Thomas Hardwick
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hardwick was a British architect
and a founding member of the Architect's Club in 1791.
, the son of a master mason turned architect also named Thomas Hardwick (1725–98, son of another Thomas, 1681–1746, also a mason, who in 1711 left Herefordshire for Isleworth,where the family retained property, and moved to Brentford in 1725) who worked with the architect brothers Robert
and John Adam
on nearby Syon House
between 1761-1767. Both father and son were associated with Syon from about the 1720s and employment continued until the early 19th century. The Hardwicks were one of the finest architectural families during the 19th century. Thomas Hardwick, his son Philip Hardwick
(1792–1870), and then grandson Philip Charles Hardwick
(1822–1892) each held the post of Surveyor to St Bartholomew's Hospital
, London.
In 1769, aged 17, he enrolled at the new Royal Academy
Schools, where he studied architecture under Sir William Chambers
, for whom he later worked during the construction of Somerset House
. During his first year at the Royal Academy he won the silver medal in architecture, and from 1772 to 1805 he exhibited there.
In his early twenties Hardwick travelled to Europe at his own expense, visiting Paris
and Lyon
, before heading for Italy
accompanied by artist Thomas Jones
(1742–1803). He lived in Naples
and then Rome
for two years from 1776, filling his notebooks with sketches and measured drawings and gaining a grounding in classical architecture which was to influence his own neo-classical style
. He also renewed his acquaintance with fellow Academy pupil John Soane
(1753–1837).
(completed in 1790 – now a Grade I listed building), the Hampstead Road Chapel (1791–1792), St John's Church, St John's Wood
High Street (1813–1814), and the church of St Barnabas (now St Clement) near Old Street. Arguably, his most notable work is the church of St Mary, Marylebone Road
(1813–1817).
He restored Inigo Jones
's St Paul's, Covent Garden
; he was appointed in 1788 and the eventual 10-year-long restoration project survived an almost disastrous fire in 1795 which destroyed much of Jones’s original interior. He also restored Sir Christopher Wren
's St James's, Piccadilly
, and rebuilt George Dance the Younger
's St Bartholomew-the-Less
in West Smithfield
(1823–1825).
Further afield, St John's Church, Workington
was built in 1823 to Hardwick’s design and although built of local sandstone
it bears some resemblance to the Inigo Jones St Paul's Church in Covent Garden which Hardwick had previously restored. As well as churches, he also designed some civic buildings, including the Shire Hall in Dorchester, Dorset. Built in 1797, this building (also now a Grade I listed building) retains the courtroom where the Tolpuddle Martyrs
were sentenced to transportation to Australia
for their part in the early trade union
movement in 1834.
Hardwick was appointed Clerk of Works at Hampton Court by King George III
, following which he also work at Kew
Palace and its gardens. He was a founding member of the Architects' Club; but never became an Associate of the Royal Academy.
and later sold some of his early works to his popular tutor. Turner continued to be friends with the Hardwick family and would at the end of his life choose Hardwick's son, Philip, as an executor.
Plymouth
architect John Foulston
(1772–1842) designer of the Greek Revival style Plymouth Proprietary Library, and his second son Philip Hardwick
were also pupils. Philip thus became the third successive generation to practice as an architect, joining his father as a partner and in 1825 taking over the firm’s London office.
Thomas had worked with architect John Shaw Sr.
(1776–1832) whilst surveying St James's Church in Piccadilly and St Barthlomew's Hospital in Smithfield; later, a daughter of John Shaw married Thomas's son Philip. Another son, John Hardwick (1790–1875), was a stipendiary magistrate
at Great Marlborough Street magistrates' court, London, and was a friend of the novelist Charles Dickens
.
Hardwick died at his family home in central London's Berners Street, and was buried in the family vault in the churchyard of St Laurence, Brentford.
A portrait of Hardwick by George Dance the Elder
is part of the National Portrait Gallery collection.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and a founding member of the Architect's Club in 1791.
Early life and career
Hardwick was born in BrentfordBrentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
, the son of a master mason turned architect also named Thomas Hardwick (1725–98, son of another Thomas, 1681–1746, also a mason, who in 1711 left Herefordshire for Isleworth,where the family retained property, and moved to Brentford in 1725) who worked with the architect brothers Robert
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
and John Adam
John Adam (architect)
John Adam was a Scottish architect. Born in Linktown of Abbotshall, now part of Kirkcaldy, Fife, he was the eldest son of architect and entrepreneur William Adam. His younger brothers Robert and James Adam also became architects.The Adam family moved to Edinburgh in 1728, as William Adam's career...
on nearby Syon House
Syon House
Syon House, with its 200-acre park, is situated in west London, England. It belongs to the Duke of Northumberland and is now his family's London residence...
between 1761-1767. Both father and son were associated with Syon from about the 1720s and employment continued until the early 19th century. The Hardwicks were one of the finest architectural families during the 19th century. Thomas Hardwick, his son Philip Hardwick
Philip Hardwick
Philip Hardwick was an eminent English architect, particularly associated with railway stations and warehouses in London and elsewhere...
(1792–1870), and then grandson Philip Charles Hardwick
Philip Charles Hardwick
-Life:Philip Charles Hardwick was a notable English architect of the 19th century who was once described as "a careful and industrious student of mediaeval art"...
(1822–1892) each held the post of Surveyor to St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England.-Early history:It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere , a favourite courtier of King Henry I...
, London.
In 1769, aged 17, he enrolled at the new Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
Schools, where he studied architecture under Sir William Chambers
William Chambers (architect)
Sir William Chambers was a Scottish architect, born in Gothenburg, Sweden, where his father was a merchant. Between 1740 and 1749 he was employed by the Swedish East India Company making several voyages to China where he studied Chinese architecture and decoration.Returning to Europe, he studied...
, for whom he later worked during the construction of Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
. During his first year at the Royal Academy he won the silver medal in architecture, and from 1772 to 1805 he exhibited there.
In his early twenties Hardwick travelled to Europe at his own expense, visiting Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, before heading for Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
accompanied by artist Thomas Jones
Thomas Jones (artist)
Thomas Jones was a British landscape painter. He was a pupil of Richard Wilson and was best known in his lifetime as a painter of Welsh and Italian landscapes in the style of his master. However, Jones's reputation grew in the 20th century when more unconventional works by him, ones not been...
(1742–1803). He lived in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and then Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
for two years from 1776, filling his notebooks with sketches and measured drawings and gaining a grounding in classical architecture which was to influence his own neo-classical style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
. He also renewed his acquaintance with fellow Academy pupil John Soane
John Soane
Sir John Soane, RA was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources...
(1753–1837).
Main works
After returning to London Hardwick established a reputation as a church architect, designing the church of St Mary the Virgin at WansteadWanstead
Wanstead is a suburban area in the London Borough of Redbridge, North-East London. The main road going through Wanstead is the A12. The name is from the Anglo-Saxon words wænn and stede, meaning "settlement on a small hill"....
(completed in 1790 – now a Grade I listed building), the Hampstead Road Chapel (1791–1792), St John's Church, St John's Wood
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
High Street (1813–1814), and the church of St Barnabas (now St Clement) near Old Street. Arguably, his most notable work is the church of St Mary, Marylebone Road
St Marylebone Parish Church
-First church:The first church for the parish was built in the vicinity of the present Marble Arch c.1200, and dedicated to St John the Evangelist.-Second church:...
(1813–1817).
He restored Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
's St Paul's, Covent Garden
St Paul's, Covent Garden
St Paul's Church, also commonly known as the Actors' Church, is a church designed by Inigo Jones as part of a commission by Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford in 1631 to create "houses and buildings fitt for the habitacons of Gentlemen and men of ability" in Covent Garden, London, England.As well...
; he was appointed in 1788 and the eventual 10-year-long restoration project survived an almost disastrous fire in 1795 which destroyed much of Jones’s original interior. He also restored Sir Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
's St James's, Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
, and rebuilt George Dance the Younger
George Dance the Younger
George Dance the Younger was an English architect and surveyor. The fifth and youngest son of George Dance the Elder, he came from a distinguished family of architects, artists and dramatists...
's St Bartholomew-the-Less
St Bartholomew-the-Less
St Bartholomew-the-Less is an Anglican church in the City of London. It is the official church of St Bartholomew's Hospital and is located within the hospital grounds.-History:...
in West Smithfield
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
(1823–1825).
Further afield, St John's Church, Workington
St John's Church, Workington
St John's Church, Workington, is located in Washington Street, Workington, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Solway, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland, and the diocese of Carlisle. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II*...
was built in 1823 to Hardwick’s design and although built of local sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
it bears some resemblance to the Inigo Jones St Paul's Church in Covent Garden which Hardwick had previously restored. As well as churches, he also designed some civic buildings, including the Shire Hall in Dorchester, Dorset. Built in 1797, this building (also now a Grade I listed building) retains the courtroom where the Tolpuddle Martyrs
Tolpuddle Martyrs
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of 19th century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. The rules of the society show it was clearly structured as a friendly society and operated as...
were sentenced to transportation to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for their part in the early trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement in 1834.
Hardwick was appointed Clerk of Works at Hampton Court by King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, following which he also work at Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
Palace and its gardens. He was a founding member of the Architects' Club; but never became an Associate of the Royal Academy.
Pupils and family
Among Hardwick's pupils was the artist J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851), whom it is said Hardwick advised to concentrate more on painting than architecture. During the young artist's training Turner made a drawing of Hardwick's design of St Mary the Virgin at WansteadWanstead
Wanstead is a suburban area in the London Borough of Redbridge, North-East London. The main road going through Wanstead is the A12. The name is from the Anglo-Saxon words wænn and stede, meaning "settlement on a small hill"....
and later sold some of his early works to his popular tutor. Turner continued to be friends with the Hardwick family and would at the end of his life choose Hardwick's son, Philip, as an executor.
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...
architect John Foulston
John Foulston
John Foulston was an English architect. He was a pupil of Thomas Hardwick and set up a practice in London in 1796. In 1810 he won a competition to design the Royal Hotel and Theatre group of buildings in Plymouth, Devon, and after relocating he remained the leading architect for twenty-five...
(1772–1842) designer of the Greek Revival style Plymouth Proprietary Library, and his second son Philip Hardwick
Philip Hardwick
Philip Hardwick was an eminent English architect, particularly associated with railway stations and warehouses in London and elsewhere...
were also pupils. Philip thus became the third successive generation to practice as an architect, joining his father as a partner and in 1825 taking over the firm’s London office.
Thomas had worked with architect John Shaw Sr.
John Shaw Sr.
John Shaw, Senior, was an architect related to the Shaw and Hardwick family and one of the first architects to draw up plans for semi-detached housing in London....
(1776–1832) whilst surveying St James's Church in Piccadilly and St Barthlomew's Hospital in Smithfield; later, a daughter of John Shaw married Thomas's son Philip. Another son, John Hardwick (1790–1875), was a stipendiary magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
at Great Marlborough Street magistrates' court, London, and was a friend of the novelist Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
.
Hardwick died at his family home in central London's Berners Street, and was buried in the family vault in the churchyard of St Laurence, Brentford.
A portrait of Hardwick by George Dance the Elder
George Dance the Elder
George Dance the Elder was an English architect of the 18th century. He served as the City of London surveyor and architect from 1735 until his death....
is part of the National Portrait Gallery collection.