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'''Decimus Burton''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|FRS|FRSA|4=FSA|5=FRIBA}} (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 [[Romanesque revival architecture|Roman revival]], [[Greek revival architecture|Greek revival]], [[Georgian architecture|Georgian neoclassical]] and [[Regency architecture|Regency]] styles. He was a founding fellow and vice-president of the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]], and from 1840 architect to the [[Royal Botanic Society]], and an early member of the [[Athenaeum Club, London]], whose clubhouse he designed and which the company of his father, [[James Burton (property developer)|James Burton, the pre-eminent Georgian London property developer]], built.
Burton's works are [[Hyde Park, London]] (including the gate or screen of [[Hyde Park Corner]],
Burton was a member of [[High society (social class)|London high society]] during the [[Georgian era]] and during the [[Regency|Regency era]]. He had close friendships with Princess [[Queen Victoria|
==Family==
Decimus was the tenth child of [[James Burton (property developer)|James Burton]], a pre-eminent London property developer (1761–1837), and Elizabeth Westley (12 December 1761 – 14 January 1837), of [[Loughton, Essex]], the daughter of John and Mary Westley.<ref name="Williams p.18"/><ref name="Weald Decimus Burton Pedigree"/> His father was born James Haliburton, and shortened his surname to Burton in 1794, between the births of his fourth and fifth children.<ref name="Williams p.18"/>{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=9}}<ref name="Weald Decimus Burton Pedigree">{{cite web|url=http://theweald.org/N10.asp?NId=2879|title=Pedigree of Decimus Burton (1800–1881), The Weald, Public Archives of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex|access-date=7 June 2016|archive-date=15 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515005320/http://theweald.org/N10.asp?NId=2879|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="BSLS"/>{{sfn|Davies|2005|pp=71–73}} The paternal grandfather was William Haliburton (1731–1785),<ref name="Williams p.18"/> a London property developer of [[Scotland|Scottish]] descent.<ref name="Williams p.18"/>{{sfn|Davies|2005|pp=71–73}}
On his father's side, Decimus's great-great grandparents were Rev. James Haliburton (1681–1756) and Margaret Eliott, daughter of [[Eliott baronets|Sir William Eliott, 2nd Baronet]], and aunt of [[George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield]].<ref name="Weald Decimus Burton Pedigree"/> Decimus was descended from John Haliburton (1573–1627),{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=9}} from whom Sir [[
Decimus's siblings included [[James Burton (Egyptologist)|the Egyptologist James Burton]], and [[Henry Burton (physician)|the physician Henry Burton]]. He was the nephew of Constance Mary Fearon, who was the founder of the [[Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban|Francis Bacon Society]].{{cn|date=December 2022}}
==Education and architectural style==
Decimus was born at the 'very comfortable and well staffed' North House in the newly built Southampton Terrace, [[Bloomsbury]], London.<ref name="Williams p.19"/> From 1805,<ref name="Williams p.135"/> Decimus was raised in his father's mansion, Mabledon House, in [[Kent]].<ref name="Williams p.19-20"/>{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=10}} Subsequent to the birth of his twelfth child, Jessy, in 1804, Decimus's father James Burton had purchased a site on a hill about one mile to the south of Tonbridge in Kent, where he constructed, to the designs of the architect [[Joseph T. Parkinson]], in 1805,<ref name="Williams p.135"/> the large country mansion which he named Mabledon House,<ref name="Williams p.19-20"/><ref name="ODNB1"/> which was described in 1810 by the local authority as 'an elegant imitation of an ancient castellated mansion'.<ref name="Williams p.19-20"/> The majority of the stone that James Burton required for Mabledon was quarried from the hill on which it was to be built, but Burton also purchased the stone that had been released by the recent demolition
===Tuition by his father and George Maddox===
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[[Samuel Pepys Cockerell]], advisor to the Governors of the [[Foundling Hospital]], a contemporary of James Burton, commended James Burton's architectural excellence: <blockquote>Without such a man, possessed of very considerable talents, unwearied industry, and a capital of his own, the extraordinary success of the improvement of the Foundling Estate could not have taken place... By his own peculiar resources of mind, he has succeeded in disposing of his buildings and rents, under all disadvantages of war, and of an unjust clamour which has repeatedly been raised against him. Mr Burton was ready to come forward with money and personal assistance to relieve and help forward those builders who were unable to proceed in their contracts; and in some instances he has been obliged to resume the undertaking and complete himself what has been weakly and imperfectly proceeded with....<ref name="Williams pp.20-21"/></blockquote>
In 1815, James Burton took Decimus to Hastings, where the two would later design and build [[St Leonards-on-Sea]] and, in 1816, Decimus commenced work in James Burton's office.<ref name="Williams p.28"/> While working for his father, Decimus was present in the design and construction of lower [[
===Tuition at Royal Academy Schools by John Soane===
Burton has been described by Williams as "an exceptionally clever child" who demonstrated a lack of emotion characteristic of his family.<ref name="Williams p.21"/> Decimus left [[Tonbridge School]] in 1816 and entered directly the [[Royal Academy Schools]], in 1817.<ref name="ODNB3" /><ref name="Arnold2003" />{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=11}} His contemporaries at the Royal Academy included [[
Soane was an advocate of the Neo-Palladian style, but had repudiated, including to his students, Robert Smirke's new [[Royal Opera House|Theatre Royal, Covent Garden]], which had not been built in proportion: Soane used special diagrams to demonstrate to his students, including Burton, the failings of Smirke's design, as a consequence of which he was ostracized within the Royal Academy and compelled to suspend his lectures.<ref name="Williams p.27"/> Soane commended, in contradistinction, in 1815, as an archetype of neoclassical excellence, [[Robert Adam]]'s [[Kedleston Hall]]: "In this superb structure he [Adam] has united... the taste and magnificence of a Roman villa with all the comforts and conveniences of an English Nobleman's residence".<ref name="Williams p.29"/>
===Tuition by John Nash===
Whereas Decimus's father
Architectural scholar Guy Williams has written, 'John Nash relied on James Burton for moral and financial support in his great enterprises. Decimus had showed precocious talent as a draughtsman and as an exponent of the classical style... John Nash needed the son's aid, as well as the father's'.<ref name="Williams p.11"/> Subsequent to the [[Crown Estate]]'s refusal to finance them, James Burton agreed to personally finance the construction projects of
In 1821, Nash invited Decimus to design [[Cornwall Terrace]] in Regent's Park, and Decimus was also invited by [[George Bellas Greenough]], a close friend of the Prince Regent, Humphry Davy, and Nash, to design [[Nuffield Lodge|Grove House]] in Regent's Park. Greenough's invitation to Decimus Burton was 'virtually a family affair', for Greenhough had dined frequently with Decimus's parents and Decimus's brothers, including [[Henry Burton (physician)|the physician Henry Burton]]. Greenough and Decimus finalized their designs during numerous meetings at the opera.<ref name="Williams p.38-39"/>
Decimus's design, when the villa had been completed, was described in ''
===Other influences===
[[File:Lamppost in Carlton Gardens, London-geograph-2183161.jpg|thumb|left|[[Carlton House Terrace|Carlton Gardens]], to the design of which Burton made extensive contributions]]
Decimus was a [[polymath]] and a [[philomath]] and extremely erudite in both arts and sciences, as was demonstrated by the diversity of his library – a part of which was auctioned off by his nieces after his death. The sale catalogue listed 347 separate lots, some of which ran into many volumes,<ref name="ODNB3" /> and demonstrated the diversity of his intellectual interests: it contained the complete Proceedings of the [[Camden Society]], in 135 volumes; and transactions of many of the learned societies of which Burton was a member; and the complete ''[[Histoire Naturelle]]'' (70 vols.) of [[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon|G. L. L. Buffon]] and [[Bernard Germain de Lacépède]];<ref name="ODNB3" /> and standard works on classical architecture, such as the five volumes of [[Colen Campbell]], ''Vitruvius Britannicus'' by John Woolfe and [[James Gandon]], [[James Gibbs]]'s ''Book of Architecture'', and [[William Kent]]'s ''The Designs of [[Inigo Jones]]''; and numerous topographical views and surveys of cities and counties in the collection;<ref name="ODNB3" /> and foreign-language texts, including volumes by [[Charles Percier]] and [[Jean-Baptiste Rondelet]], and a complete set of [[Giovanni Battista Piranesi]]'s works, and several dictionaries. The absence of any ''[[Grand Tour]]'' early in Decimus's career meant that his books and casts were the sources for his early designs, which are technically formal in style.<ref name="ODNB3" /><ref name="Curl1999" /> However, he subsequently travelled extensively in [[Europe]] and [[North America]].{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|pp=12-13}} His first tours were of [[France]] and [[Spain]], in 1826. He toured the [[Netherlands]] in 1846 and [[Germany]] in 1850.<ref name="ODNB3" /><ref name="Arnold2003" /> He toured [[Italy]], including [[Venice]].{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|pp=12-13}} He toured [[Canada]] and the [[United States]], after departing [[Liverpool]] for [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], with his cousin [[Thomas Chandler Haliburton]], a Tory MP and author. Burton collected casts, which informed his work, over 200 of which he donated to the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], which displayed 18 of the same in its British Galleries.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|pp=12-13}}
"''His use of the orders is always correct, but he showed a lack of pedantry in their application that sets him apart from some of his more doctrinaire contemporaries, such as [[John R. Hamilton (architect)|Hamilton]] and
In his later career, Decimus designed buildings in the [[Gothic revival architecture|Gothic revival style]], the ''old English'' style and in the ''[[cottage orné]]'' style.<ref name="ODNB3" /><ref name="Curl1999" /> His Gothic revival designs are unoriginal as he had little sympathy for the style.<ref name="Arnold2003" />
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==Life==
[[File:The Holme, Regent's Park - geograph.org.uk - 1161575.jpg|thumb|The Burton family mansion, [[The Holme]] in [[Regent's Park]], which was built by the company of [[James Burton (property developer)|James Burton]] to a design by Decimus Burton. It has been described as "one of the most desirable private homes in London" by architectural scholar Guy Williams, and "a definition of Western civilization in a single view" by architectural critic Ian Nairn.]]
Burton has been described, by architectural scholar Guy Williams, as "rich, cool, well-dressed, apparently celibate, the designer and prime member of the [[Athenaeum Club, London|
The Burtons' social circle included
Burton was "on excellent terms" with
From 1818, Burton resided, with his father, at
Burton bought from the Crown a plot at [[Spring Gardens]], [[St. James's Park]], at the east end of [[The Mall, London|The Mall]], where he constructed, in the Georgian neoclassical townhouse style, No. 10, 12, and 14 Spring Gardens, as both his townhouse and his principal office.<ref name="Williams p.55"/>{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=53}} The buildings no longer exist, but elevations of them appear in the former LCC's ''Survey of London'' Vol. XX, and views of their interiors have been preserved in [[Hastings Museum and Art Gallery]].{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=53}} At the end of 1834, Burton had two "comfortable well-staffed homes", one in Spring Gardens and one at Tunbridge Wells,<ref name="Williams p.66"/> where he had another office at No. 10 Calverley Parade, where the [[Tunbridge Wells Town Hall]] now stands.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=53}} Williams records that, for Burton, "Money was rolling in. Income tax was of no concern. [Decimus] had a brother who could look after his business affairs and see to his investments".<ref name="Williams p.66"/>
Burton retired in 1869,<ref name="DSA_HMB" /><ref name="NAFD" /> and subsequently resided at his homes at Gloucester Gardens, [[Kensington]], and St. Leonards Lodge, St. Leonards-on-Sea, which adjoined 'The Uplands' and 'The Lawn' developments which he had designed.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=56}} He never married nor had issue.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=56}} He died in December 1881, at [[Gloucester Road, London|1 Gloucester Road, Kensington]], and was buried in [[Kensal Green Cemetery]], alongside his brother [[Henry Burton (physician)|Henry Burton]], and his sister Jessy Burton.<ref name="Williams p.130"/>{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=56}} Decimus was the last of his siblings to die.<ref name="Williams p.130"/><ref name="Tomb of Decimus Burton">{{National Heritage List for England|num=1389239|desc=Tomb of Decimus Burton}}</ref> Over his grave is a tapering sarcophagus of grey [[Cornish granite]], on a stepped base, with a shallow pyramidal cover.<ref name="Tomb of Decimus Burton"/> His tomb was Grade II listed building in 2001.<ref name="Tomb of Decimus Burton"/> On his death, his property, including his extensive library and all of his architectural drafts and notes passed to surviving members of his family, mostly to his nephew Alfred Henry Burton (d.1917)<ref name="Williams p.157"/> or his two unmarried nieces, Helen and Emily Jane Wood, who subsequently sold their share, despite that he had left his library to the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]], of which he had served as president.<ref name="ODNB3" /> However, Burton donated 200 of his extensive collection of casts, which informed his work, to the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], which displayed 18 of the same in its British Galleries.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|pp=12-13}} Amongst Burton's possession on his death were an oil painting of St. John, copied by Sir Joshua Reynolds from a work by Raphael; a model of the Temple on the Ilissus at Athens; a statuette of an Angel copied from an original by
==Career==
===Central London Parks===
During the second half of the 1820s, the [[Commissioners of Woods and Forests]] and the King resolved that [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]], and the area around it, must be renovated to the extent of the splendor of rival European capital cities, and that the essence of the new arrangement would be a triumphal approach to Buckingham Palace, which had been recently completed.<ref name="Williams p.49"/> The committee of the project, led by the Prime Minister,
The renovation of Hyde Park, [[Green Park]], and [[St James's Park]], began, in 1825, with the demarcation of new drives and pathways, subsequent to which Burton designed new lodges and gates, viz. Cumberland Gate, Stanhope Gate, Grosvenor Gate, the Hyde Park Gate/Screen at [[Hyde Park Corner]], and, later, the Prince of Wales's Gate, [[Knightsbridge]], in the classical style. There were no authoritative precedents for such buildings, which required windows and chimney stacks, in the classical style, and, in the words of Guy Williams, 'Burton's reticent treatment of the supernumerary features' and of the cast iron gates and railings, was 'greatly admired'.<ref name="Williams pp.49-50"/>
At Hyde Park Corner, the King required that "some great ceremonial outwork that would be worthy of the new palace that lay to its rear", and accepted Burton's consequent proposal for a sequence comprising a gateway and a classical screen, and a triumphal arch, which would enable those approaching Buckingham Palace from the north to ride or drive first through the screen and then through the arch, before turning left to descend [[Constitution Hill, London|Constitution Hill]] and enter the forecourt of Buckingham Palace through Nash's [[Marble Arch]].<ref name="Williams p.50"/> The screen became the [[Romanesque revival architecture|Roman revival]] Hyde Park Gate/Screen at
====Sculpture of the Triumphal Arch====
The arch at Constitution Hill was left devoid of decorative sculpture as a result of the moratorium in 1828 on public building work, and, instead, despite the absolute objection of Burton, was mounted with an ungainly [[Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, Aldershot|equestrian statue of the
Burton had envisaged that his arch would be topped with only a small quadriga whose horses would have been parallel with the road under the arch. Burton's objections were extensively endorsed by most of the aristocratic residents of London.<ref name="Williams pp.85-94"/> A writer in ''The Builder'' asked
Canning wrote that 'the remonstrances which reach Her Majesty's Government against the proposed appropriation of the arch are so many and so strong, the representations of its architect, Mr. Burton, in the same sense, are so earnest, and the opinion of every other eminent architect, artist, or other competent authority who has been consulted on the subject is so decided [against the placing of the Wellington statue on the arch]''".<ref name="Williams pp.85-94"/>
Decimus Burton himself wrote, "''The arch would, I consider, suffer greatly in importance if the colossal statue in question be placed there, because it would become a mere pedestal. The want of proportion in the proposed surmount, compared with the columns and other details of the architecture, would show that they had been designed by different hands, and without reference for each other. ...I have desired to witness the completion of this building, as originally designed by me, and as approved by the [[Lords Commissioners of the Treasury|Lords of the Treasury]], yet I would prefer that the building should remain for the present in its forlorn and bare state, rather than a colossal equestrian statue should be placed upon it... I fear that if this appropriation of the building should be decided upon, a proposition would soon be made for removing altogether the facades of columns, the slender proportions of which would appear so incongruous and out of proportion compared with the prodigious dimensions of the statue''".<ref name="Williams pp.85-94"/>
Burton had realized that the disciples of Pugin and advocates of Pugin's anti-classicism would remove all classical elements from his arch if permitted the opportunity to do so. The Government placed the Wellington statue on the arch in autumn 1846: Williams contends that the product was 'ridiculous'.<ref name="Williams pp.85-94"/> ''The Builder'' contended, "down, unquestionably, it must come. As the network of timber is removed, spar by spar, from before it, so do the folly of the experiment, the absurdity of the conjunction, and the greatness of the sacrifice become apparent. Its effect is even worse than we anticipated – the destruction of the arch by the statue, and of the statue by its elevation on the arch, more complete. Every post brings us letters urging renewed efforts to remove
{{Main|Marble Arch}}
[[File:Buckingham Palace engraved by J.Woods after Hablot Browne & R.Garland publ 1837 edited.jpg|thumb|left|Marble Arch before its relocation at the entrance to the newly rebuilt [[Buckingham Palace]]]]
[[File:Marble Arch - geograph.org.uk - 1512461.jpg|thumb|right|Aerial view of [[Marble Arch]]]]
In 1847 the problem of accommodating [[Queen Victoria]]'s expanding family was becoming acute. It was "solved" in two steps by Decimus Burton and W.A. Nesfield. With his eye for landscape, Burton had John Nash's triumphal monument, originally intended as the entrance to the palace, relocated to the north eastern corner of Hyde Park. He consulted on filling in the Buckingham Palace forecourt, creating new interiors and the
During 1882, traffic congestion at Hyde Park Corner motivated advocacy for Burton's triumphal arch to be moved to the top of Constitution Hill to create space for traffic. In response to this advocacy, Burton's great-nephew Francis Fearon compiled and published a pamphlet that advocated the removal of the Wellington statue from the arch in the event of the removal of the arch to another location: Fearon contended that the arch should be 'relieved once and for all of its unsightly load'.<ref name="Williams pp.131-133"/> The campaign led by Fearon was successful: Wyatt's incongruous statue was removed to [[Aldershot]], and its place on Burton's arch, which was moved to Constitution Hill in 1883,<ref name="ODNB3" /> was occupied by a Quadriga by Captain [[Adrian Jones (sculptor)|Adrian Jones]]. Jones' statue is not nearly as elegant as Burton's designed statue intended for the arch, but it is more coherent with the arch than Wyatt's statue, and its figures, unlike those of Wyatt's statue, are aligned with the roadway under the arch.<ref name="Williams pp.131-133"/>
====London Zoo====
By the end of 1829, Burton had completed [[London Zoo]], which had opened in April 1828,{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=34}} to fervent commendation.<ref name="Williams p.54"/> Guy Williams records, "''From all sides, Decimus Burton's Zoo buildings received the highest praise. They were playful - witty, even - while being architecturally beyond reproach. They made a visit to the Zoo an aesthetic, as well as an educational, pleasure. They brought a suggestion of foreign lands to the flattish expanses at the foot of Primrose Hill''".<ref name="Williams p.54"/> Burton laid out the Zoo in the picturesque style, and designed the early animal houses in the [[cottage orné]] style.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=34}} As a consequence of the success of his London Zoo designs, Burton received more commissions than he were able to complete himself, and, consequently, employed assistants, began to train pupils, and bought a plot at
====Architecture as environment====
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===Athenaeum Club===
The [[Athenaeum Club, London|Athenaeum]] was founded in 1824 at the instigation of [[John Wilson Croker]], then [[Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty|Secretary to the Admiralty]], who was primarily responsible for the organisation and early development of the club. In 1823, Croker wrote to Sir Humphry Davy, "''I will take the opportunity of repeating the proposition I have made to you about a Club for Literary and Scientific men and followers of the Fine Arts. The fashionable and Military Clubs... have spoiled all the Coffee Houses and Taverns so that the artist, or mere literary man... are in a much worse position''".<ref name="Williams pp.43-45"/>
Croker suggested 30 names for the club's organizing Committee, including the [[George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen|Earl of Aberdeen]], the [[George Ashburnham, 3rd Earl of Ashburnham|Earl of Ashburnham]], [[George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer|Earl Spencer]], [[Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Lord Palmerston]], Sir [[Thomas Lawrence]], [[Francis Chantrey]], and Robert Smirke the Younger: all of those invited, except [[Richard Payne Knight]], accepted.<ref name="Williams pp.43-45"/> The first meeting of the Athenaeum, with 14 men present, was held at the rooms of the [[Royal Society]] on 16 February 1824, where a committee was formed that resolved: first, that temporary premises would be rented at 12 Waterloo Place, which had been constructed by the company of Club member
Burton made himself responsible for the design of as many of the decorative features of the club as possible, including the clock-cases and the pendant light-fittings.<ref name="Williams pp.46-48"/> When the Clubhouse was completed in April 1830, the members of the Club Committee stated, "''[They] are bound to express their entire satisfaction at the manner in which the work has been carried out by Mr. Burton. They can testify, and indeed the foregoing Accounts evince, the general accuracy of his estimates and they trust that the Club at large, as well as the public, must be satisfied of his professional skill, and the beauty of his architectural designs''".<ref name="Williams pp.46-48"/> Decimus Burton subsequently became the "prime member of
===Calverley Estate===
Burton was commissioned to develop the Calverley Estate by John Ward, an MP for whom he had designed his first neoclassical country residence. Great Mount Pleasant, a mansion owned by the [[Duke of Leeds]], had been used by the Princess Victoria and the Duchess of Kent. The villas constructed by Burton on the Calverley Estate were intended for the gentry, and each would be able to accommodate several servants.<ref name="Williams pp.56-59"/> Burton's design is predominantly Georgian neoclassical in style, but includes elements of the Italianate-, Old English or Tudor-, neogothic-,{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|pp=24-25}} and cottage orne {{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|pp=34-35}} styles. Burton designed 24 villas, the first of which was completed in autumn 1828: nearly twenty years would pass until the last villa of the series were complete. Burton also constructed a series of Tudor-style servants' cottages, and three grand entrances to the estate: the Victoria Gate, and the less ornate Keston Lodge and Farnborough Lodge.<ref name="Williams pp.56-59"/>
In 1832, Calverley Park Crescent, designed by Burton, modelled partially on those at [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and [[Buxton]], was constructed at Calverley. The Crescent contained 17 shops, and covered areas for spectators.<ref name="Williams pp.56-59"/> Burton's development of the Calverley Estate contained elements of the neoclassical-, the Old English-, and the neogothic styles, and was highly commended: it has been described as "a landmark in English domestic architecture" and the "prototype garden suburb".{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=8}}
M. Wilson contends that 'Decimus Burton's laying out of the Calverley Estate is the best surviving embodiment of Early Victorian seriousness and refinement'.{{sfn|Jones|2017|p=287}} [[Christopher Hussey (historian)|Christopher Hussey]], of ''[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life]]'', commended Burton's 'restrained eclectism' in the Calverley developments.{{sfn|Jones|2017|p=35}} Williams contends that the Calverley Estate be 'one of the great architectural successes of the nineteenth century' and that 'Decimus Burton's reputation could be assured by his work here alone',<ref name="Williams pp.56-59"/> and describes Burton's villas at the estate as 'domestic masterpiece[s]'.<ref name="Williams p.134"/> Henry Russell Hitchcock described Burton's Calverley Estate as 'the finest extant example' of its kind.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|pp=24-25}} Sir John Soane's friend John Britton described Burton's Calverley as a 'beautiful pleasure garden'.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|pp=34-35}}
===Constructions in the neo-gothic style===
Burton was commissioned to design [[Trinity Theatre|Holy Trinity Church]] at Tunbridge Wells in the neo-gothic style: he unwisely accepted the commission despite that he was 'neither by temperament nor training' qualified to design a work in this style, of which he knew little, and his design was censured,<ref name="Williams p.56"/> in addition to commended as a 'beautiful structure' and a 'handsome structure' which 'reflects great credit on the architect'.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=42}} A more unanimously successful attempt to design in the neogothic style was [[St Mary's Church, Goring-by-Sea]], which he redesigned, for the Tory MP [[David Lyon (British politician)|
===Neoclassical Houses of Parliament and vituperation by Augustus W. N. Pugin===
Burton created a design for a new neoclassical [[Houses of Parliament]].<ref name="Williams p.62"/> Decimus Burton and his pupils commended the purchase of the [[Elgin Marbles]] for the nation, and the erection of a neoclassical gallery in which they could be displayed to the same, and subsequently contended that the
However, the Prime Minister,
[[Augustus
====Vituperation of Burton by Pugin====
During the competition for the design of the new Houses of Parliament, Burton, "the land's leading classicist",<ref name="Williams p.83"/> was vituperated with continuous invective, which Guy Williams has described as an "anti-Burton campaign",<ref name="Williams p.129"/> by the foremost advocate of the neo-gothic style,
In 1845, Pugin, in his ''Contrasts: or a Parallel Between the Noble Edifices of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries and Similar Buildings of the Present Day'', which the author had to publish himself as a consequence of the extent of the defamation of society architects therein, satirized John Nash as "Mr Wash, Plasterer, who jobs out Day Work on Moderate Terms", and Burton as "Talent of No Consequence, Premium Required", and included satirical sketches of Nash's Buckingham Palace and Burton's
===Glasshouses===
Decimus was primarily responsible for the 'Great Stove' [conservatory] at [[Chatsworth House]] for the 6th Duke of Devonshire, for which [[Joseph Paxton]] has been erroneously attributed primary responsibility and credit.<ref name="Williams pp.97-99"/> Architectural historian Guy Williams is unequivocal: Decimus Burton was "[the] designer of the Great Stove at Chatsworth". Burton, who was advisor to the [[Royal
===Further studies and elections===
From 1830 to 1834, Burton studied at [[Clifford's Inn]]. The architectural historian, Sir [[
In 1832 Decimus Burton was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]].<ref name="Weald Decimus Burton Pedigree"/> He became a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Arts]]; a Fellow of the [[Society of Antiquaries of London]]; a founding Fellow, and later vice-president, of the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]];{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=53}} and was architect to the [[Royal Botanic Society]] from 1840.<ref name="Curl1999"/><ref name="ODNB3"/>{{sfn|Colvin|2008|p=}}<ref name="DSA"/><ref>{{cite journal|last=Jones|first=R.P.|date=1905|title=The Life and Works of Decimus Burton |journal=Architectural Review|volume=XVII}}</ref> An 1828 testimonial for his election to Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries described him as 'Architect and Gentleman, well versed in the History and Antiquaries of this Kingdom':{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=7}} he was elected FSA on 8 January 1829, during the tenure of W. R. Hamilton, Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests, as vice-president.{{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=7}}
===Protégés===
Burton trained his nephew, [[Henry Marley Burton
===Legacy===
Despite the fact that he had left his library to the
The recently completed restoration (2018) of the
Burton's legacy on either side of the [[Irish Sea]] endures. In April 2017 the [[Hearsum Collection]], in collaboration with [[The Royal Parks]] and Ireland's [[Office of Public Works]], mounted an exhibition at Dublin's [[Phoenix Park]] entitled ''Parks, Our Shared Heritage: The Phoenix Park, Dublin & The Royal Parks, London'', demonstrating the historical links between [[Richmond Park]] (and other Royal Parks in London) and Phoenix Park.<ref name="Fallon">{{Cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/gardens/park-yourself-in-dublin-s-finest-garden-1.3025382 |title=Park yourself in Dublin's finest garden |last=Fionnuala Fallon |date=1 April 2017 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |access-date=2 April 2017}}</ref> This exhibition was also displayed at the [[Mall Galleries]] in London in July and August 2017.<ref name="Mall">{{cite web |url=https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/parks-our-shared-heritage |title=Parks – Our Shared Heritage |date=July 2017 |publisher=[[The Mall Galleries]] |location=London |access-date=22 September 2017}}</ref>
{{wide image|Kew Gardens 6262-79.jpg|800px|align-cap=center|The Palm House and lake to Victoria Gate|100%}}
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===Dorset===
* [[Bournemouth Gardens, England|Lower Pleasure Gardens]], [[Bournemouth]] (1840s)
* [[St Mary's Church,
===East Sussex===
* Oaklands Park, [[Sedlescombe]] Sedlescombe (1830)
* [[Adelaide Crescent]], [[Hove]], Brighton, (1831 – 1834, for
* Wick Hall, [[Hove]] (1840; demolished 1936)
* Furze Hill Villa, Brighton, (1833, for
* [[Holy Trinity Church,
* [[St Augustine's Church,
* [[Worth Park Gardens|Worth Park]], Sussex, (additions, 1833, for [[Joseph Montefiore]])<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
<gallery>
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===Central London===
* [[The Holme]], Inner Circle, Regent's Park (1818). From 1818, Burton resided, with his father, at
* [[Clarence Terrace]], Regent's Park (1823)<ref name="DSA" /><ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
* The original [[Winfield House]] (1825) for
* [[Cornwall Terrace]], Regent's Park, London (1821)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
* [[Chester Terrace]], Regent's Park
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*[[Hyde Park Corner|Hyde Park Screen]] (1824)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*[[Hyde Park, London]]: Stanhope, Grosvenor, and Cumberland Gates and their lodges.<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/> More extensive plans for the Parks that were not realized included the dramatic circular Bayswater Gate and Lodge, and an entrance to Green Park from [[Piccadilly]] based on a Greek temple design.<ref name="ODNB3" />
*Parliamentary Mews, Prince's Street, [[Westminster]] (1825).<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/> Remodelled in 1853 and 1854, also by Decimus Burton, after which they were named 'Stationery Office'.<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*[[Spring Gardens]], [[St. James's Park]], No. 10, 12, and 14, all for his own townhouse and office (1827).<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*[[Wellington Arch]],
*[[Athenaeum Club, London]] Clubhouse (1827–1830){{sfn|Whitbourn|2003|p=19}}<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*Royal Naval Club, 160 [[Bond Street]] (1828)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*3 [[Carlton House Terrace]], for
*4
*[[Royal Society of Literature]], St. Martin's Place, (1830)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*[[Charing Cross Hospital]] (1830)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*Magazine of the [[Grenadier Guards]],
*[[Clifford's Inn]] (1830)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*80 [[Pall Mall, London|Pall Mall]], (alterations), (1830)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
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*10 [[Belgrave Square]] (improvements) (1839)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*18 [[Hyde Park Gardens]] (1841)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*[[Temple Church, London]] (restoration, with
*[[Devonshire House]], [[Piccadilly]], (additions: portico, hall, staircase),(1843)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*Lodge for the Prince of Wales's Gate,
*The Ferns, Victoria Road, [[Kensington]], (1864), (improvements, for
* [[Nuffield Lodge|Grove House]] (subsequently called 'Nuffield Lodge') Regent's Park<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
* [[Holford House]] (1833),
* [[St. John's Lodge (London)|St. John's Lodge]], (for John Mabberley MP) (let in 1829 to the [[
* [[London Colosseum]], Regent's Park, (1823–1827).<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/> It was informed by the design of the Roman [[Pantheon, Rome|
* [[Zoological Society of London]] Gardens (1826–41)
* [[Botanical Society of London]] Gardens (1840–59).
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* The [[Geological Society of London|Geological Society]]'s apartments at [[Somerset House]] (1828)
* The former [[United Service Club]], [[Pall Mall, London]] alterations.
* The [[Oriental Club]]. The construction of additions to the club building that were designed by Decimus Burton, in 1853, was superintended, when eventually commenced, in 1871, by his nephew, Henry Marley Burton.{{sfn|Baillie|1901|p=167}}
* [[Kew Gardens]]. Layout of the gardens and paths, the [[Palm House, Kew Gardens|Palm House]] (1844–48) (at the time the largest greenhouse in the world), Main Gate (1846, renamed ''The Elizabeth Gate'' in 2012 to mark the [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II]]), the Water Lily House (1852), The Museum, (1857, extended 1881),
* Beulah Spa, [[Upper Norwood]], London SE (1831). Burton landscaped the grounds and designed the buildings for the entrepreneur, John Davidson Smith. It became a popular society venue attracting large crowds to its ''fêtes''.<ref name="CroydonLawns" /> Burton's buildings were in a " rustic" style, with the ticket office in the form of a thatched cottage.{{sfn|Coulter|1996|pp=80–84}} The Spa closed in 1856 soon after the opening of the nearby [[The Crystal Palace|Crystal Palace]].{{efn| One widely publicized event was a "Grand Scottish Fête" on 16 September 1834 "with a tightrope performance by [[Pablo Fanque]], the black circus performer who would later dominate the Victorian circus and achieve immortality in [[The Beatles]] song, "[[Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!]]".{{sfn|Warwick|1982|loc=Ch. 5}} }} Burton also drew up designs for a grand crescent of terraced houses on hill above the spa, which was, however, never built.{{sfn|Coulter|1996|pp=80–84}}
* [[Holwood House]], [[Keston]] (1823–1826)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/> This has been described as 'splendidly Grecian... the best thing of its kind in Kent'.{{sfn|Jones|2017|p=236}}
*House at [[Harrow School]] for Rev. J. W. Colenso (1838)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
*Headmaster's House,
*Lodges, Gates, at [[Chiswick House]]; additions to the Grove; additions to Sutton Court, Chiswick (1835, for 6th Duke of Devonshire)<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
<gallery>
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===Kent===
*
*[[Holy Trinity Church, Tunbridge Wells
* Calverley Estate (Calverley House is now a hotel), Tunbridge Wells (1828)
* Calverley Park Crescent, Tunbridge Wells (c.1833)
* Burrswood Hospital, Tunbridge Wells (1830s)
* St. Peter's Church, [[Southborough, Kent]] (1830){{sfn|Homan|1984|p=106}} altered in the 1880s
* Bentham Hill House,
* St. Mary's Church, [[Riverhead, Kent]] (1831){{sfn|Homan|1984|p=106}}
* [[Great Culverden Park|Culverden House]],
* East Cliffe House (additions), Ramsgate, Kent, for Sir [[Moses Montefiore]]<ref name="Williams pp.135-157"/>
<gallery>
File:Former Holy Trinity Church, Church Road, Tunbridge Wells (NHLE Code 1223642).JPG|[[Holy Trinity Church, Tunbridge Wells]]
Line 348 ⟶ 344:
* [[Pharos Lighthouse (Fleetwood)|Pharos Lighthouse]], Fleetwood (1840)
* [[North Euston Hotel]], Fleetwood (1841–42)
* [[Queens Terrace Gardens]], Queen's Terrace, Fleetwood
*
* The Customs House, now the [[Fleetwood Museum]]
Line 389 ⟶ 385:
Burton spent two decades of his life modernising and landscaping the neglected site of [[Phoenix Park]], [[Dublin]]. This included many works on the paths, relocation of monuments and construction of gates to an area previously dominated by military and police barracks.<ref>{{cite web|title= Phoenix Park: History from the Georgian Period to the Present. The Nineteenth Century and the Decimus Burton Era|url = http://phoenixpark.ie/history/}}</ref>
* Lay-out and gates, [[Dublin Zoo]], [[Royal Irish Constabulary]] headquarters in Phoenix Park, Dublin (1840)
* [[Cobh|Queenstown]], [[
* Martinstown House, [[
<gallery>
Line 417 ⟶ 413:
<ref name="Arnold2003">{{cite book|last=Arnold|first=Dana|chapter=Sample biographical essay for Burton, Decimus|title=Reading Architectural History|year=2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-53231-5|pages=66–67 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEdP4Qhsm64C&pg=PA66}}</ref>
<ref name="BSLS">{{cite web|title=Who were the Burtons?|url=http://www.burtonsstleonardssociety.co.uk/history_-_the_burtons.html|website=The Burtons' St Leonards Society|access-date=18 June 2016|archive-date=8 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908112908/http://www.burtonsstleonardssociety.co.uk/history_-_the_burtons.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="DiaryJamesBurton">{{cite web | title = The Diary of James Burton | last = Burton | first = James | work = The National Archives | date = 1783–1811 | access-date = 18 June 2018 | url = http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/5bedf9a1-b3f3-4a51-beee-9fa6cb9dd830 | via = [[Hastings Museum and Art Gallery]]|author-link=James Burton (property developer) }}</ref>
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<ref name="CEAJ1840">{{cite web | title = The Nelson Monument and Trafalgar Square | work = Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal|volume=3|page=304 | date = 7 September 1840 | access-date = 18 June 2018 | url = https://archive.org/stream/civilengineeran01unkngoog#page/n352/mode/2up/search/trafalgar }}</ref>
<ref name="DSA_HMB">{{Scottish Architects name|name= Henry Marley Burton|id=202024}}</ref>
Line 521 ⟶ 515:
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite ODNB|id=4125|title=Burton, Decimus|first=Dana |last=Arnold}}
*{{cite web|title=The Contradictory Career of Decimus Burton|last=Murphy|first=Douglas|
*{{cite book|last=RIBA: British Architectural Library|title=Burton, Decimus, in Directory of British Architects 1834 – 1914|year=2001|publisher=RIBA, London}}
*{{cite book|last=Miller|first=Philip|title=Decimus Burton|year=1981}}
*{{cite web|title=
*{{cite book |last1=Summerson |first1=John |title= Georgian London|year=1962 |edition=revised |publisher=Penguin Books |location= Harmondsworth}}
*{{cite book |last1=Pevsner|first1= Nikolaus|last2=Nairn|first2=Ian|title=Sussex|series=The Buildings of England| year=1965 |location=Harmondsworth |publisher=Penguin Books}}
*{{cite web|title=Burtons' St Leonards History|work=
*{{cite journal|doi=10.1098/rspl.1882.0002|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society of London|date=
{{refend}}
Line 563 ⟶ 557:
[[Category:Phoenix Park]]
[[Category:Architects from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:19th-century British architects]]
[[Category:Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]]
[[Category:English Landscape Garden designers]]
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