Walter Hervey Bagot (17 March 1880 – 27 July 1963) was a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n architect. He was one of the last great proponents of the traditional school of South Australian architecture. He founded Woods & Bagot in 1905.

Early life and education

UofAdelaide-BonythonHall&Conservatorium-front-Aug08

UofAdelaide-BonythonHall&LawBld-front-Aug08

Bagot was born in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

, the son of pastoralist John Bagot MHA, and Lucy Josephine Ayers; his grandfathers were

Charles Hervey Bagot Charles Hervey Bagot (17 April 1788 – 29 July 1880), often referred to as "Captain Bagot", was an Irish-born South Australian pastoralist, mine owner and parliamentarian, and was the ancestor of a number of notable South Australian citizens. ...

and Sir

Henry Ayers Sir Henry Ayers (now pron. "airs") (1 May 1821 – 11 June 1897) was the eighth Premier of South Australia, serving a record five times between 1863 and 1873. His lasting memorial is in the name Ayers Rock, also known as Uluru, which was en ...

He was educated at the Collegiate School of St Peter. After serving an

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...

with the architect

Edward John Woods Edward John Woods F.R.I.B.A. (1839 – 5 January 1916) was a prominent architect in the early days of South Australia. History Woods was born in London and educated at several private schools, then, deciding to become an architect, served ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

for four years, in 1902 Bagot went to England where he studied architecture at

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 ...

. He won the silver medal of the

Worshipful Company of Carpenters The Worshipful Company of Carpenters is a livery company of the City of London. The Carpenters were traditionally different from a fellow wood-crafting company, the Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers, in that carpenters utilised nails wh ...

, and in 1904 was admitted as an associate 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 ...

Career

Bagot returned to Adelaide in 1905, and was taken into partnership with Woods, forming Woods & Bagot. The practice grew to include other prominent architects as members over time, including

Louis Laybourne-Smith Louis Edouard Laybourne Smith CMG (1 April 1880 – 13 September 1965) was an architect and educator in South Australia. Born in the Adelaide inner-southern suburb of Unley, he became interested in engineering and architecture while in th ...

in 1917,

Herbert Jory Harrold Herbert Jory (20 March 1888 – 16 May 1966) , known as Herbert Jory, was a South Australian architect. He was a partner in the leading firm of Woods, Bagot & Jory from 1913, which became Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne Smith from 1915 to ...

in 1915, and

James Campbell Irwin Sir James Campbell Irwin ( – ) was an Australian architect and government official. Irwin studied architecture at the South Australian School of Mines and Industries, under the stewardship of George Soward. He joined the firm of Woods, Bagot, ...

in 1932. Bagot preferred

classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect V ...

and despised

Modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

. He was appointed architect for the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Australia located in Adelaide, South Australia. Cathedral St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Adelaide is the seat of the Catholic Arc ...

in 1905, and architect in charge of St Peter's Cathedral in 1907, remaining in that position until 1945. He was architect for the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

from 1910 until 1945.

Selected works

Bagot's work includes: *Chapel of the Convent of Mercy (1920) *Additions to St Francis Xavier's Cathedral (1922) *

War Memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

(1924 design destroyed by fire; contributed to final design built 1931.) * Waite Institute Building (1927) * Elder Smith & Co. Ltd (1929) *

Union Buildings The Union Buildings ( af, Uniegebou) form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located in Pretoria, atop Meintjieskop at the northern end of ...

(1929 and 1937) *

Barr Smith Library The Barr Smith Library is the main library of the University of Adelaide, situated in the centre of the North Terrace campus. History The library was named in honour of Robert Barr Smith Robert Barr Smith (4 February 1824 – 20 November 19 ...

(1932) *

Bonython Hall Bonython Hall is the "great hall" of the University of Adelaide, located in the university grounds and facing North Terrace, Adelaide. The building is on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate and the South Australian Heritage Register. ...

(1936)

Family and personal life

Woods bought the McMinn-designed Waterhouse House on North Terrace in 1906, selling it in 1926. On 18 November 1908 at

St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide St Peter's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Adelaide and Metropolitan of the Province of South Australia. The cathedral, a significant Adelaide landmark, is situ ...

, he married Josephine Margaret Barritt (1889-1946), a granddaughter of

Joseph Barritt Joseph Barritt (1816 – 17 August 1881) was a pastoralist and politician in the colony of South Australia. History Barritt was born in Hazeleigh, near Maldon, Essex, and emigrated to South Australia on the ''Anna Robertson'' in 1839 with an int ...

. They lived at "Forest Lodge", a house near Aldgate built by Bagot's father, John Bagot. The couple had three children, one being John Hervey Bagot (1910–2008), a prominent lawyer.''Bagot, Charles Hervey (1788-1880)''
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, Melbourne University Press, 1966, pp 47-48.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagot, Walter 1880 births 1963 deaths Alumni of King's College London Architects from Adelaide People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide