Thomas Allom (13 March 1804 – 21 October 1872) was an English architect, artist, and topographical

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complic ...

. He was a founding member of what became 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 ...

(RIBA). He designed many buildings in London, including the Church of St Peter's and parts of the elegant

Ladbroke Estate The Ladbroke Estate was a substantial estate of land owned by the Ladbroke family in Notting Hill, London, England, in the early 19th century that was gradually developed and turned into housing during the middle years of the century, as London ...

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

. He also worked with Sir

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also respon ...

on numerous projects, most notably the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north ban ...

, and is also known for his numerous topographical works, such as ''Constantinople and the Scenery of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor'', published in 1838, and ''China Illustrated'', published in 1845.

Architect

He was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area e ...

, south London, the son of a coachman from

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include ...

. In 1819, he was apprenticed to architect Francis Goodwin for whom he worked until 1826. He then studied at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

School. His designs for churches shown at exhibitions in 1824 and 1827 aroused considerable interest. From 1834 to 1843, he worked in partnership with

Henry Francis Lockwood Henry Francis Lockwood (18 September 1811, Doncaster – 21 July 1878, Richmond, Surrey) was an influential English architect active in the North of England. Family Lockwood was from a successful Doncaster family. His grandfather, Joseph Lockw ...

in Hull, where they designed a number of Neo-classical buildings, such as Hull Trinity House (1839), extensions to

Hull Royal Infirmary Hull Royal Infirmary is a tertiary teaching hospital and is one of the two main hospitals for Kingston upon Hull (the other being Castle Hill Hospital in nearby Cottingham). It is situated on Anlaby Road, just outside the city centre, and is r ...

(1840) and Great Thornton Street Church (1843); the pair also designed the expansion of the Brownlow Hill workhouse in Liverpool (1842-1843). Allom later designed many buildings in London, including a

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

in Marloes Road,

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensington Garden ...

(1847), the Church of Christ in

Highbury Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor house was sit ...

in 1850, the Church of St Peter's in

in 1856, and parts of the

in west London. Further afield his works included workhouses at

Calne Calne () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, southwestern England,OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs ...

, Wiltshire (1847) and in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, design of the

William Brown Library The William Brown Library and Museum is a Grade II* listed building situated on the historic William Brown Street in Liverpool, England. The building currently houses part of the World Museum Liverpool and Liverpool Central Library. The Wil ...

also in Liverpool, (1857–1860), and the tower of St. Leodegarius Church, Basford near

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

(1860). He also worked with Sir

on numerous projects, including the

and the remodelling of

Highclere Castle Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house built in 1679 and largely renovated in the 1840s, with a park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The estate is in Highclere in Hampshire, England, about south of Newbury, B ...

Topographical illustrator

However, Allom is chiefly known for his numerous topographical works, which were used to illustrate books on travel. From the 1820s onwards, he travelled extensively through the UK and mainland Europe. In 1832 he published ''Westmorland, Cumberland, Durham and Northumberland Illustrated from Original Drawings by Thomas Allom'' (three volumes). In 1834 Allom arrived in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

, Turkey, and produced hundreds of drawings during journeys through

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, Syria and Palestine. The results of this expedition were published in 1838 in ''Constantinople and the Scenery of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor'' published in two volumes with text by Robert Walsh. Emily Reeve's ''Character and Costume in Turkey and Italy'', published in London in 1840, was also illustrated with engravings by Allom. John Carne's ''Syria, the Holy Land, Asia Minor, &c. illustrated'', published in London in 1836-1838, was in part illustrated with engravings by Allom. He is also remembered for numerous illustrations of China, published in ''China Illustrated'' in 1845. He also provided illustrations for "Family Secrets" by Mrs Ellis (1841) and E W Brayley's "A topographical history of Surrey" (1850).

Final works

Allom, who lived at 1 Barnes Villas (now 80 Lonsdale Road), Barnes, suffered from a heart condition in his later years, and although he only retired in 1870, his artistic and architectural output slowed during the 1860s. In 1868 he designed Holy Trinity Barnes (in south west London), his local church to which he contributed £50 towards the cost of its construction. In 1865 was commissioned to design a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be cons ...

for former MP George Dodd in

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...

(Dodd, who died on 15 December 1864, was one of the Gentlemen of Her Majesty's privy chamber from 1844, and MP for

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

from 29 June 1841 to May 1853). Allom died aged 68 in Barnes, and was buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

Notable buildings

St Peter's Notting Hill St Peter's Notting Hill is a Victorian Anglican church in Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill, London. Designed in the classical style by architect Thomas Allom, work was begun in 1855 and completed in 1857. History Until the mid nineteenth cen ...

Barbara Denny, ''Notting Hill and Holland Park Past'', Historical Publications, 1993. * St. Leodegarius Church, Basford

Gallery

File:Thomas Allom Ships on the Bosphorus at the Entrance to the Black Sea.jpg, ''Ships on the Bosphorus at the Entrance to the Black Sea'' File:Allom - Castles.jpg, ''The Castles of Anadoluhisari and Rumelihisari on the Bosphorus''. File:Allom - Constantinople.jpg, ''Constantinople from the Entrance of the Golden Horn''. File:Grande Galerie Louvre by Thomas Allom.jpg, ''Grande Galerie Louvre''

References

;Attribution *

External links

Thoms Allom online
(ArtCyclopedia), Retrieved 11 July 2010

Retrieved 11 July 2010
The entrance of the Golden Horn
(watercolour –

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémi ...

), Retrieved 11 July 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Allom, Thomas 19th-century English architects 19th-century English painters English male painters English watercolourists English illustrators Landscape artists 1804 births 1872 deaths Architects from London Artists from London People from Lambeth Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery 19th-century English male artists