Robert Atkinson (1 August 1883 – 26 December 1952) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

primarily working in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style.

Life

Atkinson was born in

Wigton Wigton is a market town in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies just outside the Lake District in the borough of Allerdale. Wigton is at the centre of the Solway Plain, between the Caldbeck Fells ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

and studied at

University College Nottingham , mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom , established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status , type = Public , chancellor ...

, and afterwards in Paris, Italy and America. He was a talented draughtsman and worked for C. E. Mallows from 1905. In turn he illustrated many of the town planning and garden designs of

Thomas Hayton Mawson Thomas Hayton Mawson (5 May 1861 – 14 November 1933), known as T. H. Mawson, was a British garden designer, landscape architect, and town planner. Personal life Mawson was born in Nether Wyresdale, Lancashire, and left school at age 12. H ...

, included in the latter's books ''The Art and Craft of Garden Making'', and ''Civic Art'' (1911), to which he contributed a number of skilled perspective views. Atkinson experimented with various styles, including the American Beaux-Arts and oriental, in search of a new modern style. He is known for his cinema designs in English cities, including the 3,000 seat

Regent Cinema The Regent Cinema was a movie theater, cinema in Brighton, England. It was opened by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres on 27 July 1921 and was one of that company's first super cinemas. It was demolished in 1974. Design The building was designe ...

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

(built 1919–1923; demolished 1974). Described as the "first luxury cinema on the American model", it was really a recreation centre, in which one could also "take tea", eat or dance. Atkinson is also well known for the art deco interior of the

Daily Express Building, London The Daily Express Building (120 Fleet Street) is a Grade II* listed building located in Fleet Street in the City of London. It was designed in 1932 by Ellis and Clark to serve as the home of the ''Daily Express'' newspaper and is one of the most p ...

, in 1931–2, which has been described as the "best surviving art deco interior in Britain". Atkinson did a lot of work in the Art Deco style, but found that commercial considerations meant that he had to forgo his artistic aspirations. Much of his work is not remembered or not well regarded including the government rehousing scheme built in 1946 to 1950 in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and government offices in

Marsham Street Marsham Street is a street in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is approximately one mile in length and runs south from Great Peter Street near Victoria Street and Parliament Square. Description Marsham Street bisects Horseferry R ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, which were actually not built as he intended, as the design was changed after he died. Atkinson was appointed an OBE in 1951, shortly before his death.

Partial list of works

The following is a selection of Atkinson's works: *

All Hallows Twickenham All Hallows Twickenham is a Grade I listed church and parish of the Church of England in Twickenham, London. It incorporates the tower of All Hallows Lombard Street and is prominently south of a major road of west London, near Twickenham Stadiu ...

(incorporating portions moved from

All Hallows Lombard Street All Hallows Lombard Street, also seen with descriptor Gracechurch Street, was a parish church in the City of London. It stood behind thin buildings fronting both streets, in Langbourn Ward, The west and south sides faced into Ball Alley. Of ...

) *

Barber Institute of Fine Arts The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is an art gallery and concert hall in Birmingham, England. It is situated in purpose-built premises on the campus of the University of Birmingham. The Grade I listed Art Deco building was designed by Robert At ...

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

(

RIBA 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 ...

Bronze Medal, 1946) *

Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital The Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital in Taplow, Buckinghamshire, was a civilian hospital and a centre for research into rheumatism in children until its closure in 1985. History War time origins In 1914, during the First World War, th ...

, Taplow, Bucks (in grounds of

Cliveden Cliveden (pronounced ) is an English country house and estate in the care of the National Trust in Buckinghamshire, on the border with Berkshire. The Italianate mansion, also known as Cliveden House, crowns an outlying ridge of the Chiltern H ...

) * Cannon Royal Cinema,

Charing Cross Road Charing Cross Road is a street in central London running immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles Circus (the intersection with Oxford Street) and then becomes Tottenham Court Road. It leads from the north in the direction of ...

, London *

City Hall, Norwich Norwich City Hall is an Art Deco building completed in 1938 which houses the city hall for the city of Norwich, East Anglia, in Eastern England. It is one of the Norwich 12, a collection of twelve heritage buildings in Norwich deemed of particu ...

(site plan) * Croydon 'B' power station *

Oslo Court Oslo Court is a block of flats on Prince Albert Road in St John's Wood, London. Built around 1937, it was designed by architect Robert Atkinson in the International Modern style and is Grade II listed. Oslo Court Restaurant The ground floor ...

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

, London *

(lobby interior) * Eros Cinema,

Shaftesbury Avenue Shaftesbury Avenue is a major road in the West End of London, named after The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. It runs north-easterly from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus. From Piccadilly Cir ...

, London (demolished) *

Gresham Hotel Hotel Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin, formerly The Gresham Hotel, is a historic Star (classification)#Hotel ratings, four-star hotel on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a Dublin institution and landmark building which ...

and

Clerys Clerys was a long-established department store on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland, a focal point of the street. The business dates from 1853, however the current building dates from 1922, having been completely destroyed in the 1916 Easte ...

department store O'Connell Street, Dublin * 30 Horniman Drive,

Forest Hill, London Forest Hill is a district of the London Borough of Lewisham in south London, south east London, England, on the South Circular Road, London, South Circular Road, which is home to the Horniman Museum. History Like much of London, Forest Hil ...

(private residence) *

(demolished) * Ridgehanger, 7 Hillcrest Road,

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...

, London. Grade II listed detached private residence * Stockleigh Hall, Regent's Park Estate, Camden Borough, London (

Bronze Medal, 1937) *

Wallington Town Hall Wallington Town Hall is a municipal building in Woodcote Road, Wallington, London. It is a Grade II listed building. History In the early 20th century Beddington and Wallington Urban District Council was based at 37 Manor Road, the former offi ...

References

External links

*
Gresham Hotel
at Irish-architecture.com
List of closed and/or demolished cinemas by Atkinson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Robert 1883 births 1952 deaths People from Wigton Architects from Cumbria 20th-century English architects Officers of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects

Life

Partial list of works

References

Further reading

External links