John Norton (architect)
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John Norton (28 September 1823 – 10 November 1904) was an English architect who designed
country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
s, churches and a number of commercial buildings.


Early life

Norton was born and educated in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
. He became the pupil of architect
Benjamin Ferrey Benjamin Ferrey FSA FRIBA (1 April 1810–22 August 1880) was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival. Family Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr (1779–1847), a draper who became Mayor of Christc ...
(1810–80) in 1846. Ferrey was an early 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 ...
and a close friend of the designer
Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...
(1812–52), who took his inspiration from the
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
medieval styles of the pre-Reformation era. Ferrey's association with Pugin had a profound effect upon Norton, who adopted Pugin's principles and Christian moral dimensions in his own subsequent designs for
church architecture Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of churches, convents, seminaries etc. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by borrowing other architectural styles as ...
. The vital tenets of Pugin's and thus Norton's creed were centred on the revival of the pointed structure of the
Gothic arch A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown, whose two curving sides meet at a relatively sharp angle at the top of the arch. This architectural element was particularly important in Gothic architecture. The earlie ...
. It was argued that only this construction truly symbolised Christian striving towards heaven and Christ's resurrection, Classical architecture having been based on
pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
temples. Furthermore, that '...there should be no features about a building which are not necessary for convenience, construction or propriety,...all ornament should consist of enrichment of the essential construction of the building... nd thatin pure architecture the smallest detail should have a meaning or serve a purpose.'


Career

Pugin died in 1852 at the time that Norton, not yet 30, was to embark upon a succession of
Gothic revivalist Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
designs for parish churches throughout
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
. He also worked in Gloucestershire, restoring the 13th-century
Church of St Mary and St Peter, Tidenham The Church of St Mary and St Peter, Tidenham, is a parish church of the Diocese of Gloucester, England. It dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, and was extensively restored by John Norton in 1858. It is a Grade II* listed building and remains ...
in 1858. Ferrey had continued to maintain a thriving architectural practice in the west of England and had been appointed honorary architect to the
Diocese of Bath and Wells The Diocese of Bath and Wells is a diocese in the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England. The diocese covers the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells is located in the C ...
. Norton, although now based in London also maintained a Bristol office. Norton's association with Sir Peregrine Acland, who donated the £16,000 necessary to rebuild the former mediaeval church of St. Audries, bore further fruit with the commission to design
Stogursey School Stogursey is the name of a small village and civil parish in the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England. It is situated from Nether Stowey, and west of Bridgwater. The village is situated near the Bristol Channel, which bounds the parish on the n ...
in 1860. This was undertaken by Norton with his now customary flamboyance and dedication to the ideals of Gothic revivalism, and was constructed from local Quantock stone with
Bath stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...
dressings. The school stands in use today. In accordance with Ferrey and Pugin's prescient concerns for the inter-relationship of humanity and the environment it produces, Norton's designs called for the sourcing of construction materials from their locality. Holy Trinity, Stapleton, was built from
pennant stone The Pennant Measures is the traditional name for a sequence of sedimentary rocks of the South Wales Coalfield. They were also referred to as the Upper Coal Measures and assigned to the Westphalian 'C' and Westphalian 'D' stages of the Carbonifer ...
quarried from nearby Broomhill dressed in stone from Bath. St. Audries from red
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
quarried from nearby Stampford Brett, and Holy Trinity,
Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingdo ...
, from the hard underlying
blue lias The Blue Lias is a geological formation in southern, eastern and western England and parts of South Wales, part of the Lias Group. The Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassi ...
, a sedimentary
Jurassic limestone The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...
quarried from
Somerton Somerton may refer to: Places Australia * Somerton, New South Wales * Somerton Park, South Australia, a seaside Adelaide suburb ** Somerton Man, unsolved case of an unidentified man found dead in 1948 on the Somerton Park beach * Somerton, Victoria ...
, just five miles from the church site. In addition to the regular ecclesiastical commissions, Norton's London practice had designed the grand residences that line Crystal Palace Road in
Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...
. The sale of these properties partly financed the park which had been laid out to display Paxton's
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
, reconstructed from the
Great Exhibition of 1851 The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took pl ...
.


Work on country residences

Later that decade, Norton's reputation was enhanced with commissions to build Nutley Priory near Redhill, (
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
), for the banker E.H.Gurney,
Brent Knoll Brent Knoll is a hill on the Somerset Levels, in Somerset, England. It is located roughly halfway between Weston-super-Mare and Bridgwater, from the Bristol Channel coast at Burnham-on-Sea. At the foot of the hill are two villages East Brent ...
in the
West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...
for G.S.Poole, and
Chewton Magna Manor Chewton may refer to: *Chewton, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place in the United States *Chewton, Victoria, a town in Australia *Chewton Keynsham, a hamlet in Somerset, United Kingdom *Chewton Mendip Chewton Mendip is a village and civil pa ...
for W.Adlam. John Norton's greatest commission was now on the horizon. William Gibbs (1790–1875) had become a partner in the family trading company and by the time of Queen Victoria's accession in 1837 had, with his brother
Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
, circumspectly steered their business through the
French Wars French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
and the dissolution of Spanish colonial interests. William became sole owner in 1842 and the following 40 years produced annual profits that would have reached beyond his ancestors' imagining. Gibbs'
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
vian office had secured contracts for the export to Britain of
guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...
, the nitrogen-rich deposits of seabird droppings that became a principal fertiliser for the increase of wheat yields. William Gibbs now required a country seat for his family away from London and in 1843 purchased Tyntes Place, an attractive house with relatively simple and plain internal decoration that overlooked the
Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...
. The house had been rebuilt to the conservative tastes of a Reverend Seymour and further improved by
Nailsea Nailsea is a town in Somerset, England, southwest of Bristol, and northeast of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the opposite side of the Bristol to Exeter railway line. Nailsea had a populatio ...
architect Robert Newton after 1836. During the 1850s the celebrated designer
John Gregory Crace Vice Admiral Sir John Gregory Crace (6 February 1887 – 11 May 1968) was an Australian who came to prominence as an officer of the Royal Navy (RN). He commanded the Australian-United States Support Force, Task Force 44, at the Battle of the C ...
(1809–89), who had worked closely with Augustus Pugin, was commissioned by Gibbs to make improvements to the London house at 16
Hyde Park Gardens Hyde Park Gardens, also known as Hyde Park Terrace consists of two roads running adjacent to the north western corner of Hyde Park, Westminster, Greater London. Number 1 Hyde Park Gardens runs up to Number 23 with a large private communal garde ...
, and also to refurbish Tyntesfield House, as it was now officially referred to. Norton was first invited to Tyntesfield on 21 August 1860, when Gibbs outlined his needs for further expansion to his country seat. The meeting went well and in March the following year, with fellow ecclesiastical architect
Rohde Hawkins Major Rohde Hawkins (born 4 February 1821 in Nutfield, Surrey; died 19 October 1884, Holmwood, Surrey) was an English architect of the Victorian period. He is known for the schools and churches that he built. ''Note: Both his given names "Ma ...
, introductions were made to the builders William Cubitt & Co. in London, and meetings held with senior partner George Plucknett. It was Plucknett who held the responsibility for executing Norton's designs. Cubitts had built
Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house himself, in t ...
for Queen Victoria on the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
, and thus came with the highest recommendations. Norton's dramatic designs were completed by 1863 and the extensive re-modelling of Tyntesfield commenced in October. The building work took over two years and was completed close to the £70,000 budget allowed for it. Reverend Seymour's restrained
Regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
house had been utterly absorbed, doubled in size and transformed into a soaring Gothic-revival masterpiece bristling with ornamentation born from its diverse construction elements. Though quite new, the range of buildings gave the appearance of having grown over a much longer period of time. Pinnacles, gables, crenellated towers, stained glass, plain glass and leaded light windows harmonised in a testimony to Norton's visionary skills and balance, and Plucknett's craftmanship. The interiors of the vast house were just as breathtaking. 'Norton's creation was quite extraordinary. He had combined the Gothic beauty of holiness with a reverence for nature. He created domestic architecture based on the recent collegiate buildings in Oxford. Suddenly, too, the tenets of Ruskin and Pugin have become transfixed in stone.' Tyntesfield remains at the zenith of Norton's designs but his architectural practice continued the ecclesiastical, country house and suburban output for which he was now rightly celebrated. St John the Evangelist's in Middlesbrough dates from 1865. Between 1866 and 1875 Norton built and restored
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
es in
South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
: St. David's,
Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...
,(1866), St. Matthew, Llanelwydd and the parish church of
Builth Wells Builth Wells (; cy, Llanfair-ym-Muallt) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of ...
, (1870). In 1875, he re-designed the west wall of St. Thomas the Apostle,
Redwick, Newport Redwick ( cy, Y Redwig) is a small village and community (parish) to the south east of the city of Newport, in Wales, United Kingdom. It lies within the Newport city boundaries, in the historic county of Monmouthshire and the preserved coun ...
, inserting a large window. Norton's occasional forays into suburban architecture, notably
Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent ...
, Clifton, and the Crystal Palace estate designs, re-emerged in 1871 when the south side of
Crystal Palace Park Crystal Palace Park is a Victorian pleasure ground located in the South London suburb of Crystal Palace which surrounds the site of the former Crystal Palace Exhibition building. The Palace had been relocated from Hyde Park, London after the 18 ...
was developed and Norton's London practice designed a series of impressive houses. From 1867–72, he lived at nearby
Litchfield House Litchfield may refer to: Places Antarctica * Litchfield Island, Palmer Archipelago Australia * Litchfield Municipality, Northern Territory * Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory * Litchfield Station, Northern Territory Canada * Litch ...
, and in 1873 moved to 'St. Helens' 55 Crystal Palace Road where he remained until 1881. Norton also continued with his country house commissions and in 1884, re-modelled and enlarged Badgemore House, west of Henley in Oxfordshire for Richard Ovey. During this period he designed Dalewood House in Mickleham,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. The house now serves as the main building of
Box Hill School Box Hill School is an independent coeducational boarding and day school situated in the village of Mickleham near Dorking, Surrey, England. The school has approximately 425 pupils aged 11–18. 70 percent of students are day students whilst th ...
a
Public School Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
in the village which was established in 1959 by Roy McComish, a former house master and art master at
Gordonstoun School Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. It is named after the estate owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 17th century; the school now uses this estate as its campus. It is located ...
who developed the school under the same principles as Gordonstoun's founder
Kurt Hahn Kurt Matthias Robert Martin Hahn (5 June 1886, Berlin – 14 December 1974, Hermannsberg) was a German educator. He was decisive in founding, among other organizations and initiatives, Stiftung Louisenlund, Schule Schloss Salem, Gordonstoun, ...
Norton returned to South Wales in 1887 to design
Gwyn Hall The Gwyn Hall was previously a four-storey Victorian era, Victorian theatre in the town centre of Neath, Wales. Following a fire in 2007 it was substantially rebuilt, retaining its facade but moving the theatre to the ground floor, with flexib ...
, the principal civic building and music hall for
Neath Port Talbot Neath Port Talbot ( cy, Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county borough in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county bor ...
. This handsome structure with its fine windows and trademark colonnade of Gothic arches cost £6,000 to design and build. It was recently undergoing a £4 million facelift when a fire gutted the building in 2007. Fortunately, Norton's exterior has mostly survived. In the 1890s, Norton was commissioned to design Saint Helen's Church,
Lundy Island Lundy is an English island in the Bristol Channel. It was a micronation from 1925–1969. It forms part of the district of Torridge in the county of Devon. About long and wide, Lundy has had a long and turbulent history, frequently chang ...
, by the then owner, the Rev'd Hudson Grosset Heaven. St Helen's stands prominently on the top of the island and, visible from the sea on all sides, is the island's most conspicuous landmark. The church is built largely of Lundy granite and the 65-foot-high tower houses 8 bells. The high church interior of polychromed brick is enhanced by some good stained glass (though the fine east window has been partially blocked up due to weather damage) and a beautiful reredos of carved alabaster by
Harry Hems Harry Hems (12 June 1842 – 5 January 1916) was an English architectural and ecclesiastical sculptor who was particularly inspired by Gothic architecture and a practitioner of Gothic Revival. He founded and ran a large workshop in Exeter, Devon ...
of Exeter. St Helen's was completed in 1896 and consecrated by the Bishop of Exeter in 1897. Other than his dynamic, traditional Christian faith and the references from William Gibbs' business-like diary, which note his satisfaction as to the progress at Tyntesfield, we know little of John Norton's personality. One intriguing and revealing insight however is illuminated from the autobiography of the great author
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
(1840–1928). Norton's London practice was in
Old Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the ...
, and in April 1862, despite being fully staffed he agreed that the young Hardy, who at the time sought apprenticeship in architecture,'...should come daily to the office and make drawings'. The biography, (penned in fact by Hardy's second wife Florence), records that, 'he proved himself to be one of the best helps Hardy ever had' Hardy, T.& F. (1928/2007) 'Wordsworth Literary Lives: Thomas Hardy' (Ware: Wordsworth Editions) Other projects he was associated with include
Berkeley Square, Bristol Berkeley Square is close to Park Street in the Clifton area of Bristol. It was laid out around 1790 in Georgian style with a central grass area behind railings, by Thomas and William Paty. Numbers 12-18 were damaged during the Bristol Blitz in ...
, for which in 1851 he made the replica of the
Bristol High Cross Bristol High Cross is a monumental market cross erected in 1373 in the centre of Bristol. It was built in Decorated Gothic style on the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon cross, to commemorate the granting of a charter by Edward III to make Brist ...
which stands in the square; the Manor House in
Chew Magna Chew Magna is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset, in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The parish ...
; St Audries Park; the college of
St Matthias, Bristol St Matthias (known colloquially as St Matts) used to belong to the University of the West of England. The campus is located in the suburb of Fishponds in Bristol. History The campus was previously a teacher training college, originally called t ...
; and
Christ Church, Clifton Down Christ Church () is a Church of England parish church in Clifton, Bristol, England. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. History The church was built in 1841 by Charles Dyer. The steeple was built in 1859 by John Norton, and ...
, Bristol. This church was built by Charles Dyer in 1841. Norton added the steeple, which reaches , in 1859. Norton died on 10 November 1904 and was buried in
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
, Dorset.


References


Sources

*Miller J. (2003) 'Fertile Fortune: The Story of Tyntesfield' (London: The National Trust) *Hardy, T.& F. (1928/2007) 'Wordsworth Literary Lives: Thomas Hardy' (Ware: Wordsworth Editions) *Pugin A.W.N. (1841/2003) 'The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture Set Forth (intro. T.Brittain-Catlin), (Reading: SpireBooks). *http://www.British-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18613 (and 40908) *http://www.communigate.co.uk/dorset/dhs/page13.phtml *http://www.cpat.demon.co.uk/projects/longer/churches/radnor/16845 *http://history.powys.org.uk/school1/builth/church.shtml *https://web.archive.org/web/20100923104803/http://www.holytrinitystapleton.org.uk/history.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20080708145128/http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/bromley/beckenham/crystal-palace-park-road.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20080517211251/http://www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk/gwynhall/ *http://www.newport.gov.ukwww.openchurchestrust.org.uk/Churches/Kilton.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20090107020147/http://www.oxfordshirepast.net/hen_ests.html *http://www.stjohnshighbridge.org.uk *https://web.archive.org/web/20080724182034/http://www.streetandwalton.co.uk/church/groups.php *https://web.archive.org/web/20110516173413/http://www.touruk.co.uk/houses/Tyntesfield-North-Somerset.htm *http://www.westburychurch.com


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, John 19th-century English architects Architects from Bristol 1823 births 1904 deaths Gothic Revival architects