Henry Heathcote Statham (11 January 1839 - 29 May 1924)
, ''Hymntime''. Accessed: 3 September 2015. was an English architect, architectural journalist and editor, and music critic.

Career

Statham was the son of a

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

solicitor and was educated at the

Liverpool Collegiate Institution Liverpool Collegiate School was an all-boys grammar school, later a comprehensive school, in the Everton, Liverpool, Everton area of Liverpool. Foundations The Collegiate is a striking, Grade II listed building, with a facade of pink Woolton sa ...

, after which he was articled to an architect in the city, where he subsequently practiced for a time. Aged around 30, he moved to

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In 1884, he became editor of ''

The Builder ''Building'' is one of the United Kingdom's oldest business-to-business magazines, launched as ''The Builder'' in 1843 by Joseph Aloysius Hansom – architect of Birmingham Town Hall and designer of the Hansom Cab. The journal was renamed ''Bu ...

'' ("then one of the most important influences on architecture throughout the British Empire"),Henry Heathcote Statham (1839—1924), architectural writer and journal editor
Oxford Index. Retrieved: 3 September 2015. retaining the post until 1908, during which time he designed the fronts of the magazine's office and its neighbours at 2-6 Catherine Street in 1903. He contributed papers to 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 ...

and the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

, of which he was a member. He was a notable critic, in 1916, of the design of London's

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...

, saying "it represents the vice of tawdriness and pretentiousness, and of falsification of the actual facts of the structure". He also contributed articles to the

1911 Encyclopædia Britannica A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

. An amateur musician, Statham gave classical organ recitals at London's

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. He was music critic for the ''

Edinburgh Review The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. ''Edinburgh Review'', ...

'' (contributing essays on

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

in 1881 and 1883, for example),Clark, Suzannah (2011) ''Analyzing Schubert'', Cambridge University Press. . and a contributor to '' Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', ''

The Fortnightly Review ''The Fortnightly Review'' was one of the most prominent and influential magazines in nineteenth-century England. It was founded in 1865 by Anthony Trollope, Frederic Harrison, Edward Spencer Beesly, and six others with an investment of £9,000; ...

'' and ''

Nineteenth Century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolish ...

''. He was a member of the

Royal Musical Association The Royal Musical Association (RMA) is a British scholarly society and charity. Founded in 1874, the Association claims to be the second oldest musicological society in the world, after that of the Netherlands. Activities include organizing and sp ...

, and a Fellow of the

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

Personal life

He married Florence Elizabeth Dicken (1856–1938) on 17 February 1887, in

Upper Norwood Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon and the eastern part of it is better known as the Crystal Palace area. Upper Norwood is situated ...

, London, and died in Torquay in 1924. They had at least two sons, the eldest,

Heathcote Dicken Statham Heathcote Dicken Statham CBE (7 December 1889 - 29 October 1973) was a conductor, composer and organist of international repute. Early life He was the eldest son of Henry Heathcote Statham (1839-1924) and Florence Elizabeth Dicken (1856-1938). Hi ...

, becoming a conductor, composer and organist of international repute.

Published works

*''Modern Architecture: A Book for Architects and the Public'' (1897) *''Architecture Among the Poets'' (1898) *''My Thoughts on Music and Musicians'' *''Form and Design in Music'' *''Winged Words'' (published anonymously, 1907) *''The Organ and Its Position in Musical Art'' (1909) *''Architecture for General Readers: A Short Treatise on the Principles of Architectural Design with a Historical Sketch'' (1909) *''Design for Remodeling the Front of the National Gallery and Laying Out Trafalgar Square'' (1912) *''Short Critical History of Architecture'' (1912; later editions published in 1927 and 1950) *''What is Music? A Short Analysis for the General Reader'' (1913)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Statham, Henry Heathcote 1839 births 1924 deaths 19th-century English architects British magazine editors Architects from Liverpool 19th-century British journalists English male journalists English journalists 19th-century English male writers