John Buonarotti Papworth (24 January 1775 – 16 June 1847) was a British architect, artist and a founder member 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 ...

. He adopted the middle name "Buonarotti" in around 1815. As well as being active in the UK, he designed a monument in Belgium and designed buildings intended for Germany and the USA.

Life

Papworth was born in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, London, in 1775 to

John Papworth John Papworth (12 December 1921 – 4 July 2020) was an English clergyman, writer and activist against big public and private organizations and for small communities and enterprises. Life and work Born in London in December 1921, Papworth was ...

and his wife Charlotte (née Searle). He was one of twelve children and the second of six sons. His father described himself as an "architect, plasterer and builder". His background was in decorative plasterwork, and he dominated the trade in London, employing more than 500 men. At the recommendation of Sir William Chambers he spent two years as a pupil of the architect

John Plaw John Plaw (1745-1820) was an architect who was born in London but later emigrated to the Colony of Prince Edward Island in North America. He is known for favouring circular designs in the classical style. There are two known surviving examples ...

and was then apprenticed to the builder Thomas Wapshott, whose daughter Jane he then married.

John Summerson Sir John Newenham Summerson (25 November 1904 – 10 November 1992) was one of the leading British architectural historians of the 20th century. Early life John Summerson was born at Barnstead, Coniscliffe Road, Darlington. His grandfather wo ...

described Papworth as "one of the most versatile architects and decorative artists of the period". In London he designed shop fronts (one, for a tea merchant in Ludgate Hill, was in a "Chinese" style) and warehouses, and built or remodelled many villas for middle-class clients in the countryside. At

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

he laid out the Montpellier Estate, and extended the Montpellier Pump Room (1825–26), with a domed rotunda inspired by the

Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...

. In 1827 William Bullock commissioned Papworth to plan the layout and design various classes of building for a new city to be called "Hygeia" in the United States, on land he had bought stretching about two-and-a-half miles along the Ohio River, opposite Cincinnati. Bullock published the plans, hoping to attract purchasers for the plots, but the scheme came to nothing. He exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

between 1816 and 1841. His address is given as Bath Place, New Road, London, until 1816, and 10 Caroline Street,

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many distinguished residents, inclu ...

, from 1823. In the latter year he is described as "Architect to the King of Wirtemberg", and exhibited a design for a "Palace at Canstadt for the King of Wirtemberg". In 1838 he became director of the newly established Government School of Design. He had two sons,

John Woody Papworth John Woody Papworth (4 March 1820 – 6 July 1870) was an English architect, designer and antiquary. He is chiefly remembered for "Papworth's '' Ordinary''" (1874), a reference guide to British and Irish coats of arms arranged systematically acco ...

, and Wyatt Papworth. His brother George Papworth acted as his clerk of works until 1804 and then practised as an architect in Ireland.

Publications

He contributed designs to Ackermann's '' Repository of the Arts'' for almost 20 years. In addition, he published the following books: * Essay on the Causes of the Dry Rot in Buildings, 1803 * Select Views of London, 1816 * Rural Residences, 1818, reissued in 1832 * Hints on Ornamental Gardening, 1823, reissued around 1826 with an unchanged title page but with some plates labeled in Spanish * Specimens of Decoration in the Italian Style, 1844

Works

Tomb at St James' Church, Little Paxton - geograph

* Mansion for the

Earl of Lucan Earl of Lucan is a title which has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland for related families. History Patrick Sarsfield was one of the senior commanders of James VII & II (deposed in 1688) in battles in Ireland with William of ...

Laleham Laleham is a village on the River Thames, in the Borough of Spelthorne, about west of central London, England. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, it was transferred to Surrey in 1965. Laleham is downriver from Staines-upon-Thames a ...

, Middlesex (1806) * Factory at 69 Holborn, London, for the engineer Alexander Galloway * St Julien's, a ''

cottage orné Cottage orné () dates back to a movement of "rustic" stylised cottages of the late 18th and early 19th centuries during the Romantic movement, when some sought to discover a more natural way of living as opposed to the formality of the preceding ...

'' near Sevenoaks, for Robert Herries * Villa (later known as Leigham House) on

Brixton Hill Brixton Hill is the name given to a section of road between Brixton and Streatham Hill in south London, England. Brixton Hill and Streatham Hill form part of the traditional main London to Brighton road (A23). The road follows the line of a ...

, Surrey (now South London) for George Fuller. Demolished 1908. * Gallery of the

Egyptian Hall The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson. The Hall was a considerable success, with exhibitions of artwork and of Napoleonic era re ...

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

, London, for William Bullock (1819) * Refurbishment of

Boodle's Boodle's is a London gentlemen's club, founded in January 1762, at No. 50 Pall Mall, London, by Lord Shelburne, the future Marquess of Lansdowne and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. History The club was originally based next door to Wi ...

Club,

St James's Street St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centur ...

, London (1821–34) * St Bride's Avenue, London (1823–30) * Rebuilding of 96

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

, London, for Rudolf Ackermann * 94 Holborn Hill, London, "the first of the gin-palaces" *

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

Pump Room Rotunda and Gardens, Cheltenham (1825–26) for

Pearson Thompson Pearson Thompson (14 April 1794 – 22 November 1872) was an English solicitor and property developer who was responsible for the layout of a great part of Cheltenham, and of the Ladbroke Estate in London. He subsequently emigrated to Australi ...

. * Lansdown Place and Lansdown Crescent, Cheltenham, for RW and C Jearrad (1825–29) * St James's Church, Cheltenham (1826–32), more recently a Zizi Pizza restaurant * Plans for

Hygeia Hygieia is a goddess from Greek, as well as Roman, mythology (also referred to as: Hygiea or Hygeia; ; grc, Ὑγιεία or , la, Hygēa or ). Hygieia is a goddess of health ( el, ὑγίεια – ''hugieia''), cleanliness and hygiene. Her ...

, a utopian community on the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

, for William Bullock (1827) * Willenhall House, Barnet, for Thomas Wyatt (1829)Designs for Willenhall House.
RIBA architecture.com Retrieved 10 August 2020. * Alterations to Basildon Park's

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

mansion and grounds for James Morrison (after 1838) * St Mary of the Visitation Church in

Killybegs Killybegs () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the largest fishing port in the country and on the island of Ireland. It is located on the south coast of the county, north of Donegal Bay, near Donegal Town. Its Irish name ''Na Cealla ...

, County Donegal, designed between 1834 and 1839 Note that this is St Mary's Church of the Visitation, not St Catherine's as claimed in the DIA entry. See also

References

Sources

* * * * * * * (information leaflet)

External links