Eric Bedford (architect)
Eric Bedford Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England | |
|---|---|
| Died | 28 July 2001 (aged 91) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Thornton Grammar School |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | BT Tower |
Eric Bedford CB CVO (8 November 1909 – 28 July 2001) was a twentieth-century British architect whose most famous work is London's BT Tower. In 1961, construction began on what was then known as the Post Office Tower, with Bedford as Chief Architect and G R Yeats as senior architect in charge. Completed in 1965, with a height of 177 metres (581 ft), it became for a time London's tallest building.
Born in Yorkshire, and trained as an architect in
Bedford retired in 1970, and lived abroad for some years before dying in 2001. Although he was the architect responsible for one of London's most iconic buildings, he achieved surprisingly little recognition in his lifetime, or afterward; his obituary in The New York Times described him as "the British government's anonymous chief architect, whose works were visible to millions but whose name was scarcely known".[1]
Life
Bedford was born on 29 August 1909 near
Given its importance to government communications, the
After retiring to France to be near his daughter,[8] Bedford returned to England following the death of his wife in 1977. He lived for many years in the village of Hanley Swan near Malvern, Worcestershire, and died in a nursing home in Worcester in 2001.[9]
Honours
Bedford was appointed
Works
- Administrative offices of the Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C., 1960s.[1]
- Marsham Street, government offices, 1963–1971.[8] Pevsner considers Bedford's work at Marsham Street "ruthlessly logical"[12] but a "spectacular failure, the very image of faceless bureaucracy".[13]
- St James's Park, footbridge, 1956–1957.[9] The slightly back-handed compliment in Pevsner is: "quite handsome, and good to look out from", but the authors consider the Victorian cast-iron suspension bridge it replaced "a great loss".[14]
- Embassy of the United Kingdom, Jakarta, 1962.[8] The embassy was subject to anti-British demonstrations throughout its existence, and the site was vacated in 2015.[15]
- British High Commission, Ottawa, 1964.[3]
- BT Tower, 1961–1965.[16] Pevsner describes it as "a notable 1960s landmark".[17]
- Office accommodation, Star Chamber Court, Palace of Westminster. Pevsner's single comment is "ugly". [18]
Notes
- ^ a b "Eric Bedford, Who Changed London's Skyline, Dies at 91". The New York Times. 13 August 2001.
- ^ "Eric Bedford; Architect – latimes". Articles.latimes.com. 21 December 2001. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Eric Bedford". Telegraph. 8 August 2001. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Eric Bedford". The Independent. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ^ "Bangor Daily News – Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ^ Aslet 2005, p. 126.
- ^ a b c "Eric Bedford".
- ^ a b "Eric Bedford". 14 August 2001.
- ^ "No. 39863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 1953. p. 2946.
- ^ UK list: "No. 41727". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 June 1959. p. 3699.
- ^ Bradley & Pevsner 2003, p. 86.
- ^ Bradley & Pevsner 2003, p. 705.
- ^ Bradley & Pevsner 2003, p. 654.
- ^ Post, The Jakarta. "UK opens new bigger, better embassy in Jakarta".
- ^ Historic England. "BT COMMUNICATION TOWER (1350342)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ Cherry & Pevsner 2002, p. 262.
- ^ Bradley & Pevsner 2003, p. 218.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-340-73510-7.
editions:O60YB-B7LYMC.
- Bradley, Simon; ISBN 0-300-09595-3.
- Cherry, Bridget; ISBN 0-300-09653-4.
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