Howard Colvin
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Sir Howard Montagu Colvin
Life and works
Born in
He is most notably the author of A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 which appeared in its original form in 1954.
The work includes every building within its time range with which the name of an architect can be associated, based on documentary evidence from extensive archival research, both by him and a growing network of correspondents. He was particularly an enemy of attributions based on style alone. This resulted in an index that is an architectural gazetteer, and which also gives a comprehensive listing of architectural books published in Britain, listed by author. The prefatory essay, "The Practice of Architecture, 1600–1840", is divided into two sections, covering the building trades and the architectural profession, both contributions to the broader social history of Britain.
He also was general editor, and wrote large parts, of the official multi-volume study of all the buildings with which the Crown had been associated through history, The History of the King's Works, published in stages between 1963 and 1982.
Colvin's work in government parallels his academic achievement. Just as he rose to become the acknowledged authority within academia, he also rose via membership of the bodies listed above and others to be Chair of the committee of English Heritage that dealt with Britain's built environment.
His most famous coup was to lead a campaign which succeeded in inducing the then Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson to alter the 1984 Budget so as to save Calke Abbey in Derbyshire for the nation.
Honours
Colvin was knighted in 1995. He served as president of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain 1979–81; and a special issue of its journal Architectural History was produced in his honour in 1984.[citation needed]
Personal life
Colvin married Christina Edgeworth Butler, a literary scholar and historian of Oxfordshire, in 1943; they had two sons. She predeceased him in 2003.[1]
Archive and library
Colvin's research papers and correspondence associated with the Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 are held in the archives of the Paul Mellon Centre in London. These arrived along with a number of architectural history publications including country house guidebooks which were bequeathed to the Paul Mellon Centre's library.[2]
Publications
The History of the King's Works
- London: HMSO(1963–1982)
- Vol. 1–2: The Middle Ages, R. Allen Brown, H. M. Colvin, and A. J. Taylor ISBN 0-11-670571-X(also includes plans 1–4)
- Vol. 3: 1485–1660, part 1, H.M. Colvin, D. R. Ransome, John Summerson ISBN 0-11-670568-X
- Vol. 4: 1485–1660, part 2, H.M. Colvin, D. R. Ransome, John Summerson ISBN 0-11-670832-8
- Vol. 5: 1660–1782, H.M. Colvin, J. Mordaunt Crook, Kerry Downes, John Newman ISBN 0-11-670571-X
- Vol. 6: 1782–1851, J. Mordaunt Crook, M. H. Port ISBN 0-11-670286-9
- Plans 5–7 ISBN 0-11-671116-7
- Vol. 1–2: The Middle Ages, R. Allen Brown, H. M. Colvin, and A. J. Taylor
Other works
- A History of Deddington, Oxfordshire. London: SPCK. 1963.
- Unbuilt Oxford. ISBN 0-300-03126-2.
- The Canterbury Quadrangle, St. John's College, Oxford. Oxford: ISBN 0-19-920159-5.
- Architecture and the After-Life. New Haven: ISBN 0-300-05098-4.
- A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 (4th ed.). New Haven: OCLC 1147989725– via Internet Archive.
- Entries for Oxford Dictionary of National Biography[3]
- Calke Abbey Derbyshire, a Hidden House Revealed. 1985 National Trust. ISBN 9780540010844
- The White Canons in England. Oxford: ISBN 978-0198212096.
References
- ^ "Lady Christina Colvin". Oxford Mail. 23 August 2003. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "Howard Colvin Archive Howard Colvin Library". Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ "Colvin, Sir Howard Montagu". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
Howard Colvin contributed the following 2 articles ...
(subscription or UK public library membership required)
Sources
- "Sir Howard Colvin". The Times. London. 1 January 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2008.
External links
- Obituary in The Independent
- Alumni of History Faculty Newsletter, Oxford
- Obituary in The Guardian
- Obituary in The Times
- Obituary in The Daily Telegraph[dead link]
- May 2011 meeting of SAHGBin Oxford: "ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY AFTER COLVIN"
- The Howard Colvin Archive Research notes and correspondence