Edward Brian O'Rorke (1901 – 1974) was a New-Zealand-born British

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

er.

Early life and education

Brian O'Rorke was born at

Fendalton Fendalton is a suburb of Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand. History Fendalton was originally known as Fendall Town, named after the original settler of the land, Walpole Chesshyre Fendall (1830–1913). Fendall emigrated fr ...

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand, on 14 June 1901, the third son of Edward Dennis O'Rorke (1865–1918), and Amy Clifford Rhodes (1865–1922). His father, Dennis, was an expert horseman, particularly in polo, racing and the hunting circles, and had been Reader of the House of Representatives and Record Clerk for several years in the early 1890s. Paternal grandfather, Sir

Maurice O'Rorke Sir George Maurice O’Rorke (2 May 1830 – 25 August 1916) was a New Zealand politician, representing (as George O’Rorke) the Auckland seat of Onehunga, and later Manukau, and was Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was a committed ...

(1830–1916) had served as Member of Parliament for Onehunga and Manukau from 1861 to 1902, as well as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1879 to 1890. Maternal grandfather,

Robert Heaton Rhodes Robert Heaton Rhodes (1815 – 1 June 1884) was a New Zealand politician who represented the Akaroa electorate from 1871 to 1874, when he resigned. He was elected unopposed in 1871. Biography Born in 1815 in Rotherham, in the English county ...

(1815–1884), had been a

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

sheep farmer, member of the Canterbury Provincial Council from 1853 to 1874, member of the Executive Council from 1869 to 1870, Member of Parliament for Akaroa in the 1870s, and co-founder of the

New Zealand Shipping Company The New Zealand Shipping Company (NZSC) was a shipping company whose ships ran passenger and cargo services between Great Britain and New Zealand between 1873 and 1973. A group of Christchurch businessmen founded the company in 1873, similar ...

and the Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company. Having resided in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

from about 1902, Dennis, Amy and family moved to England in December 1911. There, O'Rorke attended

Wellington College, Berkshire Wellington College is a co-educational public school providing education for boarding and day pupils in the village of Crowthorne, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. Wellington is a registered charity and currently educates roughly 1,100 pu ...

. Whilst at school with younger brother Forbes during the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, their brother Captain Dennis Clifford O'Rorke, ,

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United Sta ...

, was killed in action in March 1918; brother Lieutenant Maurice Heaton O'Rorke,

12th Royal Lancers The 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army first formed in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war ...

, suffered severe head wounds whilst carrying out a daring reconnaissance in October; and, soon after

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

, their father Dennis, Superintendent of Remount Depots, died on 9 December from internal injuries caused in a jumping accident at

Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray () is a market town in the Borough of Melton, Melton district in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, Leicestershire, River Eye, known below Melton as the Rive ...

. The following year, on Wellington College's Speech Day, 21 June 1919, the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

, , presented E B O'Rorke with the Batchelor Drawing Prize for Special Subject. Amy, sister Cicely, Maurice, Forbes and other relatives returned to New Zealand, landing in late October. Thereafter, O'Rorke studied engineering at Jesus College,

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

graduating with the degree of BA in June 1922. After a return visit home to New Zealand immediately following his mother's death in Christchurch in August, he carried on architectural studies in the

Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest private school of architecture in the UK. The AA hosts exhibitions, lectures, academic conference, symposia and publications. Histo ...

's five year course, where, in 1926, he was awarded

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

prizes—Bronze Medal for Recognised Schools, Certificate of Honourable Mention in relation to the Tite Prize (Design), Archibald Dawnay Scholarship— as well as examples of his work published in the Architectural Association's 1928–29 course booklet. In 1928 he received the degree of MA from

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

Career

In early professional practice, O'Rorke worked on the design of small private houses in London and the country, and in 1932 produced the design for a block of modern tenement flats erected in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

, London. He and Kenneth Peacock also submitted a design in 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 ...

' year-long competition for the design of their new headquarters in London, underway from 1931. Of some 284 designs submitted from unidentified architects throughout Britain and the empire, in 1932 George Grey Wornum won the award and commission, with the second award to Verner Owen Rees. O'Rorke and Peacock, won one of three third awards, alongside Percy Thomas and Ernest Prestwich, and Frank Roscoe and Duncan Wylson. Several other New Zealanders received honourable mention.

The Mayor Gallery

In April 1933, Fred Mayor and Douglas Cooper, opened The Mayor Gallery, a new modern art gallery designed by O'Rorke and Arundell Clarke, at 18 Cork Street, London. The gallery opened with an exhibition of recent painting by English, French and German artists and would go on to present the ideas of many modern artists to England for the first time;

Max Ernst Max Ernst (; 2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic trai ...

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

and

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , ; ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan Spanish painter, sculptor and Ceramic art, ceramist. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona ...

amongst them.

RMS ''Orion''

Colin Anderson, a director of

Orient Steam Navigation Company The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century. From the early 20th century onwards, an association began with P&O which became 51% shareholde ...

, had seen opportunity in the future of passenger ships and in the search for an architect who could assist him in his idea of RMS ''Orion'' being a truly modern

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

of the best contemporary design, had put aside a few modernist notables. He eventually found Brian O'Rorke through his friends Betty and

Ralph Rayner Brigadier Sir Ralph Herbert Rayner MBE (13 January 1896 – 17 July 1977) was a British Conservative Party politician. Rayner was commissioned into the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, in which he served as a signals officer. He was seconded to t ...

. O'Rorke had been working on ''Ashcombe Tower'', their new modern home complete with furnishings, in Devon, and suitably possessed the suite of capability that Anderson had been looking for. In August 1935, the result of O'Rorke's interior design was an open air layout, making use of removable and folding walls, sliding glass doors, and relatively enormous promenade decks to keep cooling breezes flowing through spaces passengers could relax in. Rooms without access to the deck of the ship were also made to feel breezy by being as light and uncluttered as possible. Furnishings were chosen for their clean lines, wood given matte finishes, and columns left unadorned. Moreover, the chromium and

Bakelite Bakelite ( ), formally , is a thermosetting polymer, thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed by Belgian chemist ...

used extensively throughout the ship meant surfaces were more resistant to the wearing effects of

sea air Sea air has traditionally been thought to offer health benefits associated with its unique odor, which is caused by dimethyl sulfide, released by microbes. Salts generally do not dissolve in air, but can be carried by sea spray in the form of par ...

, a first in liners. This was a new type of functional interior that could be linked to the functionality of a ship's exterior. RMS ''Orion'' proved so successful, O'Rorke designed interiors for many more of Orient's ships. One of these was SS ''Orcades''. He knew what talent lay unused in Australasia and included Australians and New Zealanders amongst project artists and designers—

Margaret Preston Margaret Rose Preston (29 April 1875 – 28 May 1963) was an Australian painter, printmaker and writer on art who is regarded as one of Australia's leading modernists of the early 20th century. In her quest to foster an Australian "national ...

Douglas Annand Douglas Shenton Annand (22 March 1903 – 14 December 1976) was an Australian graphic designer and artist. Early life Born at Toowoomba, Queensland, to Frederick Annand and Helen Alice Robinson. Douglas attended Tudor House School, located ...

, Keith Murray, Paul Pascoe, John and Helen Hutton, Frederick Halford Coventry. He also may have seen the advantage of employing designers who intimately knew the tropical conditions in which the ship would need to carry people comfortably.

Short Empire flying boat

O'Rorke returned from RMS ''Orions maiden Mediterranean cruise to Constantinople in August 1935 to begin planning airliner interiors for

Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was an early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passengers ...

, particularly the interior design of the passenger section of the twenty-eight new Short Empire flying boats then under rapid development and manufacture for the Empire Air Mail Scheme. His modern approach intended to set a new standard for aircraft, in contrast to the tendency for ornate passenger transport interiors of recent periods.

Buildings

His buildings include the Berkeley Hotel, London; The New Royal Observatory (now Herstmonceux Science Centre) at

Herstmonceux Herstmonceux ( , , or ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, which includes Herstmonceux Castle. The Herstmonceux Medieval Festival is held annually in August. History The name comes from Anglo-Sax ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

(1951–52, built 1955); a country house, Ashcombe Tower (1935) on

Haldon The Haldon Hills, usually known simply as Haldon, is a ridge of high ground in Devon, England. It is situated between the River Exe and the River Teign and runs northwards from Teignmouth, on the coast, for about until it dwindles away north ...

, near

Dawlish Dawlish is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Teignbridge district in Devon, England. It is located on the south coast of England at a distance of from the city of Exeter and a similar distance from the to ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

; and halls of residence at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

. All are in an abstracted traditional style which is reminiscent of the work of his near-contemporary,

Donald McMorran Donald Hanks McMorran Royal Academy, RA Royal Institute of British Architects, FRIBA Society of Antiquaries of London, FSA (3 May 1904 – 6 August 1965) was an English architect who is known today for his sensitive continuation of the Georgian a ...

. Unbuilt designs included one for the National Theatre in London.

Personal life

On 19 January 1929, O'Rorke married illustrator and decorative artist Juliet Mabel Olga Wigan (1903–1988), elder daughter of solicitor Ernest Edward Wigan, MA, of Oakley Lodge, Weybridge, Surrey, and his wife Mabel Helen, daughter of Robert Watson Willis of Hinxton House, East Sheen, Surrey. They had four children—a son, Forbes Brian (born 1930), and three daughters: Sarah (born 1936), who married the publisher John Letts, owner of the

Folio Society The Folio Society is an independent London-based publisher, founded by Charles Ede in 1947 and incorporated in 1971. Formerly privately owned, it became an employee ownership trust in 2021. It produces illustrated hardback fine press edit ...

from 1971; Virginia (born 1937); and Georgia (born 1942). Juliet was at different times romantically linked to the writers

Anthony Powell Anthony Dymoke Powell ( ; 21 December 1905 – 28 March 2000) was an English novelist best known for his 12-volume work '' A Dance to the Music of Time'', published between 1951 and 1975. It is on the list of longest novels in English. Powell ...

(of whose work she was a fan; their friendship continued until Juliet was in her eighties, when in 1983, as a great-grandmother, she visited Powell and his family) and

Malcolm Muggeridge Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge (24 March 1903 – 14 November 1990) was a conservative British journalist and satirist. His father, H. T. Muggeridge, was a socialist politician and one of the early Labour Party Members of Parliament (for Romford, i ...

Gallery

File:LMS 798 20160504.jpg, LMS Royal coaches: The King's day saloon File:Royal Greenwich Observatory, Herstmonceux - April 2012.jpg, The Royal Observatory, Herstmonceux File:University Park MMB V4 Derby Hall.jpg, Derby Hall, University of Nottingham File:Derby Hall - geograph.org.uk - 909522.jpg, Derby Hall File:The Berkeley Hotel.jpg, The Berkeley, Knightsbridge File:Orient Line window, c. 1930s, by Sam Hood (4056437811).jpg, Orient Line Building,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

File:SLNSW 27262 Orient Line.jpg, Orient Line Building,

References

Other references

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External links

SS Maritime

Royal Academy of Arts: Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ororke, Brian 1901 births 1974 deaths Architects from Christchurch 20th-century New Zealand architects New Zealand interior designers New Zealand industrial designers 20th-century British architects British interior designers Royal Designers for Industry Royal Academicians Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Alumni of the Architectural Association School of Architecture New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom Moorhouse–Rhodes family