Architect. He was the designer of several important buildings, adding the dome and portico to the Bethlehem Hospital, London (now the Imperial War Museum), as well as building three London gentleman's clubs, The Conservative, St. James' Street, The Carlton, Pall Mall and the Oxford and Cambridge, Pall Mall. In 1841 he designed a new roof for York Minster. His best known building is the famous domed reading room of the British Museum, completed in 1857. This was constructed of cast iron and concrete and is considered a highpoint of Victorian design. It incorporated the latest heating and ventilation technology and contained 25 miles of iron bookcases. He later designed new exhibition galleries for the Royal Academy, Piccadilly, and Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey, which is among the largest in Europe. He became a member of the Royal Academy in 1859, and was presented with the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal in 1860. He served as the Royal Academy's professor of architecture until 1865, and retired to Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Architect. He was the designer of several important buildings, adding the dome and portico to the Bethlehem Hospital, London (now the Imperial War Museum), as well as building three London gentleman's clubs, The Conservative, St. James' Street, The Carlton, Pall Mall and the Oxford and Cambridge, Pall Mall. In 1841 he designed a new roof for York Minster. His best known building is the famous domed reading room of the British Museum, completed in 1857. This was constructed of cast iron and concrete and is considered a highpoint of Victorian design. It incorporated the latest heating and ventilation technology and contained 25 miles of iron bookcases. He later designed new exhibition galleries for the Royal Academy, Piccadilly, and Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey, which is among the largest in Europe. He became a member of the Royal Academy in 1859, and was presented with the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal in 1860. He served as the Royal Academy's professor of architecture until 1865, and retired to Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Bio by: js
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