John Summerson
Sir John Summerson Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London |
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Sir John Newenham Summerson,
Early life
John Summerson was born at Barnstead, Coniscliffe Road,
Career
After graduation Summerson worked in several junior roles, most notably in the office of
He continued to write mainly about British architecture, especially that of the
One of the founders of the
In 1945 Summerson was appointed Director and curator of Sir John Soane's Museum, a post he held until his retirement in 1984.[5]
He was
Summerson was noted for his somewhat elitist approach, and he was not always a consistent friend of the conservation movement. He was hired by the
Honours
Summerson was
Legacy
The term Bristol Byzantine, referring to a style influenced by Byzantine and Moorish architecture and applied mainly to warehouses, factories, and other industrial buildings in the city of Bristol, is thought to have been invented by Summerson.[16] He invented the term "prodigy house" for showy Elizabethan and Jacobean courtier houses.[17] He had many notable students including Phoebe Stanton.[18]
There are a number of portraits of Summerson in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London; one in oils by the artist Leonard Rosoman and the others by the photographers, Walter Stoneman, Walter Bird, Barry Beattie, and Stephen Hyde.[1]
Photographs attributed to Summerson are held in the
In March 2012, an English Heritage blue plaque commemorating Summerson was erected at his former residence in Chalk Farm, London,[20] where he lived with his wife Elizabeth Hepworth, the sister of Dame Barbara Hepworth, the sculptor, and his three sons.[5]
Footnotes
- ^ Summerson enjoyed his time at the school and the castle itself provoked an early interest in architecture, and a life-long distaste for the Gothic Revival. He described Riber as "an object of indecipherable bastardy – a true monster".[4]
References
- ^ a b "Sir John Newenham Summerson". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ a b Girouard 2009.
- ^ a b c d "John Newenham Summerson". Watkin, David. The Rise of Architectural History. London: The Architectural Press, 1983, p. 131; Summerson, John. 50 Years of the National Buildings Record, 1941-1991. London: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1991; Wilson, Colin St. John. Architectural Reflections: Studies in the Philosophy and Practice of Architecture. Boston: Butterworth Architecture, 1992, pp. 26, 87-94, 152-155; [methodology] Howard, Deborah. "Lotz's Text: Its Achievement and Significance." in Lotz, Wolfgang. Architecture in Italy: 1500-1600. Pelican History of Art. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1995. p, 2; Summerson and Hitchcock: Centenary Essays on Architectural Historiography. New Haven, CT: Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, Yale Center for British Art /Yale University Press, 2006; [obituaries:]. Middleton, Robin. Casabella 57 (June 1993): 54-5; Middleton, Robin. "John Summerson." Burlington Magazine 135 (April 1993): 277-9; RIBA Journal 100 (February 1993): 63. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ a b Hartwell, Pevsner & Williamson 2016, p. 570.
- ^ a b c d e "John Summerson | Historian | Blue Plaques". English Heritage. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ "Obituary: Sir John Summerson". The Independent. 12 December 1992. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "Summerson, John". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ RCHME Newsletter 9. Spring 1993. ISSN 0957-0241
- ^ "About Us". The Georgian Group. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ "Oxford Slade Professors, 1870–present" (PDF). University of Oxford. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- ^ a b Summerson, Sir John (3 May 2012). "Sir John Summerson CH CBE FBA FSA". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ "Master-Mind Lectures". British Academy. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ "Roger Westman: A life in architecture". Architecture Schools Database. 23 March 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Casey 2005, p. 76.
- ^ "Deceased Fellows". The British Academy. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ISBN 0-7091-5435-6.
- ISBN 0813926734, 9780813926735, google books
- ^ "Stanton, Phoebe". The Dictionary of Art Historians.
- ^ "Who made the Conway Library?". Digital Media. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ "Architectural historian gets blue plaque". Building Design. 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
Sources
- Casey, Christine (2005). Dublin. ISBN 978-0-300-10923-8.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/47466. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Hartwell, Claire; OCLC 995068002.