Ralph Knott (3 May 1878 – 25 January 1929) was a British

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. He was responsible for building the massive 6-storey "Edwardian Baroque" style County Hall building for the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

. Knott was a native of

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and was the youngest son of Samuel Knott, a tailor, and his wife, Elizabeth (née White), from

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

. After attending the

City of London School , established = , closed = , type = Public school Boys' independent day school , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Alan Bird , chair_label = Chair of Governors , chair = Ian Seaton , founder = John Carpenter , special ...

he was articled to Wood and Ainslie, architects. He was taught etching by

Frank Brangwyn Sir Frank William Brangwyn (12 May 1867 – 11 June 1956) was a Welsh artist, painter, watercolourist, printmaker, illustrator, and designer. Brangwyn was an artistic jack-of-all-trades. As well as paintings and drawings, he produced des ...

at the Architectural Association and when his articles were finished, joined Sir

Aston Webb Sir Aston Webb (22 May 1849 – 21 August 1930) was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in pa ...

. Webb was a keen participant in architectural competitions and Knott's etching skill was valued in winning them. He drew the etchings which enabled Webb to win the competition for the

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

memorial outside Buckingham Palace, also working on the designs of

Admiralty Arch Admiralty Arch is a landmark building in London providing road and pedestrian access between The Mall, which extends to the southwest, and Trafalgar Square to the northeast. Admiralty Arch, commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mo ...

and the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

. In 1908 Knott set up his own practice together with E. Stone Collins. The first substantial commission they applied for was for offices for the

. Despite many very well known names entering, Knott won at the age of 29. Designs for the construction were brought to life by the architect and perspectivist Alick Horsnell. His design was altered significantly before construction began, including the familiar semicircular terrace being moved from the land to the river-side of the building. Construction was held up by the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, during which Knott worked on designs for

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

bases, and partially completed in 1922 (except for the northern third). In June 1921 he was elected a fellow 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 supp ...

. After the opening of County Hall, Knott built some notable buildings, including two departmental office blocks at Stormont near

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. In 1925 he designed the pavilion at the City of London School's new athletics grounds in Grove Park. The building was a memorial to the alumni of the school who had perished in the

, and he donated his services free of charge. He had begun the work on the last part of County Hall in 1928 but it remained uncompleted at his death. In 1919 Knott married Ada (née Brown), widow of Sidney James Longden. They had no children. He died suddenly at his

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many cen ...

home in January 1929, aged 50. A bronze plaque to his memory at County Hall was unveiled by the Chairman of the London County Council in June 1932.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knott, Ralph 1878 births 1929 deaths 20th-century English architects Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects People from Chelsea, London People educated at the City of London School Architects from London