Thomas Harrison (architect)
Thomas Harrison | |
---|---|
![]() Portrait of Harrison by H. Wyatt dated 1820 | |
Born | Richmond, North Yorkshire, England | 7 August 1744 (baptised)
Died | 29 March 1829 | (aged 84)
Resting place | St Bridget's Church, Chester (later Blacon Cemetery) |
Occupation(s) | Architect, bridge engineer |
Known for | Skerton Bridge, Lancaster, Grosvenor Bridge, Chester, Lancaster Castle, Chester Castle |
Spouse | Margaret Shackleton |
Parent | Thomas Harrison |
Thomas Harrison (7 August (baptised) 1744 – 29 March 1829) was an English
Some of Harrison's designs, including his buildings at Lancaster Castle, were Gothic in style, but most were Neoclassical, particularly those at Chester Castle. He was regarded at the time, and since, as a major influence in the emergence of the Greek Revival in British architecture. A bridge he designed at the start of his career, and another towards the end of his career, incorporated innovative features; Skerton Bridge was the first substantial bridge in England to have a flat roadway, and the Grosvenor Bridge was the longest single-arched masonry bridge in the world at the time of its construction. Many of Harrison's structures have survived, most of them now designated by English Heritage as listed buildings. Despite his work being nationally admired he spent his entire career in northwest England, visiting London only occasionally; most of his buildings were in Lancashire, Cheshire, and the nearby counties.
Early life and training
![A neoclassical portico flanked by wings](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Piazza_del_Popolo_Rome.jpg/220px-Piazza_del_Popolo_Rome.jpg)
Thomas Harrison was born in
Works
Bridges
![A five-arch bridge crossing a river](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Skerton_Bridge001.jpg/220px-Skerton_Bridge001.jpg)
The major works executed by Harrison at the start and end of his career were bridges: Skerton Bridge in Lancaster and Grosvenor Bridge in Chester, both of which incorporated innovative features. In 1782 he won the first prize in a competition to design a bridge to cross the River Lune at Lancaster and to replace a medieval bridge. After some amendments to the design, the foundation stone was laid in June 1783, and Skerton Bridge was completed in September 1787, at a cost of £14,000 (equivalent to £2,250,000 in 2023).[7] The bridge was carried on five elliptical arches, and was the first in England to have a flat road surface.[1][8] Harrison subsequently received further commissions for bridges, including St Mary's Bridge in Derby (1788–93), Harrington Bridge near Sawley, Derbyshire (1789–90), and Stramongate Bridge in Kendal, Cumbria (1791–94), followed by smaller bridges in Lancashire and Cheshire.[1][9] He was appointed unofficially as the bridge master of Lancashire, and having carried out the duties of country surveyor for Cheshire since 1800, was officially appointed to the post in 1815.[1] Harrison's later bridges in Cheshire included the Mersey Bridge at Warrington (1812–17), and Cranage Bridge near Holmes Chapel (1815–16). These were the only bridges he designed to be built in timber rather than in stone, and both have been replaced. They were the first bridges of their type to be built in England, and were his only bridges to be regarded as "failures".[1][10] During his career, Harrison was consulted about the design of other bridges in the country.[1]
![A single-span stone bridge](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Grosvenor_Bridge%282%29.jpg/220px-Grosvenor_Bridge%282%29.jpg)
Towards the end of his career, Harrison worked on two bridges in Chester. At the time the only road crossing over the
Lancaster and Chester Castles
Around the time that Harrison was involved in the construction of Skerton Bridge, he received other commissions for work in Lancaster. These included the addition of a clock tower to the Town Hall, the addition of a tower and spire to St John's Church, and the building of Bridge Houses on the east side of Skerton Bridge.[15] In October 1786 Harrison was asked to prepare plans for substantial improvements to Lancaster Castle; in January that year he had also won the competition for major improvements to Chester Castle. He worked on both projects simultaneously for the next 30 years, and beyond that until 1815 in Chester, where he added further new buildings. In both projects he designed buildings for prisoners and prison staff, courtrooms and a Shire Hall.[16] Both towns already had gaols, but there was a national move in the later part of the 18th century to improve them, following the campaigns by penal formers led by John Howard. Amongst these reforms were the separation of men and women, and of criminals and debtors, which were incorporated into Harrison's designs.[17]
Lancaster
![A detailed engraving of a courtroom](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Lancaster_Shire_Hall.jpg/220px-Lancaster_Shire_Hall.jpg)
Harrison did not create an overall plan for his work on the site; a series of plans for different buildings were prepared and building works continued until 1792.
Chester
![An elevated view of four neoclassical buildings, the main block, two side blocks and a gateway](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Chester_Castle_Courtyard.jpg/220px-Chester_Castle_Courtyard.jpg)
In contrast with Lancaster, Harrison was able to prepare an organised plan for the gaol, as it was to be built on a new site behind the Elizabethan Shire Hall on land sloping down to the River Dee.[D] Also in contrast to Lancaster, the buildings were to be in Neoclassical style. The Gaoler's House would stand behind the Shire Hall, overlooking the exercise courtyards. Inside the semi-octagonal perimeter wall of the site would stand two-storey blocks to house the prisoners. The site was staked-out in November 1786, but nothing could be done until the necessary Act of Parliament was passed the following July.[21] Work started on the prisoners' accommodation early in 1789 and on the Goaler's House in early 1792, and was completed two years later. Plans were then put in place for a new Shire Hall to replace the Elizabethan building, which was completed in 1802.[22] The Shire Hall was another structure in which Harrison made innovations, in this case the use of Greek architectural motifs.[23] Its façade is about 250 feet (76 m) long and 25 feet (8 m) high, in nineteen bays with two storeys. At its centre is a Doric-style portico with twelve columns, projecting forwards by about 10 feet (3 m). Its interior contains a semi-circular courtroom with a diameter of 80 feet (24 m). Its curved wall has a colonnade of ten Ionic columns, and on each side of the judge's bench are two similar columns. The room has a coffered semi-dome.[24]
![A large gateway in neoclassical style](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Propyleum%2C_Chester.jpg/220px-Propyleum%2C_Chester.jpg)
In addition to courts, and now a gaol, Chester Castle also housed a
Gentlemen's clubs and public buildings
The first
![Drawing of a large country house with wings](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Broomhall_House.jpg/220px-Broomhall_House.jpg)
While Harrison was working on Lancaster and Chester castles, he was also involved with domestic projects, four of them around
In 1804 Harrison made a series of plans for the rebuilding of
![A Neogothic brick house with stone dressings and a curved porch on a street corner](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Watergate_House%2C_Watergate_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1100004.jpg/220px-Watergate_House%2C_Watergate_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1100004.jpg)
In 1820 Harrison designed Watergate House on a corner site in Watergate Street, Chester; it is one of the largest private houses in the town. The entrance to the house is on the corner, leading to a circular lobby and a square entrance hall, which is top-lit by a dome with a lantern. Harrison's last commission for a country house in Cheshire was his design for Tilstone Lodge near the village of Tilstone Fearnall; this has a porte-cochère supported by four Doric columns. At about this time Harrison was also designing alterations to the east wing of Chirk Castle in North Wales. In late 1821 he was commissioned to work on Hardwick Grange near Hadnall in Shropshire for Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, which involved alterations to the front of the house, and the addition of a new dining-room. At the request of the owner, this was in Gothic style; the house has since been demolished.[35] In 1822–23 Harrison built a house for himself, St Martin's Lodge in Nicholas Street, Chester, which consists of a simple villa. His last work for a private client was again for Roland Hill, a building called the Citadel in Hawkstone Park, Shropshire. It was built as a dower house for his mother, and has the appearance of a small castle, with three circular battlemented towers.[36]
Ecclesiastical buildings
![A church with an elaborate steeple on the left](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Church_of_Our_Lady_and_Saint_Nicholas%2C_Liverpool_2.jpg/150px-Church_of_Our_Lady_and_Saint_Nicholas%2C_Liverpool_2.jpg)
Only a small proportion of Harrison's work was on churches. In 1804 he re-faced the south side of St Peter's Church in Chester, and he carried out further alterations to the church in 1813. Between 1805 and 1806 he redesigned the nave of St John the Baptist's Church in Whittington, Shropshire, which had been badly damaged in a storm. He did design one new church, the Wesleyan Methodist Church in St John Street, Chester, which was built in 1811. Although his design was used for the exterior, the internal decoration and fittings were planned by his main contractor, William Cole, and the church has been much altered since.[37] In 1810 came the commission for what is described as "without doubt his [Harrison's] best work at a church",[38] to rebuild the steeple of the Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, Liverpool. Earlier that year the spire on the medieval tower had collapsed, destroying the tower in the process. The work was completed in 1815 at a cost of over £22,000 (equivalent to £2,060,000 in 2023).[7] The steeple has a height of 120 feet (37 m), its buttresses rising above the top of the tower as pinnacles, the open-work spire being supported by flying buttresses. Harrison also designed a domed ceiling for St Paul's Church in Liverpool, but this has since been demolished.[39]
Between 1814 and 1816 a chapel was built to Harrison's design at West Hall, High Legh to replace an earlier chapel. This was a simple building that burnt out in 1891, some of its fabric being incorporated into a new church on the site, St John's Church. In 1818 the Right Revd George Henry Law, Bishop of Chester, asked Harrison to carry out work on the south transept of Chester Cathedral, which was showing signs of instability. This work involved building deep buttresses at the south end of the transept, and giving some attention to the gutters.[40]
Other works
![A Neoclassical bridge spanning a roadway](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Northgate%2C_Chester.jpg/220px-Northgate%2C_Chester.jpg)
Harrison designed a variety of other structures, one of the most important of which was the replacement of
![A tall column on a small base, surmounted by a statue](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Marquess_of_Anglesey%27s_Column_-_geograph.org.uk_-_786189.jpg/150px-Marquess_of_Anglesey%27s_Column_-_geograph.org.uk_-_786189.jpg)
Harrison was also involved in the building of a series of monuments. His first commission was to design the
Personal life
Harrison married Margaret Shackleton at Lancaster Priory in 1785. The couple had three children who survived childhood; a son, John, who died in 1802, and two daughters. Harrison died aged 85 at his home, St Martin's Lodge, Chester, in 1829. He was buried in the churchyard of St Bridget's Church, Chester, but his remains were moved to Blacon Cemetery when the churchyard was cleared in about 1964. His estate amounted to £6,000 (equivalent to £670,000 in 2023).[1][7]
Present day
![The frontage of a neoclassical buildings seen between trees](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Chester_Crown_Court_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1334374.jpg/220px-Chester_Crown_Court_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1334374.jpg)
An additional arch was added to Skerton Bridge in about 1849 to allow for the passage of the "Little" North Western Railway (since closed) beneath it.[45][46] The bridge continues to be used by heavy traffic. A survey in 1995 concluded that the bridge is still strong enough to carry vehicles ten times the weight of the heaviest vehicles of the time it was built.[47] Grosvenor Bridge remains in use, carrying the A483 road over the River Dee, and is still the longest single-span masonry bridge in Britain.[48]
Other than the smaller bridges, almost all the structures designed by Harrison have been designated as listed buildings by English Heritage, Cadw, or Historic Scotland. Some of the buildings he completely designed (rather than altered) have been listed at the highest levels, Grade I in England and Wales, and Category A in Scotland. Grade I includes buildings that "are of exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important"; only 2.5% of listed buildings are in this Grade.[49] Category A consists of "buildings of national or international importance, either architectural or historic, or fine little-altered examples of some particular period, style or building type", and includes about 7% of the Scottish listed buildings.[50] These structures are, in Chester, Grosvenor Bridge,[51] and Northgate,[52] and in Scotland, the Mausoleum at Gosford House,[53] and Colinton House.[54] Lancaster Castle as a whole is listed at Grade I,[55] and at Chester Castle four of Harrison's buildings are listed separately at this Grade: the main block containing the Shire Hall,[56] the Propylaea,[57] and the two blocks flanking the forecourt.[58][59]
A number of Harrison's structures in England and Wales are listed at Grade II*, the middle grade for those that are "particularly important buildings of more than special interest"; 5.5% of all listed buildings are Grade II*.[49] They include Skerton Bridge,[45] Bridge Houses, Lancaster,[60] St Mary's Bridge, Derby,[61] Quernmore Park Hall,[62] the Lyceum in Liverpool,[63] The Portico Library in Manchester,[64] Woodbank in Stockport,[65] the Marquess of Anglesey's Column,[66] Watergate House in Chester,[67] and the Citadel at Hawkstone Park.[68]
Appraisal
![A full-length sepia portrait of a man standing and dressed in top hat and breeches](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Thomas_Harrison.jpg)
That Harrison was a fine innovative designer of bridges is evidenced by the continuing successful use by modern heavy traffic on Skerton and Grosvenor Bridges, and on St Mary's Bridge in Derby. As an architect, the editors of the Cheshire volume of the Buildings of England series describe him as "one of the most important of Cheshire's architects".[69] Harrison's first biographer, Arthur Blomfield, said he was "almost, if not quite, the first architectural genius in the kingdom".[70]
Although most of his designs were in Neoclassical style, he also created buildings in Gothic style, for example at Lancaster Castle, and Hardwick Grange. Nevertheless, he is considered to be one of the main influences in the Greek Revival of architecture in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The architectural historian
Harrison spent the whole of his career in the northwest of England and, other than his houses in Scotland and his work in Oxford, his works were confined to Lancashire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, and North Wales. He was never a member of the
See also
Notes
A Some of Harrison's drawings and plans are held in the Cheshire Record Office, including that of Trajan's Column, together with his design for the Piazza del Popolo, and drawings of buildings in France.[77]
B The model is still in existence, and is on show in Castle Drive. The model has been listed by English Heritage at Grade II.[78]
C In this context, the term "felon" was applied to convicted criminals who had not been sentenced to death, and could not be transported.[79]
D Harrison's wooden model of the plan is still in existence, and is in the care of the Cheshire Museum Service.[80]
E There is no doubt about the attribution to Harrison of Woodbank, Dee Hills House, and Grove House; that of Oughtrington Hall is likely; but that of Glan-yr-Afon is more uncertain.[34]
References
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- ^ Champness 2005, p. 7.
- ^ Champness 2005, p. 10.
- ^ Champness 2005, p. 11.
- ^ Champness 2005, pp. 13–14.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
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- ^ Champness 2005, pp. 123–124.
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- ^ Champness 2005, p. 37.
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- ^ Champness 2005, pp. 49–54.
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- ^ Champness 2005, pp. 45–46.
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- ^ a b Champness 2005, pp. 96–103.
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- ^ a b Historic England. "Skerton Bridge, Lancaster (1212253)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Skerton Bridge, Engineering Timelines, retrieved 13 June 2012
- ^ Champness 2005, p. 19.
- ^ Grosvenor Bridge, Engineering Timelines, retrieved 9 February 2011
- ^ a b Categories of Listed Buildings, English Heritage, retrieved 14 February 2012
- ^ What is Listing?: Categories of listed building, Historic Environment Scotland, retrieved 18 March 2019
- ^ Historic England. "Grosvenor Bridge, Chester (1375839)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "The Northgate, Chester (1376370)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.,
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Gosford Mausoleum Enclosure and Gatepiers (Category A Listed Building) (LB6542)". Retrieved 18 March 2019.
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- ^ Historic England. "Lancaster Castle (1194905)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "Assize Courts Block, Chester Castle (1271823)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "Propylaea, Chester Castle (1271822)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "A Block, Chester Castle (1271824)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "B Block, Chester Castle (1245520)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "38–42 Parliament Street, Lancaster (1194984)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
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- ^ Historic England. "The Lyceum, Liverpool (1068383)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
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- ^ Historic England. "Woodbank Villa and entrance portico (1162994)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
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- ^ Historic England. "The Citadel, Weston-under-Redcastle (1264270)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Hartwell et al. 2011, p. 43.
- ^ Blomfield, A. (1863), "Harrison of Chester, architect", The Builder, vol. 21, pp. 203–205 quoted in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Worsley 1991, p. 40. quoted in Champness 2005, p. 131.
- ^ Watkin 1979, p. 149. in Champness 2005, p. 131.
- ^ Worsley 1995, p. 306. quoted in Champness 2005, p. 46.
- ^ Pevsner & Hubbard 2003, p. 157.
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- ^ Quoted in Champness 2005, p. 130.
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- ^ Historic England. "Model of Grosvenor Bridge (1376109)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
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Bibliography
- Champness, John (2005), Thomas Harrison, Georgian Architect of Chester and Lancaster, 1744–1829, Lancaster: Centre for North-West Regional Studies, Lancaster University, ISBN 1-86220-169-2
- Hartwell, Claire; Hyde, Matthew; ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
- ISBN 0-300-09588-0
- ISBN 978-0-500-20171-8
- ISBN 978-0-233-98626-5
- ISBN 978-0-300-05896-3
Further reading
- Norris, Peter, Thomas Harrison, 1744–1829: Architect of Lancaster Castle, Lancashire County Council, archived from the original on 8 February 2012, retrieved 15 February 2012
External links
Media related to Thomas Harrison (architect) at Wikimedia Commons