George Maddox (1760 in Monmouth – 1843 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

) was an architect, draughtsman, painter and teacher.

Career

Born the son of a builder in Monmouth, Maddox was apprenticed to his father and then worked in London as an assistant to

John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the R ...

, whom he assisted on several projects, including the Bank of England. Throughout his architectural career, Maddox exhibited drawings and paintings (watercolour over pencil). He exhibited four works (one in 1796, one in 1812, and two in 1819) at the Royal Academy. In 1790 the

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedom ...

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

’s brother, commissioned him to build an opera house in Leicester Square. Maddox drew plans for the opera house, but the project was abandoned upon the death of the duke; the cancellation was a severe financial blow to Maddox. In 1824 Maddox was probably the architect for Strensham Court (which was destroyed by a fire in 1974). The builders employed for Strensham were Bryan Browning and George Woolcott. Bryan Browning was to establish an architectural practice in Stamford and later his son Edward Browning was apprenticed to Maddox before he joined his father's practice. In 1824

Jeffrey Wyatville Sir Jeffry Wyatville (3 August 1766 – 18 February 1840) was an English architect and garden designer. Born Jeffry Wyatt into an established dynasty of architects, in 1824 he was allowed by King George IV to change his surname to Wyatville ...

hired Maddox as his assistant in remodeling

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

. Also in 1824 Maddox was a founding member of the

Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

and became a frequent exhibitor there. He was the architect for many private buildings and shops, built in the Anglo-Greek style, in the Strand,

Conduit Street Conduit Street is a street in Mayfair, London. It connects Bond Street to Regent Street. History The street was first developed in the early 18th century on the Conduit Mead Estate, which the Corporation of London had owned since the 15th centu ...

Southampton Street Southampton Street is a street in central London, running north from the Strand to Covent Garden Market. There are restaurants in the street such as Bistro 1 and Wagamama. There are also shops such as The North Face outdoor clothing shop. ...

, Tavistock Place and Bloomsbury. In old age, his architectural practice completely ceased, and he earned his living by teaching drawing and sometimes making designs and drawings for architects. His papers are in the archives 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 ...

.Maddox, George (1760-1843) architect, National Register of Archives
/ref> His last residence was at Castle Street,

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its root ...

. For many years Maddox taught drawing at No. 7

Furnival's Inn Furnival's Inn was an Inn of Chancery which formerly stood on the site of the present Holborn Bars building (the former Prudential Assurance Company building) in Holborn, London, England. History Furnival's Inn was founded about 1383 when Wi ...

. On the first floor were two rooms for use by his students, his bedroom and his library of 5,000 volumes; on the second floor were his living rooms and a museum of ancient sculpture. Among his students were Cockerell, Decimus Burton, Hosking and several other eminent persons.

References

Literature

*Colvin H. A (1995), ''Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840''. Yale University Press, 3rd edition London. {{DEFAULTSORT:Maddox, George 1760 births 1843 deaths 18th-century Welsh architects 19th-century British architects Greek Revival architects British watercolourists Architects from London Members of the Royal Society of British Artists