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 ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it m ...

, 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 and was then apprenticed to the builder Thomas Wapshott, whose daughter Jane he then married. John Summerson 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 he laid out the Montpellier Estate, and extended the Montpellier Pump Room (1825–26), with a domed rotunda inspired by the Pantheon. 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 purp ...

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

Wyatt Papworth Wyatt Angelicus van Sandau Papworth (1822–1894) was an English architect, surveyor and antiquarian. He is best known for his editorial work on the part-published ''Dictionary of Architecture'', appearing 1853 to 1892, and the 1867 edition of Jos ...

. His brother

George Papworth George Papworth (1781–1855) was a British architect who practised mainly in Ireland during the nineteenth century. Early life and career Papworth was born in London in 1781 and was the third son of the English stuccoist John Papworth (1750–1 ...

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

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 Cou ...

, London, for William Bullock (1819) * Refurbishment of Boodle's Club, St James's Street, London (1821–34) * St Bride's Avenue, London (1823–30) * Rebuilding of 96 Strand, London, for Rudolf Ackermann * 94 Holborn Hill, London, "the first of the gin-palaces" * Montpellier Pump Room Rotunda and Gardens, Cheltenham (1825–26) for Pearson Thompson. * Lansdown Place and

Lansdown Crescent, 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 ...

, for RW and C Jearrad (1825–29) * St James's Church, Cheltenham (1826–32), more recently a Zizi Pizza restaurant * Plans for Hygeia, a utopian community on the Ohio River, for William Bullock (1827) *

Willenhall House Willenhall House was a house and estate located to the south of Chipping Barnet, on the borders of Hertfordshire and Middlesex, in what is now north London. It was designed by John Buonarotti Papworth in 1829 for the East Indies merchant Thomas Wy ...

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