William Wardell
William W. Wardell | |
---|---|
Gore Hill Cemetery | |
Occupation(s) | Civil engineer and architect |
Years active | |
Notable work | |
Movement | Gothic Revival architecture |
Spouse | Lucy Ann Butler |
Children | 11 |
Notes | |
William Wilkinson Wardell (1823–1899) was a civil engineer[2] and architect, notable not only for his work in Australia, the country to which he emigrated in 1858, but for a successful career as a surveyor and ecclesiastical architect in England and Scotland before his departure.
In Australia, Wardell designed many public buildings. Most notable were St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne; Government House, Melbourne; St John's College, University of Sydney and St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. He worked in both the Gothic and classical styles. Wardell not only constructed major works in the public sector, he also maintained a large private practice building houses and business premises for private individuals. He was Inspector-General of Public Works and Building, for the Colony of Victoria, from 1861 until 1878. As an architect he is often compared with his friend and English counterpart Augustus Pugin, with the vast majority of his buildings completed in the Gothic Revival architectural style.
Early life in London
Wardell was born in 1823; his birth date is not recorded, but he was baptised the following year, on 3 March 1824. As a young man, Wardell studied under the Gothic architect
Wardell's conversion to the Roman Catholic faith was the result of a period of deep internal reflection.[4] This affiliation to a more high church ritual was manifested in his architectural interests which concentrated on the more Gothic designs of England's medieval architecture. For the remainder of his life he saw architecture as a means of praising God.[4] He always had a room in his home set aside as a chapel for personal devotion which he visited several times during the course of a day.[4] Dominating this room was an ancient carved wooden French cross that now belongs to the Melbourne Diocesan Historical Commission, who also own several other mementos of his personal devotion.[4] Wardell also wrote, in particular two prayers devoted to the Virgin Mary, who he seems to have regarded as his especial saint.[4] It is known that he frequently prayed for help and guidance when working on plans of church buildings.[4]
On 7 October 1847 Wardell married Lucy Ann Butler, the daughter of William Henry Butler, a wine merchant and one time Mayor of Oxford. The couple married at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Moorfields in the City of London[5] and are known to have had eleven children.[1]
Architectural career
London office
By the time of his marriage aged 23, Wardell was already independently practicing as an architect. Between 1846 and 1858 he designed, restored or re-ordered about 30 churches in the UK, a rapid success. As this was an era of massive church restoration (
The
He designed several London churches. Another heritage-listed church is
By 1858, aged 35, Wardell was in poor health, and felt that the warmer climate of Australia would be more beneficial to his health.
In Melbourne
Melbourne in the early 1850s was a rough and primitive place with potholed roads. Robbery was commonplace, and the poverty caused by the soaring inflation, and streets that were in 1854 described as open sewers ensured that disease was rife. It was into this environment came men seeking fortunes digging for gold. Within ten years the gold rush had transformed Melbourne from a provincial outpost of the British Empire to a wealthy and rapidly expanding city.[26] Between 1853 and 1854 Melbourne doubled in size, however many of its new and expanding population lived in tented villages within the city. This need for building coupled with available funding drew aspiring young architects from around the world, among them John James Clark, Peter Kerr and in William Wilkinson Wardell.
As the newly arrived and appointed Government Architect, Wardell immediately began work on St Patrick's Cathedral, a task which was to occupy him for much of his life. In 1867 the Wardell Family moved into a large new house known as Ardoch, at 226 Dandenong Road, St Kilda, at the time one of the smartest and most expensive residential areas of Melbourne.[27] The 13-roomed two-storied house in an Italianate style was built for £225 in 1864. The Wardell family purchased it in 1867 and moved from their previous home in Powlett Street, East Melbourne.[28] Wardell designed both the Catholic churches dedicated to St Mary in St Kilda East where he personally worshipped. The first was completed in 1859 and its larger replacement completed in 1897.
In Melbourne, Wardell was not only the state-employed Government Architect, but also had a flourishing private practice as well, building houses, shops, and business premises for all who could afford him. He did not work in any one exclusive style, and could design in any architectural form his patrons required -
In 1877 Sir Graham Berry became the premier of Victoria. His mission, considered radically left wing at the time, was to redistribute the grazing land of Victoria, and to introduce a bill providing for the payment of members of the Legislative Assembly, which would enable working-class candidates to be elected. When his aims were rejected by the Legislative Council, he embarked on a public campaign of "coercion". "We coerce madmen," he said, "we put them into lunatic asylums, and never was anything more the act of madmen than the rejection of the Appropriation Bill." On 8 January 1878, known afterwards as "Black Wednesday", his "coercing" began. Using the reasoning that without his bill civil servants could not be paid, Berry began to dismiss public servants, starting with police and judges. Wardell's was one of the many heads which fell - dismissed from office, he left Melbourne to seek employment in Sydney.
During his time in Melbourne, Wardell designed numerous buildings, including 14 parish churches, in both the private and public sectors. While St Patrick's Cathedral is the largest and best known, other notable buildings are listed below.
St Patrick's Cathedral
St Patrick's Cathedral is the tallest and largest church in Australia, and a fine example of Gothic Revival.
It was the third church designed for the site. Bishop James Alipius Goold commissioned the first in 1850, delayed by labour shortages caused by the Gold rush, and in 1858; he then laid the foundation stone for a second, larger, church partly completed by 1858, when he instructed the newly arrived Wardell to design a cathedral, incorporating as much as possible of the partly completed church, and in December 1858 the new plans were accepted and work commenced.
Wardell's design is a fine essay in the mid 19th century
St Patrick's Cathedral became Wardell's life's work and his most notable commission. The original plans remained unaltered during construction, while construction proceeded slowly. The nave and its aisles were completed just ten years later, but the church was not consecrated for use until 1897. At the time of his death in 1899, Wardell was still working on designs for the minor altars and fixtures and fittings. The spires however were not built until 1937–39, and are taller than he envisaged.[30]
The Gothic Bank
Wardell's Venetian Gothic style headquarters for the
Government House
Government House in Melbourne is the largest and grandest Government House, and one of the finest examples of the Italianate style, in Australia. The building includes the official residence of the
Government House was designed by Wardell in the
Government House is located on a hill in the centre of parkland just south of the central city, visible from many points around inner Melbourne. It consists of three separately articulated blocks housing different functions, each with their own entrance, asymmetrically arranged with a dominant central tall belvedere tower. The three-storey principal block contains the
In Sydney
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Wardell arrived in Sydney in 1878. He designed many buildings, the most notable being St Mary's Cathedral and St John's College at The University of Sydney.
St Mary's Cathedral
St Mary's Cathedral is slightly larger than St Patrick's Cathedral, and is the largest ecclesiastical building in Australia. Wardell designed the cathedral in the Gothic style. Work began in 1868 while Wardell was still based in Melbourne. Work continued throughout Wardell's lifetime, the cathedral finally being completed in 1928. In 2000 the spires Wardell had intended, a scheme abandoned due to lack of finance, were finally constructed.
St John's College
In February 1859 Wardell was appointed architect for St John's College. Working from Melbourne, he drew up the general plans and sent them to Sydney in May 1859. Wardell designed St John's College as a three-storeyed sandstone Gothic Revival building on an H-shaped plan but because of budget restrictions with a limit of A£30,000, July and August saw discussion of Wardell's design and of how much could be built within the budget. In September and October the general plans were approved by the St John's Council and the University Senate. During the period from October 1859 to April 1860 relations between Wardell and the Council deteriorated for various reasons, ultimately ending with Wardell's resignation in June 1860.
Other buildings
The ASN Co building is a large warehouse at 1-5 Hickson Road, The Rocks, Sydney. Designed by Wardell in the Pre-Federation Anglo Dutch style for the Australasian Steam Navigation Company and completed in 1885, it had distinctive Flemish gables and a bell tower, which has ensured it has "long been regarded as a significant Sydney landmark".[34][35]
Wardell also designed the New South Wales Club House building at 31 Bligh Street in the Victorian Academic Classical style, completed in 1884; and is currently occupied by the Lowy Institute.[36] He also designed significant 1881 extensions to the Grafton Bond Store in Millers Point, Sydney.[37]
Architectural legacy
Wardell died at his home, Upton Grange, in Edward Street, North Sydney on 19 November 1899 of heart failure and pleurisy. He is buried in the Catholic section of
The Victorian division of the
Gallery
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St Brirnus Roman Catholic Church, Dorchester-on-Thames
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Upton Grange, where Wardell died in 1899
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Contemporary shot of Upton Grange, North Sydney
References
- ^ a b "William Wilkinson Wardell (1823-1899)". The Victorian Web. George P. Landow. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- .
- ^ de Jong, Ursula (2000). "William Wilkinson Wardell (1823-1899): an English architect in the Antipodes". Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society (21): 24–44.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hazel, T. A. "A Quest for Perfection: William Wilkinson Wardell and St Patrick's Cathedral". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ The Mayors of Oxford [dead link]
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Birinus (Grade II*) (1369090)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Roman Catholic Church of Our Ladye Star of the Sea including its forecourt wall and gate piers (Grade II*) (1358941)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Banerjee, Jacqueline, ed. (15 June 2012). "Our Ladye Star of the Sea (R.C.), by William Wilkinson Wardell (1823-1899), with fittings by A. W. N. and E. W. Pugin (1)". The Victorian Web. George P. Landow. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Banerjee, Jacqueline, ed. (15 June 2012). "Our Ladye Star of the Sea (R.C.), by William Wilkinson Wardell (1823-1899), with fittings by A. W. N. and E. W. Pugin (2)". The Victorian Web. George P. Landow. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Crooms Hill, Greenwich". Port Cities, London. National Maritime Museum. 2002. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Roman Catholic Church of St Mary (Church of the Redemptionist Fathers) (Grade II*) (1358240)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "History of the Parish". St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Clapham. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Victorian London Roman Catholic Churches Archived 27 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Mary and St Michael (Grade II*) (1246141)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Roman Catholic Church of St Peter and St Edward (Grade II*) (1065855)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Gate Lodge and Gateway to the former convent of the Holy Child Jesus (Grade II*) (1391736)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Chapel to the former convent of the Holy Child Jesus (Grade II*) (1358941)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Training College, former convent of the Holy Child Jesus (Grade II*) (1391734)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Priory at the former convent of the Holy Child Jesus (Grade II*) (1391735)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Former convent building to the north west chapel at the former convent of the Holy Child Jesus (Grade II*) (1191639)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Chapel to the former convent of the Holy Child Jesus (Grade II*) (1043478)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Ellingham (Grade II*) (1391770)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Old Lodge and Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Digby Stuart College (Grade II*) (1357640)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Grove House (Grade II*) (1000419)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Spode Pottery: Buildings around the north west courtyard, entrance gate, gate piers and remains of the bottle kiln (Grade II*) (1392359)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Melbourne: built on gold". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Heritage Recognition Program". Arts, festival and heritage. City of Port Phillip. 6 August 2007. Archived from the original on 13 June 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ SKH Buildings Archived 12 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "St Patricks Cathedral". Victorian Heritage Database. National Trust of Australia (Victoria). Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ "St Patricks Cathedral". Victorian Heritage Database. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ "ANZ BAnk - History". Victorian Heritage Database. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ Storey, Rohan (2008). Walking Melbourne. National Trust of Australia (Victoria).
- ^ a b c d "History of Government House". Governor of Victoria. State of Victoria. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- .
- .
- ^ "NSW Club House, 31 Bligh Street". National Trust of Australia. Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- .
- ^ Dictionary of Australian Biography
- ^ "The William Wardell Award". Awards in Victoria. Australian Institute of Architects. 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
Bibliography
- Cumming, D. A. (August 1985). "Some Public Works Engineers in Victoria in the Nineteenth Century" (TR-85/10).
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(help) - De Jong, Ursula M., William Wilkinson Wardell, Monash University Press, Melbourne, 1984.
- Evans, A. G., William Wardell: Building with Conviction, Connor Court, Ballan Vic, 2010.
- McDonald, D. I. (May 1970). "William Wilkinson Wardell". Victorian History Magazine. 41 (2): 327–350.
- McDonald, D. I. (May 1972). "A gross want of knowledge - W. W. Wilkinson, Inspector-General of Public Works 1861-1878". Victorian History Magazine. 43 (2): 820–836.
- Serle, Percival (1949). "Wardell, William Wilkinson". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.