William Vertue (died 1527) was an English architect specialising in Fan vault ceilings. Along with his brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, he was involved in the construction of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

(1501–1502), Bath Abbey, the Vertue brothers are reported as telling Bishop

Oliver King Oliver King (29 August 1503) was a Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Bath and Wells who restored Bath Abbey after 1500. Early life King was educated at Eton, where he was a king's scholar, and King's College, Cambridge, where he graduated Ma ...

the patron of the work that the vaulting "Ther shal be no one so goodeley, neither in England nor in France" and the vaulting and the clerestory windows and walls of the

Henry VII's chapel The Henry VII Lady Chapel, now more often known just as the Henry VII Chapel, is a large Lady chapel at the far eastern end of Westminster Abbey, paid for by the will of King Henry VII. It is separated from the rest of the abbey by brass gates a ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

, between 1506 and 1509, though Robert Virtue was dead by then and William is thought to be entirely responsible. He advised

John Wastell John Wastell (1518) was an English gothic architect and master mason responsible for the fan vaulted ceiling and other features of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, the crossing tower (Bell Harry Tower) of Canterbury Cathedral, and sections of b ...

about the design for the fan vaulted ceiling at

King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...

,. The fan vault over the crossing at

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gart ...

in 1528 finished after his death was his last known architectural work.page 656, Geoffrey Tyack, Simon Bradley & Nikolaus Pevsner, Buildings of England Berkshire, 2010, Yale University Press

Gallery of architectural work

File:Bath.abbey.fan.vault.arp.jpg, Fan Vault, Bath Abbey, the vault by Virtue is in the distance, in the chancel, the nearer vault is a Victorian copy by Sir George Gilbert Scott File:Castell de Windsor - Capella de Sant Jordi.JPG, St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, vaulting, the vault by Vertue is the fan vault over the crossing File:Westminster abbey16.jpg, Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, main vault File:Henry7Chapel 07.jpg, Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, aisle vault File:Henry7Chapel 04.jpg, Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, exterior from the south-east File:Henry7Chapel 01.jpg, Henry VII's chapel, Westminster Abbey, interior looking west

References

Architects from Somerset Gothic architects 1527 deaths Year of birth unknown 15th-century English people 16th-century English architects {{England-architect-stub