Richard Turner (iron-founder)
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Richard Turner (1798–1881) was an Irish
iron founder An iron founder (also iron-founder or ironfounder) in its more general sense is a worker in molten ferrous metal, generally working within an iron foundry. However, the term 'iron founder' is usually reserved for the owner or manager of an iron foun ...
and manufacturer of glasshouses, born in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. He is rated as one of the most important glasshouse designers of his time. His works included the Palm House at
Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
(with
Decimus Burton Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century. He was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and Reg ...
), the glasshouse in the Winter Gardens at
Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...
in
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 ...
, the Palm House at
Belfast Botanic Gardens Botanic Gardens is a public garden in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Occupying of south Belfast, the gardens are popular with office workers, students and tourists. They are located on Stranmillis Road in Queen's Quarter, with Queen's Universi ...
and the Curvilinear Range at the Irish National Botanic Gardens,
Glasnevin Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...
, Ireland.


Life

Turner was born in Dublin around 1798, the son of a merchant Timothy Turner and Catherine (née Sissons). Both his grandfather and great-grandfather were also ironsmiths, the elder of which worked on the provost's house at
Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...
. Turner inherited the ironworks from his uncle, also named Richard Turner. Turner became a property speculator, building houses on Pembroke Road, Leeson Street and Rathmines Road in Dublin. All of the houses were known for their geometric fanlights. He married Jane Goodshaw in 1816, and the couple had at least 10 children.


Iron foundry work

Turner earliest known curvilinear conservatory from 1833 at Colebrooke, County Fermanagh. In 1834, he set up the Hammersmith ironworks in
Ballsbridge Ballsbridge () (from historic Ball's Bridge) is an affluent neighbourhood of the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The area is largely north and west of a three-arch stone bridge across the River Dodder, on the south side of the city. Th ...
. It was from here that he made the lightest iron structures of the time using wrought iron ribs linked with cast iron tubes. One of his key patrons was Ninian Niven, the director of the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin. Turner built the east side of the Palm House for the Gardens in 1834, and potentially the miniature version which is attached to Niven's house in Monkstown. Turner designed and constructed the railway sheds at Westland Row and at the Broadstone in Dublin, and Lime Street in Liverpool, but also turned his hand to the design and manufacture of railings, boilers, cisterns and bedsteads. His entry in Thom’s directory for 1849 describes him as ‘manufacturer of wrought-iron gates, railway conservatories, hothouses etc., and hot water engineer’, indicating the broad range of activities which the firm undertook. Turner entered the initial competition for designs for the London International Exhibition of 1851 and out of 233 entries was jointly awarded the second prize along with an entry by Hector Horeau. The final built design was "The Crystal Palace" by Joseph Paxton.


Premises

Turner's premises from the 1830s was at Hammersmith Works,
Ballsbridge Ballsbridge () (from historic Ball's Bridge) is an affluent neighbourhood of the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The area is largely north and west of a three-arch stone bridge across the River Dodder, on the south side of the city. Th ...
. The site was later owned by the building firm
G&T Crampton G&T Crampton (founded 1879) is an Irish property development and construction company. It entered liquidation in 2021. History G&T Crampton was founded in 1879 by George J. Crampton. George Crampton formed a partnership with his nephew Tom Cram ...
until 1963, and is now the site of Hume House offices. In Samuel Lewis’s 1837 ''Topographical Dictionary of Ireland'', he describes the new Hammersmith Works as part of the entry for ‘Ball’s-Bridge’ as follows: ‘Near the village are the Hammersmith iron-works, established in 1834 by Mr. R. Turner: the front of this extensive establishment is 200 feet long, presenting a handsome façade towards the road; and at the back are numerous dwelling houses for the workmen, which are called the Hammersmith cottages. The road on which these works are situated has been greatly improved; wide footpaths have been formed, and the whole is lighted with gas. Nearly adjoining the works are the botanical gardens belonging to Trinity College’.


Selected works

*
Marlfield, Clonmel Marlfield (Gaeilge:''Gort an Mharla'') is a village three kilometres west of Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland. It is within the townlands of Marlfield and Inishlounaght. It replaced an older settlement named Abbey, which had developed near the ...
, County Tipperary (1835–40) *Bellvue at
Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , 'Cethlenn, Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of ...
(1835) *The wings of the palm house at
Belfast Botanic Gardens Botanic Gardens is a public garden in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Occupying of south Belfast, the gardens are popular with office workers, students and tourists. They are located on Stranmillis Road in Queen's Quarter, with Queen's Universi ...
(1839–40) *
Temperate House The Temperate House, opened in May 1863, is a Grade I-listed showhouse for the largest plants in Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Rectangular, with pitched roofs, its pillars support wrought-iron ribs. Decimus Burton and Irish engineer, Richard T ...
,
Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
with
Decimus Burton Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century. He was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and Reg ...
* Palm house, Kew Gardens with Burton *Waterlily House, Kew Gardens with Burton *The winter garden at Regent's Park, London (1845) dismantled in 1932 *Roofs at
Dublin Broadstone railway station Broadstone railway station ( ga, Stáisiún An Clocháin Leathan) was the Dublin terminus of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR), located in the Dublin suburb of Broadstone. The site also contained the MGWR railway works and a steam ...
(1847) *Rath House,
Ballybrittas Ballybrittas (, IPA: bˠalʲəˈbʲɾʲɪt̪ˠaːʃ is a small village in the northeast of County Laois, Ireland situated on the R445 about 5 km SW of Monasterevin, County Kildare. Formerly on the N7 Dublin - Limerick road, the village is ...
, County Laois (1847–50)


References


Sources

*
Dictionary of Irish Architects The ''Dictionary of Irish Architects'' is an online database which contains biographical and bibliographical information on architects, builders and craftsmen born or working in Ireland during the period 1720 to 1940, and information on the build ...
br>Richard Turner entry
* Lewis, S. (1837) ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland'', London. * Thom, A. (1849) ''Dublin Street Directory'', Dublin. {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Richard 1798 births Foundrymen Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew People from Raheny People from Ballsbridge 1881 deaths