Sir James Pennethorne (4 June 1801 – 1 September 1871) was a British architect and planner, particularly associated with buildings and parks in central London.
Life
Early years
Pennethorne was born in
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
, and travelled to London in 1820 to study architecture, first under
Augustus Charles Pugin
Augustus Charles Pugin (born Auguste-Charles Pugin; 1762 – 19 December 1832) was an Anglo-French artist, architectural draughtsman, and writer on medieval architecture. He was born in Paris, then the Kingdom of France, but his father was Swi ...
and then under
John Nash. Pennethorne's father, Thomas was a first cousin of Nash's wife.
In October 1824 he set off on a tour of France, Italy, and Sicily. At Rome he studied antiquities, and made a design for the restoration of the Forum, which he subsequently exhibited and was elected a member of the academy of St. Luke.
[
On his return to London, at the end of 1826, he entered the office of John Nash, and, as his principal assistant, directed the West Strand, King William Street, and other important improvements,][ completing the Park Village East and Park Village West in ]Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...
after Nash's death.
Until 1840 Pennethorne engaged in some private practice, his works including the Bazaar, in St. James's Street; Swithland Hall
From ''Morris's Country Seats'' (1880)
Swithland Hall is a 19th-century Neoclassical country house in Swithland, Leicestershire, designed by James Pennethorne .
History
The present Swithland Hall was built for George John Danvers-Butler, late ...
, Leicestershire; Dillington House, Ilminster; St. Julian's (a house at Sevenoaks); and Christ Church, Albany Street. During this time he also began the work for the government, which would come to dominate his career. In 1832 he was directly employed by the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Woods to prepare plans for further improvements in the capital. One of his aims was to form a great street running from the extreme east to the extreme west of London, but this proved too ambitious for the government. However four streets were constructed to modified versions of his plans: New Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as o ...
, Endell Street
Endell Street, originally known as Belton Street, is a street in London's West End that runs from High Holborn in the north to Long Acre and Bow Street, Covent Garden, in the south. A long tall narrow building on the west side is an 1840s-buil ...
, Cranbourn Street and Commercial Street. In 1846 an act was obtained for the extension of Commercial Street from Spitalfields Church to Shoreditch
Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area.
In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...
, but this was not completed until 1858. In 1855 the newly formed Metropolitan Board of Works
The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the principal instrument of local government in a wide area of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, defined by the Metropolis Management Act 1855, from December 1855 until the establishment of the London County ...
constructed Garrick Street, Southwark Street
Southwark Street is a major street in Bankside in the London Borough of Southwark, in London England, just south of the River Thames. It runs between Blackfriars Road to the west and Borough High Street to the east. It also connects the access ...
, Old Street
Old Street is a street in inner north-east Central London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, via St Luke's and Old Street Roundabout, to the crossroads where it meets Shoreditch High ...
to Shoreditch, and other thoroughfares from Pennethorne's earlier designs.
Public works
After 1840 Pennethorne's time was wholly absorbed by his work for the government. In that year he was appointed (with Thomas Chawner
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
) joint surveyor of houses in London, in the land revenue department; in 1843 he became sole surveyor and architect of the Office of Woods, and was appointed a commissioner to inquire into the construction of workhouses in Ireland. .[ The ]Museum of Practical Geology
The Geological Museum (originally the Museum of Economic Geology then the Museum of Practical Geology), started in 1835 as one of the oldest single science museums in the world and now part of the Natural History Museum in London. It transfe ...
, which also housed the offices and laboratories of the Geological Survey
A geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geology beneath a given piece of ground for the purpose of creating a geological map or model. Geological surveying employs techniques from the traditional walk-over survey, studying outc ...
was built to Pennethorne's designs in 1847-9, on a long, narrow site with frontages in 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, ...
and Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street is a one-way street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster in London, England. It is to the south of, parallel, and adjacent to Piccadilly. Jermyn Street is known as a street for gentlemen's-clothing retailers.
Hist ...
. It opened in 1851. In 1847 he drew up designs for the Public Record Office
The Public Record Office (abbreviated as PRO, pronounced as three letters and referred to as ''the'' PRO), Chancery Lane in the City of London, was the guardian of the national archives of the United Kingdom from 1838 until 2003, when it was m ...
in Fetter Lane
Fetter Lane is a street in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. It forms part of the A4 road and runs between Fleet Street at its southern end and Holborn.
History
The street was originally called Faytor or Faiter Lane, then Fe ...
. A much modified version of the scheme was adopted in 1850, though only portions of it were ever built. In 1848 he modified Nash's Quadrant in Regent Street
Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...
, removing the colonnade and inserting a balcony and mezzanine story. In 1852 he worked on improvements to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
and the area between St. James's Park
St James's Park is a park in the City of Westminster, central London. It is at the southernmost tip of the St James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St James the Less. It is the most easterly of a near-continuous ch ...
and the Royal Mews. His works at the palace included the ball-room, supper-room, and connecting galleries. To the south of the palace he erected the Duchy of Cornwall office, the district post office, and other buildings. Between 1852 and 1856 he completed the west wing of William Chambers' Somerset House
Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...
.[
He was responsible for laying out Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets, Battersea Park, and prepared plans and estimates for a proposed "Albert Park" at Islington,] which was never carried out.[
In 1853 he drew up several different ambitious plans for the laying out of the estate owned by the Commissioners of the 1851 Exhibition at ]South Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
, one of which included a relocated National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...
. In the event the area was developed piecemeal, and Pennethorne's contribution to the scheme, in his role as architect to the Office of Works, was a simple "junction" building containing offices and lecture theatre, linking the new iron museum buildings with existing structures, which had been adapted for use as an art school. He was one of the architects invited, in 1862, to submit designs for a memorial to Prince Albert
Prince Albert most commonly refers to:
*Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria
*Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco
Prince Albert may also refer to:
Royalty
* Albert I of Belgium ...
, but his suggestion for a monument in the form of a Classical mausoleum was rejected in favour of George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...
's Gothic construction. Unbuilt plans commissioned from Pennethorne included designs for new public offices in Downing Street
Downing Street is a street in Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Situated off Whitehall, it is long, and a few minutes' walk ...
, and a new War Office intended to be built in Pall Mall.[
His last work was for the ]University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
at 6 Burlington Gardens
__NOTOC__
6 Burlington Gardens is a Grade II*-listed building in Mayfair, London. Built for the University of London, it has been used by various institutions in the course of its history, including the Civil Service Commission, the British M ...
. The adjoining Burlington House
Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in Mayfair, London. It was originally a private Neo-Palladian mansion owned by the Earls of Burlington and was expanded in the mid-19th century after being purchased by the British government. Toda ...
, in Piccadilly, had been acquired by the government on his advice, to accommodate the learned societies removed from Somerset House, and the Royal Academy. The plans for the University of London were approved in 1866, but underwent some modification.[
Pennethorne was knighted, in recognition of his public services, in November 1870.]
His pupils included Henry Saxon Snell
Henry Saxon Snell (4 April 1831 – 10 January 1904) was a noted architect who specialised in health facilities and designed many London hospitals and other public buildings. He was the author of two significant architectural books: ''Hospital Co ...
(1830–1904). His brother John Pennethorne (1808–1888) was also an architect.
He died on 1st September 1871 and was buried on the western side of Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...
.
Works
In private practice:
* East and West Park Villages, Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...
(started by Nash, but completed by Pennethorne after Nash's death in 1835)[
* Christ Church, Albany Street (1836)]
*The Bazaar, St. James's Street, for William Crockford.[
*Trinity Church, Gray's Inn Road.][
*Lamorby House (enlarged) and Chapel for John Malcolm.][
*Swithland Hall, Leicestershire, for Butler Danvers.][
* Dillington House, ]Ilminster
Ilminster is a minster town and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, with a population of 5,808. Bypassed in 1988, the town now lies just east of the junction of the A303 (London to Exeter) and the A358 (Taunton to ...
, for John Lee Lee.[
* St. Julian's, Sevenoaks, for J. C. Herries.][
* House at Newmarket for William Crockford.][
]
Public Buildings
* Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street is a one-way street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster in London, England. It is to the south of, parallel, and adjacent to Piccadilly. Jermyn Street is known as a street for gentlemen's-clothing retailers.
Hist ...
(1847–49)
* Public Record Office
The Public Record Office (abbreviated as PRO, pronounced as three letters and referred to as ''the'' PRO), Chancery Lane in the City of London, was the guardian of the national archives of the United Kingdom from 1838 until 2003, when it was m ...
, Chancery Lane
Chancery Lane is a one-way street situated in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. It has formed the western boundary of the City since 1994, having previously been divided between the City of Westminster and the London Boroug ...
, London WC2 (1851–1858 – now the Maughan Library
The Maughan Library () is the main university research library of King's College London, forming part of the Strand Campus. A 19th-century neo-Gothic building located on Chancery Lane in the City of London, it was formerly the home to the headq ...
of King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
)
* Ballroom at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
, London SW1 (1854)
* West wing of Somerset House
Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...
, London WC2 (1849–1856)
* Alterations to the National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...
(1860–1869)
* Army Staff College, at Royal Military College, Sandhurst
The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...
(1862)
* Alterations to Marlborough House
Marlborough House, a Grade I listed mansion in St James's, City of Westminster, London, is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It was built in 1711 for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marl ...
, London SW1 (today the home of the Commonwealth Secretariat
The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating co-operation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads o ...
) (1863)
* 6 Burlington Gardens
__NOTOC__
6 Burlington Gardens is a Grade II*-listed building in Mayfair, London. Built for the University of London, it has been used by various institutions in the course of its history, including the Civil Service Commission, the British M ...
, London SW1 (originally designed as office accommodation for the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, today this lies to the rear of Burlington House, home of 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 ...
, which took over 6 Burlington Gardens in about 2005) (1867–1870)
Parks
*Kennington Park
Kennington Park is a public park in Kennington, south London and lies between Kennington Park Road and St. Agnes Place. It was opened in 1854 on the site of what had been Kennington Common, where the Chartists gathered for their biggest "mons ...
, south London
*Victoria Park, East London
Victoria Park (known colloquially as Vicky Park or the People's Park) is a park in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, England.
It is the largest park in Tower Hamlets and one of London's most visited green spaces with approx ...
(from 1842, opened 1846).
*Battersea Park
Battersea Park is a 200-acre (83-hectare) green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in London. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea and was opened in 1858.
The park occupies marshland reclai ...
, south London (1846 to 1864, designed with John Gibson)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennethorne, James, Sir
19th-century English architects
People from Worcester, England
1801 births
1871 deaths
Burials at Highgate Cemetery
Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal
People associated with The National Archives (United Kingdom)
Architects from Worcestershire
Knights Bachelor