Robert Lawson (architect)
Robert Arthur Lawson was born in January 1833 at Newburg, in Fife, Scotland. He died 3 December 1902 at the age of 69, in Canterbury, New Zealand. Lawson was one of New Zealand's most eminent architects of the 19th century. Lawson is notable for his work in both the Gothic revival and classical styles in the vicinity of Dunedin.
Early life
Lawson was the fourth child of James Lawson, a carpenter, and his wife, Margaret. The young Lawson was educated at the local parish school. He then studied architecture first in Perth, Scotland and, later, in Edinburgh under the architect James Gillespie Graham. Aged 21 he emigrated to Australia on 15 July 1834 in the ship Tongataboo bound for Melbourne.
In Australia, like other new arrivals, he turned his hand to new occupations, including gold mining and journalism. During this peroiod he occasionally turnd his hand to architeture in[[[Steiglitz]] he designed the Free Church school and in 1858 a Catholic school. As the attractions of the gold rush, and the precariousness of a carreer in journalism became a reality, he decided to return full time to his first chosen career and found a position as an architect in Melbourne.
In the early 1860s New Zealand was gradually being colonised by the British, the architect Benjamin Mountfort had begun at this period to introduce the Gothic revival style to the the colony in the province of Canterbury. In 1861 a competition was held to design the "first church" in the rapidly expanding Town of Dunedin in the South Island of New Zealand. During the 1860s Dunedin became New Zealand's commercial capital during the Otago gold rush of the 1860s.
Lawson entered the competition,using the pseudonym "Presbyter". If this pseudonym was designed to catch the eye of the presbyterian judges, it was a good idea for his design was successful. Thus Lawson was able in 1862 to move to Dunedin and open an architectural practice. The “First Church” was finally completed in 1874, during the period of construction Lawson was commissioned to design other churches, public buildings, and houses in the vicinity.
During work on the "first church" Lawson had met of the first church Jessie Sinclair Hepburn, whose father George Hepburn was the second session clerk of the building. The couple married in November 1864 and subsequently had four children. Throughout his life Lawson remained a devout Presbyterian, becoming, like his father-in-law an elder and session clerk of The First Church. He was also closely involved in the Sunday school movement.
Much of Lawson's early work has since been either demolished or heavily altered, remaining plans and old photographs suggest this work he was at this time working in a variety of styles.
Later the 1882 exhibition in Christchurch provided a stepping stone in his career, following the death of Benjamin Mountfort who had monopolised the architecture of that city, Lawson was commissioned to design the exhibition halls which led to the important and prestigious commission of designing that new city's Opera House. (This all need to be moved elsewhere)
Lawson however only supervised the construction of The Municipal Building in Dunedin, the competition for its design having been won by another former Scotsman the Auckland architect T. B. Cameron. Throughout his career Lawson designed principally in both the classical and gothic style.
Works in the Gothic Style.
The Anglican religions were at this period still heavily influenced by the doctrines of the Anglo catholic Oxford Movement which had decreed Gothic as the only architectural style suited for Christain worship, thus Lawson was never given the opportunities of Petre to recreate the great classical renaissance Italian basilicas such as theCathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch. Dunedin had in fact been founded, only thirteen years befor Lawson's arrival, by the Free Church of Scotland, a denomination not known for its love of ornament or decoration; or indded embracing the cultures of the more catholic countries.
Lawson's work in the Gothic design like most other architects of this period was clearly influenced by the style and philosophy of Pugin. However Lawson adapted the Gothic style to suit the form of worship influenced by the presbyterian denomination. The lack of ritual and religious processions negated the need for a large chancel hence in Lawson's version of the gothic the chancel and transpts (the areas which traditionally in Roman and Anglo-Catholic churches contained the Lady Chapel anf other minor chapels) are merely suggested and hinted at in the design. Thus at The First church the Tower is above the entrance to the building rather than in its traditional place in the centre of the church at the axis of nave, chancel and transpets. In all Lawson designed of forty churches in the Gothic style, like Benjamin Mountfort some were constructed entirely of wood, however the majority were in stone.
The First Church, Dunedin 1862
This architectural extravaganza in the Decorated Gothis style was begun in 1862, before work could commence it was necessary to lower the hilltop site bt some 12 metres. The church is dominated by its multi pinnacled tower crowned by a spire rising to 54 metres. The spire is unusual as it is pierced by two storied gabled windows, on all sides reminiscent of (fuck know's where - expand check out Chartres, or Rouen) which give an illusion of even greater height. Lawson later designed a more simple but very similar tower for Knox's Church in the city. It is likely, that nine years later, the church was the inspiration for St Joseph's Roman Catholic cathedral also in th city designed by Francis Petre in 1871, this too was intended to have an ornate spire, allthough here it was never completed. However, Lawson's design for the first church, by the time of its completion the third church in Dunedin, was not without criticism, some members of the Presbyterian congregation for whom it was designed felt the flamboyant Decorated Gothic style too extravagant for religious worship. (Footnote to here [1]. It is thus ironic that the final result sombre presbyterians had the more extravagant church, while the Roman Catholics church was the more serious in terms of Gothic.
Externally the First church successfully replicates, if on a smaller scale, the late Norman cathedrals of England. The cathedral design can realy only be truly appreciated from the rear of the church where the size of the building can be seen, here an apse flanked by turrets, which are in turn dwarfed by gables, and further turrets, and the great rose window becomes a focal point; the whole appears here almost European in its gothic dsign. However the similarity to the great churches of the nothern hemisphere ends at the door, Internally a more colonial style prevails. Instead of the stone ceiling vaulting of a Norman cathedral the ceiling is of pitched wood, a stone pointed arch acts as a simple prescenium to the central preaching pulpit, above this difused light enters through a rose window of stained glass. This window is flanked byfurther stained glass on the lower level, while twin organ pipes add to the perfect summetry either side of the marble pulpit.
Larnach Castle 1871
Lawson designed several large private houses, the most well known officially called "The Camp" is better known by its alternative name Larnach castle. Built in 1871 for William Larnach a local business man and politician of dubious reputation. It has been hailed since as one of New Zealand's finest mansion (add a footnote and source). While the style is often described as Scottish banorial, this is not strictly true, the main facade resembles a small castelated gothic manor appearing to sit on a two storied cast iron glazed verandah, which could only be found in the southern hemisphere. The house is essentially a "castelated villa wrapped in a two storey verandah" (footnote to typing error somewhere here]. At no time was it ever intended to be a true castle, or withstand a sige. The principal facade is dominated by a central tower complete with a stair turret. The interior of the building was no less ornate with imported marbles and Venetian glass used in the Italianate decoration. In 1880 Larnach had Lawson to design in Dunedin's Northern cemetery a miniaturised version of First Church as is mausoleum (link in here about Lanarch's suicide - is he there as a consequence?) Ironicaly Lanarch was to utilise the mausoleum sooner than he intended. He spectacularly commited suiced in the parliament building in Wellington, having suffered heavy losses in the collapse of (which bank?)
Otago Boy's School 1885
This gothic building, with renaissance influences, in Arthur Street Dunedin was completed in 1885, would probably be termed today as Jacobethan in style. The building has long been regarded as one of the finest pieces of architecture in Dunedin (footnote here to schol site claiming this) built of stone with the many window embrassures and corners with lighter quoins. The building though castle like is uncastelated, it heighest points, the towers, being decorated by stone ballustrading, thus the style is an unusual blend of both classical and gothic styles, the towers being similar in design to those of Tower Bridge in London designed the previous year in 1884. While the entrance arch was obviously desined to induce an ecllesiastical air, the school itself has more the atmosphere of a propsperous Victorian country house in the Home Counties.
Works in the Classical style
Much od Lawson's classical work is in the town of Oamaru, 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, here as in Dunedin itself Lawson constructed his buildings in the local Oamaru stone, a limestone which is compact and hard, and ideal for building purposes, especially where ornate moulding is required. The finished stonework has a creamy, sandy colour. Unfortunately, it is not strongly resistant to today's pollution, and can be prone to surface crumbling.
National Bank, Oamaru
This building completed in 1871, is one of Lawson's more successful exercises into classical architecture, designed in a near Palladian style a perfectly proportioned portico prostyle, its pediment supported by four corinthean columns, projects from a square building of five bays, the three central bays being behind the portico. The templelike portico giving the impression one is entering a pantheon rather than a bank. However unlike a Palladian design the two floors of the bank are of equal value, only differentiated by the windows of the ground floor being round topped while those above are same size but having flat tops.
Bank of New South Wales
This Oamaru public building was designed in 1883. Neo classical in design, its limestone facade is dominated by a great six columned unpedimented portico. The columns in the corinthean order support a divided [entablature]], the lower section or architrave bears the inscription "Bank of New South Wales". While above the metope, remains undecorated. The design of the building while unjaring to the eye, and indeed was intended to be more classical and impressive than the National Bank, has less architectural merit. The imposing effect the architect sought is completely destroyed at ground level where the portico's columns are linked by a ballustrade which extinguishes the clean lined effect one would expect to see in a classical building of this stature and order and reduces the buildings stature to that of a doll's house. (link this to footnote
Final years
In 1888 Lawson announced his retirement from local practice and two years later returned to Melbourne. This could have been connected with a low point in his architectural reputation: In 1888 a commission of inquiry into structural defects, and a large slip at the Seacliff Asylum (which has occurred the previous year) Asylum judged Lawson blame and branded him "negligent and incompetent". New Zealand at this time was suffering from an economic recession, this coupled with the rumours surrounding lawson's competenceas an architect was vastly detrimental to his practice. A a consequence Lawso left New Zealand and returned to Maelbourne in 1890.
in 1900 after a ten year period aged 67, Lawson came out of his self imposed exile and returned to Dunedin. He entered into an architectural practice with his fellow architect J. L. Salmond. A few non domestic buildings were designed by the partnership, owever its potential success was drastically bought to a halt by Lawsons death A number of commercial buildings were erected under their joint names; but the partnership was of short duration as Lawson died at Pleasant Point, Canterbury, on 3 December 1902 at the age of 69.
Buildings by Lawson
- Knox Church 1876 Plainer and less acclaimed than the "first church", The church was designed in 13th century Gothic style. Cinstructed of local bluestone with limestone facings and slate roof. It seats up to 1000 people [2]
- The First Church has been described by the Institute of Architects as a “Magnificent example of Gothic Architecture”
- Milton, Presbyterian church
- Hampden, Presbyterian church
- East Taieri Presbyterian church. Gothic, lighter qoins, spire, substantial buttresses. [3]
- The Manse, at Palmerston.
- Seacliff Asylum. Gothic [4]. Built in 1884 the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum was 28 kilometres from Dunedin. It housed 500 patients and 50 staff. At the time of its completion it was the largest public building in New Zealand.
- The Gothic monument in the Northern Cemetery, Dunedin;
- The old fire station.
- The Bank of New Zealand.
- Otago Boys' High School. [5]
- Larnach Castle. [6] & [7]
- Christchurch Opera House
- Bank of New South Wales, Oamaru, (now Forrester Gallery) Palladian 1883 [8]
- National Bank, Oamaru (Palladian) 1871 [9]
- The Star and Garter Hotel, Oamaru [10] (Its horrible, what the fuckisit? - Palladian on a rustcated groundfloor with serlian windows, pillasters support a classical pediment as inspired by Palazzo del Te) or Perhaps just mannerist with a palldian revival pediment.
- South District School, William Street (where?) (1864)
- Post Office, Lawrence.
- Trinity Wesleyan Church (later the Fortune Theatre), Dunedin (both 1869).
- St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (later Word of Life Church) Where is it?
- Union Bank of Australasia (1874, later the ANZ Bank) in Dunedin, (Have I got this already under a different name)
Footnotes
Saving this until page complete aes there will be a lot
References
- 'LAWSON, Robert Arthur', from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966
- Mane-Weoki, Jonathan. 1992. The Architecture of Robert Arthur Lawson. Bulletin of New Zealand art history. Vol 13.