![John Robinson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/John_Robinson.jpg)
John Martin Robinson
FSA (born 1948) is a British architectural historian and
officer of arms
An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or Sovereign state, state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:
* to control and initiate coat of arms, armorial matters;
* to arrange and participate in ceremo ...
.
He was born in
Preston, Lancashire
Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...
, and educated at
Fort Augustus Abbey
Fort Augustus Abbey, properly St. Benedict's Abbey, at Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire, Scotland, was a Benedictine monastery, from late in the nineteenth century to 1998 that also housed a school for young boys until 1993.
Inception
It owed its ...
, a
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
school in Scotland, the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
(graduating
MA and awarded D.LITT in 2002) and then in 1970 arrived at
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
, to prepare for a
DPhil
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
. The doctoral degree was awarded in 1974 for work on the architect
Samuel Wyatt
Samuel Wyatt (8 September 1737, Weeford, Staffs. – London, 8 February 1807) was an English architect and engineer. A member of the Wyatt family, which included several notable 18th- and 19th-century English architects, his work was primarily in a ...
. He worked for the
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...
Historic Buildings Division from 1974 to 1986, where he worked inter alia as architectural editor of the Survey of London, and Historic Buildings Inspector for Westminster, and also revised the Statutory Lists of Historic Buildings for 2 east London boroughs. As an independent consultant since 1988 he has advised on the restoration of numerous country houses, churches and other listed buildings. His contribution to the Conservation Plan for 7 Dials and
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
in London won the 1998 Camden Environmental Award. He also wrote the Conservation Plan for the
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of ...
, Oxford, in association with Rick Mather Architects.
He has been an Architectural Writer for
''Country Life'' for over 40 years contributing nearly 400 articles and reviews.
As chairman of the Art and Architecture Committee of Westminster Cathedral he has overseen the completion of the mosaics in St George's and St Joseph's chapels, the Vaughan Chantrey and several individual panels.
Robinson was
Fitzalan Pursuivant Extraordinary
Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary is a current officer of arms in England. As a pursuivant extraordinary, Fitzalan is a royal officer of arms, but is not a member of the corporation of the College of Arms in London. As with many other e ...
at the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
from 1982 and is now
Maltravers Herald Extraordinary. In 1978 he was appointed Librarian to the Duke of Norfolk
Earl Marshal
Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the United Kingdom). He is the eig ...
.
Robinson is also a Knight of Magistral Grace of the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
. He lives at Beckside House,
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
, and is an active member of the
Georgian Group
The Georgian Group is a British Charitable organization, charity, and the national authority on Georgian architecture built between 1700 and 1837 in England and Wales. As one of the Amenity society, National Amenity Societies, The Georgian G ...
of which he was a trustee and vice-chairman for 20 years, acquiring their HQ Adam townhouse in Fitzroy Square, setting up the Casework committee, and instituting the Young Georgians, and founding and presiding over the Annual conservation Awards for 10 years from 2003 to 2013.
He served on the North West Regional Committee of the National Trust for 10 Years and is Heraldic Adviser to the National Trust. He was a trustee of the Lakeland Arts Trust for 25 years, and served on the Council of the Society of Antiquaries, the council of the National Records Association, and is a trustee of
Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established during the reign of Edward the Confessor and completed by Roger de Montgomery. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War a ...
,
Burghley House
Burghley House () is a grand sixteenth-century English country house near Stamford, Lincolnshire. It is a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, built and still lived in by the Cecil family. The exterior largely retains its Elizabet ...
and
Wilton House
Wilton House is an English country house at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. It was built on the site of the medieval Wilton Abbey. Following the dissolution o ...
. He was a founder member of the Friends of Christ Church Spitalfields and helped establish the music Festival there. His scholarly book on
James Wyatt
James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806.
Early life
W ...
is the definitive treatment of the subject. His ''New Georgian Handbook'', written jointly with Alexandra Artley of
Harpers Magazine, was the architectural face of the
Young Fogey
"Young fogey" is a term humorously applied, in British context, to some younger-generation, rather buttoned-down men, many of whom were writers and journalists. The term is attributed to Alan Watkins writing in 1984 in ''The Spectator''. However t ...
movement and has become collectable.
Bibliography
* ''The Observations of Humphrey Repton'' (Phaidon 1978)
* ''The Wyatts: An Architectural Dynasty'' (1979) Foreword by
Woodrow Wyatt
Woodrow may refer to:
People
*Woodrow (name), a given name and a surname
Places Canada
*Woodrow, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community
United Kingdom
*Woodrow, Buckinghamshire, England
*Woodrow, Cumbria, England United States
*Woodrow, Color ...
,
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
,
* ''Georgian Model Farms: A Study of Decorative and Model Farm Buildings in the Age of Improvement, 1700–1846'' (1982) Oxford University Press .
* ''Royal Residences'' (Macdonald 1982)
* ''The Dukes of Norfolk'' (1983 & 1995) .
* ''The Latest Country Houses: 1945–83'' (1984) The Bodley Head Ltd, .
* ''The New Georgian Handbook''. JMR & Alexandra Artley (Harpers 1985)
* ''Arundel's Remembrances'' (1987).
* ''Cardinal Consalvi 1757–1824'' (1987)
The Bodley Head
The Bodley Head is an English publishing house, founded in 1887 and existing as an independent entity until the 1970s. The name was used as an imprint of Random House Children's Books from 1987 to 2008. In April 2008, it was revived as an adul ...
.
* ''The Oxford Guide to Heraldry'' (1988) John Martin Robinson &
Thomas Woodcock, Oxford University Press, .
* ''The Country House at War'' (1989) The Bodley Head Ltd, , .
* ''The English Country Estate'' (Century Hutchinson/ National Trust 1988)
* ''Chatto Curiosities - Heraldry'' (Chatto & Windus 1989)
* ''Temples of Delight:
Stowe Landscape Gardens
Stowe or Stowe Gardens, formerly Stowe Landscape Gardens, are extensive, Listed building, Grade I listed gardens and parkland in Buckinghamshire, England. Largely created in the eighteenth century the gardens at Stowe are arguably the most signi ...
'' (1990) , .
* ''A Guide to the Country Houses of the North West'' (1991) Constable, .
* ''Arundel Castle'' (1994).
* ''Treasures of English Churches'' (Sinclair Stevenson 1995)
* ''Uppark Restored''. JMR & Christopher Rowell (National Trust 1996)
* ''The National Trust Guide to Heraldry''. JMR & Thomas Woodcock (National Trust 1999)
* ''
Francis Johnson Architect'' (2001) J. M. Robinson & David Neave, Oblong Creative, .
* ''The Staffords'' (Phillimore 2002)
* ''Buckingham Palace. The Official Illustrated History'' (2004)
* ''Windsor Castle. The Official Illustrated History'' (2004)
* ''The Regency Country House'' (2005)
* ''The Regency Country House'' (2005)
Aurum Press
The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countri ...
, .
* ''Grass Seed in June – The Making of an Architectural Historian'' (autobiography) (2006) Michael Russell (Publishing) Ltd, .
* ''Arundel Castle'' (2011).
* ''Felling the Ancient Oaks: How England Lost its Great Country Estates'' (2011) Aurum Press Ltd, .
* ''James Wyatt. Architect to George III'' (Yale 2013)
* ''Requisitioned: The British Country House in the Second World War'' (2014) Aurum Press
* ''The
Travellers Club
The Travellers Club is a private gentlemen's club situated at 106 Pall Mall in London, United Kingdom. It is the oldest of the surviving Pall Mall clubs and one of the most exclusive, having been established in 1819. It was described as "the ...
: A Bicentennial History'' (2018)
;Magazine articles
* "A. D. Profile 22: Hawksmoor's Christ Church, Spitalfields" - contributor - ''
Architectural Design
Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complic ...
'', 7/1979 C. Amery, R. W. Chitham, K. Downes, M. Gillingham, J. Kenworthy-Browne, R. A. Beddard, J. M. Robinson, G. Stamp. pp. 1–32.
* "Cameron discoveries" in: ''
Architectural Review
''The Architectural Review'' is a monthly international architectural magazine. It has been published in London since 1896. Its articles cover the built environment – which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism †...
'', 1982, 1030. J. M. Robinson, D. Shvidkovsky. pp. 42–51 – includes bibliographical references.
* "The Signior" in: ''AA-Files'', 1985, 8 J. M. Robinson. pp. 108–109 – book review.
* "In pursuit of excellence" in: ''
Country Life'', 1979, 4277 J. M. Robinson. pp. 2113–2114.
* "Classical quartet: new country houses" in: ''Country Life'', 35/1990 J. M. Robinson. pp. 74–77.
* "No. 20 St James's Square, London" in: ''Country Life'', 44/1989 J. M. Robinson pp. 152–157.
* "Pavilions to pleasure" in: ''Country Life'', 14/1989 K. Powell, J. Glancey, J. M. Robinson. pp. 132–133.
* "Scraping the ceiling" in: ''Country Life'', 16/1989 J. M. Robinson. pp. 192–193.
Arms
References
External links
Full text of doctoral thesis, "Samuel Wyatt, architect"via Oxford Research Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, John Martin
1948 births
Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford
English architectural historians
English officers of arms
Living people
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
English Roman Catholics
Knights of Malta
Writers from Preston, Lancashire
English architecture writers
Country Life (magazine) people