Geoffrey Bazeley
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Bazeley was a British Modernist architect, born in Penzance
, Cornwall, into a family of shipowners and traders. In 1935 he was commissioned to build Tregannick House in Cornwall and set up his own practice there. Tregannick has been described as “one of the best Modern Movement houses in the west of England.”
.
He was first employed as an assistant to George Grey Wornum
on the RIBA
building on Portland Place
, London W1. Then in 1933 he began working for the revered Russian-born Modernist Serge Chermayeff
(who co-designed Britain’s most iconic 1930s building, the De La Warr Pavilion, acting as the principal assistant for Shrub’s Wood in Chalfont St Giles
, Buckinghamshire.
Geoffrey Bazeley started his architectural practice in Penzance in 1936 and after the war opened branches in St Austell
and Plymouth
. He went into partnership with Peter Barbary. The firm had a very good reputation and won an award for Housing in the Isles of Scilly
in 1950. They received a good deal of work from the War Office
, and were also responsible for the cinema in Hayle
, an hotel in Penzance, the Farley Building in Plymouth and the English China Clays headquarters in St Austell. Peter Barbary died in 1970 and Portland Square was put under compulsory purchase by the Polytechnic in 1972. After this Geoffrey Bazeley merged into partnership with Mr Miller-Williams in Looe Street, the Barbican, Plymouth.
and his partner, Erich Mendelsohn
. Bazeley’s later projects included the modernisation of the Seaton Barracks
in Plymouth
, offices for the ECL group in St Austell, and the new See House for the Bishop of Truro
.
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, Cornwall, into a family of shipowners and traders. In 1935 he was commissioned to build Tregannick House in Cornwall and set up his own practice there. Tregannick has been described as “one of the best Modern Movement houses in the west of England.”
Career
He studied architecture at Cambridge University (1926–29) and subsequently at the Architectural Association in London (1929–32). He was known for his Modernist architectureInternational style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
.
He was first employed as an assistant to George Grey Wornum
George Grey Wornum
George Grey Wornum was a British architect.Grey Wornum was born in London and educated at Bradfield College and the Slade School of Art. He studied architecture under the guidance of his uncle, Ralph Selden Wornum...
on the RIBA
Riba
Riba means one of the senses of "usury" . Riba is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence fiqh and considered as a major sin...
building on Portland Place
Portland Place
Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London, England.-History and topography:The street was laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House...
, London W1. Then in 1933 he began working for the revered Russian-born Modernist Serge Chermayeff
Serge Chermayeff
Serge Ivan Chermayeff was a Russian born, British architect, industrial designer, writer, and co-founder of several architectural societies, including the American Society of Planners and Architects....
(who co-designed Britain’s most iconic 1930s building, the De La Warr Pavilion, acting as the principal assistant for Shrub’s Wood in Chalfont St Giles
Chalfont St Giles
Chalfont St Giles is a village and civil parish within Chiltern district in south east Buckinghamshire, England, on the edge of the Chilterns, 25 miles from London, and near Seer Green, Jordans, Chalfont St Peter, Little Chalfont and Amersham....
, Buckinghamshire.
Geoffrey Bazeley started his architectural practice in Penzance in 1936 and after the war opened branches in St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
and Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. He went into partnership with Peter Barbary. The firm had a very good reputation and won an award for Housing in the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
in 1950. They received a good deal of work from the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
, and were also responsible for the cinema in Hayle
Hayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
, an hotel in Penzance, the Farley Building in Plymouth and the English China Clays headquarters in St Austell. Peter Barbary died in 1970 and Portland Square was put under compulsory purchase by the Polytechnic in 1972. After this Geoffrey Bazeley merged into partnership with Mr Miller-Williams in Looe Street, the Barbican, Plymouth.
Selected works
In 1935 he was commissioned to build Tregannick House in Cornwall and set up his own practice there. It was his first major solo commission, and it clearly shows how he had imbibed the lessons of both Serge ChermayeffSerge Chermayeff
Serge Ivan Chermayeff was a Russian born, British architect, industrial designer, writer, and co-founder of several architectural societies, including the American Society of Planners and Architects....
and his partner, Erich Mendelsohn
Erich Mendelsohn
Erich Mendelsohn was a Jewish German architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic functionalism in his projects for department stores and cinemas.-Early life:...
. Bazeley’s later projects included the modernisation of the Seaton Barracks
Crownhill
Crownhill is an area of northern Plymouth, in the English county of Devon.-Overview:It was originally known as Knackersknowle, meaning "the hill of the knacker's yard". In 1860 a fort was built on a high piece of land, just to the north west of the village, on the site of a building called Crown...
in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, offices for the ECL group in St Austell, and the new See House for the Bishop of Truro
Bishop of Truro
The Bishop of Truro is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Truro in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Cornwall and it is one of the most recently created dioceses of the Church of England...
.
External links
- Hilltop house at Tregannick from themodernlocation.net
- Tregannick from Timesonline
- Some interior photos of Tregannick
- The Farley building, Plymouth from 'Derelict Places' website