing economic, social and political status, was engaged in an architectural competition to build a new legislative building in Victoria. The new immigrant entered, signing his drawings with the pseudonym "A B.C. Architect," and won the competition. Despite many problems, including going over-budget by $400,000, the
British Columbia Parliament Buildings The British Columbia Parliament Buildings are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The Speaker and the Serjeant-at-Arms are amongst those responsible for the legislative ...
were officially opened in 1898. The grand scale of its -long facade, central dome and two end pavilions, the richness of its white marble, and its use of the currently-popular Romanesque style contributed to its being seen as an impressive monument for the new province. Rattenbury's success in the competition garnered him many commissions in Victoria and other parts of the province, including additions to the Legislative Buildings in 1913–1915. In 1900 he was commissioned to design the 18 bedroom, three story Burns Manor in Calgary for his close friend Pat Burns. He designed Paardeburg Gate (1901), a memorial to
South African war The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
soldiers opposite the Legislative Buildings, 1901. Rattenbury worked for the
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...
as their Western Division Architect. His best known work for the CPR was a Chateau-style hotel, The Empress, which was built in 1904–1908 in Victoria, with two wings added in 1909–1914. The architect, however, fell out with the CPR and then joined their competition, the
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline th ...
. He designed many hotels and stations for the GTP, but they were never completed because of the death of the president, Charles Melville Hays, in the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' and the company's subsequent bankruptcy. The CPR allowed him to return, however, and he built the second CPR Steamship Terminal in Victoria in 1923–1924 in association with another architect,
Percy James Percy George Burge James (9 March 1917 – June 1993) was an English amateur footballer and minor counties cricketer. James was born in the Rhondda. He began his career with Oxford City before the Second World War. He had a brief professional fo ...
. Rattenbury and James also collaborated in the design of the Crystal Garden at the same time although they later had a public conflict over Rattenbury's refusal to give James credit and payment for his work on the Garden. Just as quickly as he became popular, Rattenbury and his architecture fell out of favour. Perhaps a symptom of his waning popularity, he lost the competition to build the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, built 1908–1912 in Regina, to E. and W.S. Maxwell, two Montreal architects trained at the
École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...
in Paris. In contrast to the Maxwells, Rattenbury had no formal training in architecture, and with increasing
professionalism A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...
, he was soon outpaced by better-trained and better-educated architects.


Personal life

At 25 years old Rattenbury moved to Vancouver and placed an ad in The Vancouver Daily World announcing his arrival along with the credentials of having been trained by the influential English architect Henry Francis Lockwood (1811-1878), although Lockwood had died when Rattenbury was just 11 years old. Soon after winning the competition for the Legislative Buildings in Victoria, Rattenbury was involved in a series of financial ventures. He planned to supply meat and cattle to prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush and he ordered three steam trains to serve the
Yukon Territory Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
. The investments eventually became profitable. After World War I, however, his luck turned sour with the failure of some financial speculations, eventually leading to conflicts with his business partners. His personal life also began to show strains at this time. In 1923, he left his wife Florence Eleanor Nunn\, whom he had married in 1898, and his adult children, Frank and Mary, for the 27-year-old, twice-married Alma Pakenham. His maltreatment of Florence, which included having the heating and lights turned off in their home after he moved out and the public flaunting of his affair with Alma, led his former clients and associates to shun him, and the couple soon left Victoria. He married Alma in 1925 after Florence agreed to his request for divorce. He and Alma returned to Victoria in 1927 with Christopher, her son from her second marriage. There, they had a son of their own, John, before deciding to move to
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the English ...
, England, in 1929, the same year that Florence died.


Murder

In Bournemouth, Rattenbury's financial problems continued, causing his relationship with Alma to deteriorate. She began an affair with George Percy Stoner (19 November 1916 – 24 March 2000), their 18-year-old chauffeur. Stoner had been recruited through an advertisement in the '' Bournemouth Daily Echo'' and had been living a sheltered, largely-friendless life with his parents before he moved into the Rattenburys' home, the 'Villa Madeira', in Manor Road. In the early hours of 23 March 1935, Rattenbury was discovered in his sitting room with severe head injuries. He had sustained a series of blows with a carpenter's mallet, the blows savage enough to remove the back of his skull and to cause his false teeth to fall out; he died four days later. His wife confessed, but Stoner admitted to the housekeeper that he had actually carried out the deed. Alma Rattenbury and Stoner were both charged although Alma was to retract her confession after her elder son Christopher visited her in prison. Stoner was convicted and sentenced to death, which was commuted to life imprisonment following the submission to the
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
of a petition signed by over 300,000 people, who felt that the young man had been manipulated into committing murder by the older woman. Alma, represented by Ewen Montagu, was acquitted of murder and of being an accessory after the fact but committed suicide a few days later on 4 June 1935, stabbing herself with a
dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...
six times in the chest (three of which penetrated her heart), before throwing herself into the River Stour at
Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, ÅŒtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
. Stoner served only seven years of his sentence since he was released early to join the army and fight in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. He married in 1944 and fathered a daughter in 1948. He and his wife led "a quiet life" in the Bournemouth area although he briefly attracted the attention of the media again when he was given two years' probation for indecently assaulting a 12-year-old boy in a public toilet in 1990. It is possible Stoner was already suffering from Alzheimer's disease at the time of the offence; he died aged 83 at Christchurch Hospital in 2000. Despite Francis Rattenbury's outstanding career as an architect, he was buried in an unmarked grave in a cemetery close to his home in Bournemouth. In 2007, a headstone was erected as a lasting memorial, paid for by a family friend.


Cultural references

* In 1937, playwright and actor
Emlyn Williams George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor. Early life Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Fl ...
suggested to producer
Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage o ...
and Merle Oberon. Williams then joined Oberon in the cast of Korda's film ''
I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the R ...
'' instead. A television play based on the case, '' Killer In Close-Up: The Rattenbury Case'', written by George F. Kerr, and produced by
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
television station ABV-2, was broadcast on June 18, 1958. * The case was the basis of the radio and stage play ''
Cause Célèbre A cause célèbre (,''Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged'', 12th Edition, 2014. S.v. "cause célèbre". Retrieved November 30, 2018 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/cause+c%c3%a9l%c3%a8bre ,''Random House Kernerman Webs ...
'' by Sir
Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wa ...
. A British television adaptation of the Rattigan play was produced by Anglia and shown on ITV on August 23, 1987. * A chamber opera by the composer Tobin Stokes, ''Rattenbury'', based on the architect's fall from grace, was performed in concert in Powell River, British Columbia on April 7, 2016, with
Richard Margison Richard Charles Margison, OC (born 16 July 1953) is a Canadian operatic tenor and lives in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. Background Margison began his career in Victoria, BC, where, he sang folk songs in the coffeehouses and clubs. He appeared ...
as Rattenbury and
Kathleen Brett Kathleen may refer to: People * Kathleen (given name) * Kathleen (singer), Canadian pop singer Places * Kathleen, Alberta, Canada * Kathleen, Georgia, United States * Kathleen, Florida, United States * Kathleen High School (Lakeland, Florida), ...
as Alma. A full-scale production was performed in Victoria, the home of Rattenburry's parliament buildings, in 2017. * The 2014
Sarah Waters Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as '' Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''. Life and education Early life Sa ...
' novel ''The Paying Guests'' was part inspired by the murder. * The 2018 novel ''Our Friends In Berlin'' by the author Anthony Quinn mentions the trial as part of its historical background. * Sean O'Connor's 2019 account of the case ''The Fatal Passion of Alma Rattenbury'' suggested that the sensational treatment of the murder in the
tabloid Tabloid may refer to: * Tabloid journalism, a type of journalism * Tabloid (newspaper format), a newspaper with compact page size ** Chinese tabloid * Tabloid (paper size), a North American paper size * Sopwith Tabloid, a biplane aircraft * ''Ta ...
press was the reason for Rattenbury's suicide shortly after her acquittal.


Gallery of his work


List of buildings

* Roedde House, Vancouver (1893) *Nanaimo Court House, Nanaimo (1895) *Bank of Montreal, Victoria (1896) (now the Irish Times Pub) *Bank of Montreal, Rossland (1898) *Bank of Montreal, Nelson (1899) *Lieutenant Governor's Residence, Victoria (1901, destroyed by fire in 1957) * Victoria High School (Fort Street location), Victoria (1901, demolished in 1953) *Phoenix Hospital, Phoenix (1901, demolished) *Burns manor (1903) *Janet Clay House, Victoria (1904) *Merchant's Bank, Victoria (1907) *Court House,
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
(Designed 1903, completed November 1908, supervising local architect, Alexander Carrie) *Pacific Railway Steamship Terminal, Victoria (1923–1924) *Crystal Garden, Victoria (1925) *Merchants Bank, Nanaimo (1909–1911) (now The Vault Cafe)


Notes


Biography

* * *


External links

* *
Min doc about Francis Rattenbury
* *



The Daily Telegraph 19 November 2007
Historic Places in Canada

Historic Bank of Montreal Rossland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rattenbury, Francis M 1867 births 1935 deaths English expatriates in Canada Canadian architects Deaths by beating in the United Kingdom Architects from Leeds People from Victoria, British Columbia People murdered in England * Canadian murder victims Canadian people murdered abroad 1935 murders in the United Kingdom 1935 in England People from Bournemouth