Decimus Burton - Gentleman Architect
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Hi, my name is Paul Rabbitts and I live in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire. Whilst I work full time as a Head of Parks, Heritage and Culture for a local authority just north of London, I am very active in my spare time as an author and historian. Having written over 25 books over the last 10 years, I have covered books on public parks, Victorian and Edwardian bandstands, Sir Christopher Wren, Grinling Gibbons, the Royal Parks as well as local architecture. For my publishing output, please see my website https://www.paulrabbitts.co.uk/books
For many of these books, I have raised funds either by direct appeal or similar crowd funding sites such as Unbound.
I am now excited to announce that my latest book is called 'Decimus Burton - Gentleman Architect'. Who is this man you may ask?
Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was a prolific English architect and garden designer and a protegé of John Nash. He is particularly associated with projects in the classical style in London parks such as Hyde Park and Regent’s Park, including buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and London Zoo, and with the layout and architecture of the seaside towns of Fleetwood and St Leonards-on-Sea, and the spa town of Tunbridge Wells. But what do we know about him? In essence, very little. Often overshadowed by architects of the time such as Pugin, Nash, Soane and Wyatt, his imprint on London alone is hardly recognised.
Regents Parks terraces
His works at Kew Gardens are especially significant with his work on the Palm House with Richard Turner and also the Temperate House, recently restored.
Palm House, Kew
Temperate House, Kew.
His work in the Royal Parks is often undervalued and not fully acknowledged. This includes the entrance to Hyde Park on Hyde Park corner with the iconic screen, the Wellington Arch, many of the terraces around Regents Park and also many of the first buildings erected in London Zoo. His work in parks stretched to one of the largest parks in Europe - Phoenix Park in Dublin.
Hyde Park Corner
Many of his buildings still remain, including the Athenaeum Club on Pall Mall, to the stunning mansion at Grimston Park, near Tadcaster.
The Athenaeum, Pall Mall
In 1828 Burton accepted a special retainer from Mr. Ward of Tunbridge Wells, for the laying out of the Calverley Park estate there, and but for this engrossing employment, which occupied his time for over twenty years, his public works would no doubt have been more numerous and important.
Calverley Park, Tunbridge Wells
His practice afterwards, however, lay chiefly in the erection of country houses and villas and the laying out of estates for building purposes. The numerous mansions and villas designed by him are distinguished by suitability of internal arrangement and simplicity and purity of style, and many thriving localities in some of the chief towns of the country still evidence his skill in the laying out of building estates. In his day Greek was the fashionable, and indeed almost only, style, and in that he worked; but he used it with effect and judgment, never sacrificing the requirements of modern life to mere archaeological accuracy. And although many of his designs may appear, and sometimes are, antiquated and unsuitable revivals of ancient buildings, it must be remembered that most of them date from before the Gothic, or indeed any, revival of architecture as now understood and practised.
Holwood House
Judged by the standard of his time, no little credit is due to him for honest and independent regard for the practical objects of his profession. He was a traveller when travelling was the exception, visiting and studying the classic remains of Italy and Greece, and later extending his observations to Canada and the United States of America. He was a man of wide culture and refinement, amiable and considerate to all with whom he came in contact, and had a wide circle of friends. He was proprietor of a pleasant bachelor residence at St. Leonards-on-Sea, a watering-place which his father had almost entirely built, and where he spent the greater part of the later years of his life. He died, 14 Dec. 1881, unmarried, at the advanced age of eighty-one. He was a fellow of the Royal Society, and of many other learned societies, including the Royal Institute of British Architects, of which he was one of the earliest members and at one-time vice-president.”
There are significant biographies on Nash, Soane and Wyatt, but if one was to seek out any authorative narrative of any depth on Decimus Burton, one would be disappointed. The objective of this book is to correct this gap with a significant illustrated book on one of our most underrated architects – Decimus Burton.
I am delighted to announce that I have a publishing deal with Lund Humphries Publishers https://www.lundhumphries.com/ for a high quality hard back book, 65,000 words, 150 images, colour and black and white. The book is complete and will be submitted in January 2021. Most of the book is funded by the publisher but myself as the author is required to raise £4,000 to ensure full colour reproduction or £2,500 for part colour part B/W. I have raised £400 to cover the copyright and purchase of images from Kew, Historic England, Chatsworth Estate.
In exchange for funding donations, you will be acknowledged in the book as a funder if you require this but will have the pleasure of being part of the first full monograph on this important architect. It has been an incredible effort to get this far with this book. Originally taken on by Historic England, sadly their publishing team was disbanded 18 months ago and the book, although pretty much complete, has been sat waiting for a high quality publisher. It has been reviewed by Lund Humphries architectural editor Timothy Brittain-Catlin. Having gone through many iterations, I am delighted with the final product, the images and to see this published will mean an incredible amount. Throughout the writing of the book, I have always felt an affinity with Decimus Burton. He deserves an excellent book. Thank you all in anticipation.
Decimus Burton
For many of these books, I have raised funds either by direct appeal or similar crowd funding sites such as Unbound.
I am now excited to announce that my latest book is called 'Decimus Burton - Gentleman Architect'. Who is this man you may ask?
Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was a prolific English architect and garden designer and a protegé of John Nash. He is particularly associated with projects in the classical style in London parks such as Hyde Park and Regent’s Park, including buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and London Zoo, and with the layout and architecture of the seaside towns of Fleetwood and St Leonards-on-Sea, and the spa town of Tunbridge Wells. But what do we know about him? In essence, very little. Often overshadowed by architects of the time such as Pugin, Nash, Soane and Wyatt, his imprint on London alone is hardly recognised.
Regents Parks terracesHis works at Kew Gardens are especially significant with his work on the Palm House with Richard Turner and also the Temperate House, recently restored.
Palm House, KewTemperate House, Kew. His work in the Royal Parks is often undervalued and not fully acknowledged. This includes the entrance to Hyde Park on Hyde Park corner with the iconic screen, the Wellington Arch, many of the terraces around Regents Park and also many of the first buildings erected in London Zoo. His work in parks stretched to one of the largest parks in Europe - Phoenix Park in Dublin.
Hyde Park CornerMany of his buildings still remain, including the Athenaeum Club on Pall Mall, to the stunning mansion at Grimston Park, near Tadcaster.
The Athenaeum, Pall MallIn 1828 Burton accepted a special retainer from Mr. Ward of Tunbridge Wells, for the laying out of the Calverley Park estate there, and but for this engrossing employment, which occupied his time for over twenty years, his public works would no doubt have been more numerous and important.
Calverley Park, Tunbridge WellsHis practice afterwards, however, lay chiefly in the erection of country houses and villas and the laying out of estates for building purposes. The numerous mansions and villas designed by him are distinguished by suitability of internal arrangement and simplicity and purity of style, and many thriving localities in some of the chief towns of the country still evidence his skill in the laying out of building estates. In his day Greek was the fashionable, and indeed almost only, style, and in that he worked; but he used it with effect and judgment, never sacrificing the requirements of modern life to mere archaeological accuracy. And although many of his designs may appear, and sometimes are, antiquated and unsuitable revivals of ancient buildings, it must be remembered that most of them date from before the Gothic, or indeed any, revival of architecture as now understood and practised.
Holwood HouseJudged by the standard of his time, no little credit is due to him for honest and independent regard for the practical objects of his profession. He was a traveller when travelling was the exception, visiting and studying the classic remains of Italy and Greece, and later extending his observations to Canada and the United States of America. He was a man of wide culture and refinement, amiable and considerate to all with whom he came in contact, and had a wide circle of friends. He was proprietor of a pleasant bachelor residence at St. Leonards-on-Sea, a watering-place which his father had almost entirely built, and where he spent the greater part of the later years of his life. He died, 14 Dec. 1881, unmarried, at the advanced age of eighty-one. He was a fellow of the Royal Society, and of many other learned societies, including the Royal Institute of British Architects, of which he was one of the earliest members and at one-time vice-president.”
There are significant biographies on Nash, Soane and Wyatt, but if one was to seek out any authorative narrative of any depth on Decimus Burton, one would be disappointed. The objective of this book is to correct this gap with a significant illustrated book on one of our most underrated architects – Decimus Burton.
I am delighted to announce that I have a publishing deal with Lund Humphries Publishers https://www.lundhumphries.com/ for a high quality hard back book, 65,000 words, 150 images, colour and black and white. The book is complete and will be submitted in January 2021. Most of the book is funded by the publisher but myself as the author is required to raise £4,000 to ensure full colour reproduction or £2,500 for part colour part B/W. I have raised £400 to cover the copyright and purchase of images from Kew, Historic England, Chatsworth Estate.
In exchange for funding donations, you will be acknowledged in the book as a funder if you require this but will have the pleasure of being part of the first full monograph on this important architect. It has been an incredible effort to get this far with this book. Originally taken on by Historic England, sadly their publishing team was disbanded 18 months ago and the book, although pretty much complete, has been sat waiting for a high quality publisher. It has been reviewed by Lund Humphries architectural editor Timothy Brittain-Catlin. Having gone through many iterations, I am delighted with the final product, the images and to see this published will mean an incredible amount. Throughout the writing of the book, I have always felt an affinity with Decimus Burton. He deserves an excellent book. Thank you all in anticipation.
Decimus Burton
Organizer
Paul Rabbitts
Organizer
England
