82 Facts About Decimus Burton

Decimus Burton was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century.

Decimus Burton was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and Regency styles.

Decimus Burton was a founding fellow and vice-president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and from 1840 architect to the Royal Botanic Society, and an early member of the Athenaeum Club, London, whose clubhouse he designed and which the company of his father, James Burton, the pre-eminent Georgian London property developer, built.

Decimus Burton designed the seaside towns of St Leonards-on-Sea, Fleetwood, and Folkestone, and Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Decimus Burton was a member of London high society during the Georgian era and during the Regency era.

Decimus Burton had close friendships with Princess Victoria ; the Duchess of Kent; William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, John Wilson Croker, and Sir Humphry Davy.

The Burtons' London mansion, The Holme of Regent's Park, which was built by James's company to a design by his son Decimus Burton, was described by 20th century architectural critic Ian Nairn as 'a definition of Western civilization in a single view'.

Decimus Burton contributed to the design of their Tonbridge Kent mansion, Mabledon.

Decimus Burton's father was born James Haliburton, and shortened his surname to Burton in 1794, between the births of his fourth and fifth children.

Decimus Burton was a cousin of the Canadian author and British Tory MP Thomas Chandler Haliburton and of the British civil servant Lord Haliburton, who was the first native Canadian to be raised to the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

Decimus Burton was the nephew of Constance Mary Fearon, who was the founder of the Francis Bacon Society.

Decimus Burton was born at the 'very comfortable and well staffed' North House in the newly built Southampton Terrace, Bloomsbury, London.

From 1805, Decimus Burton was raised in his father's mansion, Mabledon House, in Kent.

Subsequent to the birth of his twelfth child, Jessy, in 1804, Decimus's father James Burton had purchased a site on a hill about one mile to the south of Tonbridge in Kent, where he constructed, to the designs of the architect Joseph T Parkinson, in 1805, the large country mansion which he named Mabledon House, which was described in 1810 by the local authority as 'an elegant imitation of an ancient castellated mansion'.

The majority of the stone that James Decimus Burton required for Mabledon was quarried from the hill on which it was to be built, but Decimus Burton purchased the stone that had been released by the recent demolition of a nearby mansion, Penhurst Place.

Decimus Burton was coincidentally commissioned to expand Mabledon, his childhood home, on several occasions after it had been sold by his father.

Decimus Burton first trained with his father and received drawing lessons from George Maddox.

Decimus Burton's father James was a talented architect, in addition to the foremost contemporaneous property developer.

Samuel Pepys Cockerell, advisor to the Governors of the Foundling Hospital, a contemporary of James Decimus Burton, commended James Decimus Burton's architectural excellence:.

Mr Decimus Burton was ready to come forward with money and personal assistance to relieve and help forward those builders who were unable to proceed in their contracts; and in some instances he has been obliged to resume the undertaking and complete himself what has been weakly and imperfectly proceeded with.

Decimus Burton has been described by Williams as "an exceptionally clever child" who demonstrated a lack of emotion characteristic of his family.

Decimus Burton left Tonbridge School in 1816 and entered directly the Royal Academy Schools, in 1817.

James Burton was responsible for the social and financial patronage of the majority of Nash's London designs, in addition to for their construction, and Decimus became acquainted with Nash through his father.

Decimus Burton had showed precocious talent as a draughtsman and as an exponent of the classical style.

Subsequent to the Crown Estate's refusal to finance them, James Decimus Burton agreed to personally finance the construction projects of John Nash at Regent's Park, which he had already been commissioned to construct.

Decimus Burton entered the office of Nash in 1815, where he worked alongside Augustus Charles Pugin, who detested the neoclassical style.

Greenough and Decimus Burton finalized their designs during numerous meetings at the opera.

However, to Nash's great annoyance, Decimus Burton disregarded the latter's advice and developed the terraces according to his own style.

Decimus Burton subsequently eclipsed his master and emerged as the dominant force in the design of Carlton House Terrace, where he exclusively designed No 3 and No 4.

Decimus Burton designed some of the villas of the Inner Circle: his villa for the Marquess of Hertford has been described as, 'decorated simplicity, such as the hand of taste, aided by the purse of wealth can alone execute'.

The absence of any Grand Tour early in Decimus Burton's career meant that his books and casts were the sources for his early designs, which are technically formal in style.

Decimus Burton toured the Netherlands in 1846 and Germany in 1850.

Decimus Burton toured Canada and the United States, after departing Liverpool for Halifax, Nova Scotia, with his cousin Thomas Chandler Haliburton, a Tory MP and author.

Decimus Burton collected casts, which informed his work, over 200 of which he donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which displayed 18 of the same in its British Galleries.

Decimus Burton has been described, by architectural scholar Guy Williams, as "rich, cool, well-dressed, apparently celibate, the designer and prime member of the Athenaeum, one of London's grandest gentlemens' clubs" where Decimus Burton "mixed with many of the greatest in the land, meeting the most creative as well as those with enormous hereditary wealth".

Decimus Burton was "on excellent terms" with Princess Victoria, and with the Duchess of Kent.

From 1818, Burton resided, with his father, at The Holme, Regent's Park, which has been described as "one of the most desirable private homes in London", which was designed as the Burton family mansion by Decimus, and built by James Burton's own company.

The hallmark of the Decimus Burton design is the large semi-circular bay that divided the principal elevation, and which extended for two storeys.

Decimus Burton bought from the Crown a plot at Spring Gardens, St James's Park, at the east end of The Mall, where he constructed, in the Georgian neoclassical townhouse style, No 10,12, and 14 Spring Gardens, as both his townhouse and his principal office.

Decimus Burton retired in 1869, and subsequently resided at his homes at Gloucester Gardens, Kensington, and St Leonards Lodge, St Leonards-on-Sea, which adjoined 'The Uplands' and 'The Lawn' developments which he had designed.

Decimus Burton died in December 1881, at 1 Gloucester Road, Kensington, and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, alongside his brother Henry Burton, and his sister Jessy Burton.

Decimus Burton's tomb was Grade II listed building in 2001.

However, Decimus Burton donated 200 of his extensive collection of casts, which informed his work, to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which displayed 18 of the same in its British Galleries.

Decimus Burton intended to create an urban space dedicated to the celebration of the House of Hanover, national pride, and the nation's heroes.

The renovation of Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James's Park, began, in 1825, with the demarcation of new drives and pathways, subsequent to which Decimus Burton designed new lodges and gates, viz.

Decimus Burton designed the arch's iron gates, which were constructed by Bramah and Co.

Decimus Burton created a new design, "to pander to the majestic ego", which was much larger and modelled on a fragment found in the Ancient Roman forum, which was accepted on 14 January 1826, and subsequently built as the present Wellington Arch.

The arch at Constitution Hill was left devoid of decorative sculpture as a result of the moratorium in 1828 on public building work, and, instead, despite the absolute objection of Decimus Burton, was mounted with an ungainly equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington by Matthew Cotes Wyatt, the son of the then recently deceased James Wyatt, who had been selected by statue's commissioner, and one of its few subsequent advocates, Sir Frederick Trench.

Decimus Burton had envisaged that his arch would be topped with only a small quadriga whose horses would have been parallel with the road under the arch.

Decimus Burton's objections were extensively endorsed by most of the aristocratic residents of London.

Decimus Burton had realized that the disciples of Pugin and advocates of Pugin's anti-classicism would remove all classical elements from his arch if permitted the opportunity to do so.

Decimus Burton consulted on filling in the Buckingham Palace forecourt, creating new interiors and the palace Facade we know today.

Jones' statue is not nearly as elegant as Decimus Burton's designed statue intended for the arch, but it is more coherent with the arch than Wyatt's statue, and its figures, unlike those of Wyatt's statue, are aligned with the roadway under the arch.

Decimus Burton laid out the Zoo in the picturesque style, and designed the early animal houses in the cottage orne style.

Decimus Burton was one of the first architects to consider the implications of architecture on the creation of distinct urban environments.

The Trustees of the Club who employed Decimus Burton were the Earl of Aberdeen, former Prime Minister and President of the Society of Antiquaries; Sir Thomas Lawrence, President of the Royal Academy; and Sir Humphry Davy, President of the Royal Society.

Decimus Burton continued to work for the club until 1864, and designed Croker's villa at Stokes Bay, near Gosport, in around 1840.

Decimus Burton made himself responsible for the design of as many of the decorative features of the club as possible, including the clock-cases and the pendant light-fittings.

Decimus Burton subsequently became the "prime member of the Athenaeum, one of London's grandest gentlemen's clubs", of which his father James was a member.

Decimus Burton was commissioned to develop the Calverley Estate by John Ward, an MP for whom he had designed his first neoclassical country residence.

Decimus Burton's design is predominantly Georgian neoclassical in style, but includes elements of the Italianate-, Old English or Tudor-, neogothic-, and cottage orne styles.

Decimus Burton designed 24 villas, the first of which was completed in autumn 1828: nearly twenty years would pass until the last villa of the series were complete.

Decimus Burton constructed a series of Tudor-style servants' cottages, and three grand entrances to the estate: the Victoria Gate, and the less ornate Keston Lodge and Farnborough Lodge.

In 1832, Calverley Park Crescent, designed by Decimus Burton, modelled partially on those at Bath and Buxton, was constructed at Calverley.

Wilson contends that 'Decimus Burton's laying out of the Calverley Estate is the best surviving embodiment of Early Victorian seriousness and refinement'.

Christopher Hussey, of Country Life, commended Decimus Burton's 'restrained eclectism' in the Calverley developments.

Dr Philip Whitbourn OBE FSA FRIBA contends that Burton has been inaccurately 'sometimes stereotyped as [one] feeling no enthusiasm for the Gothic Revival' and that 'it is as a master not only of the neoclassical but of the picturesque that Decimus Burton should be remembered'.

Decimus Burton was commissioned to design Holy Trinity Church at Tunbridge Wells in the neo-gothic style: he unwisely accepted the commission despite that he was 'neither by temperament nor training' qualified to design a work in this style, of which he knew little, and his design was censured, in addition to commended as a 'beautiful structure' and a 'handsome structure' which 'reflects great credit on the architect'.

Decimus Burton created a design for a new neoclassical Houses of Parliament.

Consequently, the amount of commissions received by Decimus Burton declined, although he retained a close friendship with the aristocrats amongst his patrons, who continued to commission him.

Decimus Burton was primarily responsible for the 'Great Stove' [conservatory] at Chatsworth for the 6th Duke of Devonshire, for which Joseph Paxton has been erroneously attributed primary responsibility and credit.

Architectural historian Guy Williams is unequivocal: Decimus Burton was "[the] designer of the Great Stove at Chatsworth".

The constructed Palm House is the consequence of the collaboration of Burton and Richard Turner: 'Decimus Burton contributed his considerable flair for creating refined and elegant structures and Richard Turner a singular talent for metal fabrication'.

Subsequent to his retirement there, Decimus Burton designed and constructed several buildings at St Leonards-on-Sea.

The architectural historian, Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, believes that Decimus Burton was the designer of the Gatehouse and the Inn buildings.

In 1832 Decimus Burton was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Decimus Burton became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London; a founding Fellow, and later vice-president, of the Royal Institute of British Architects; and was architect to the Royal Botanic Society from 1840.

Decimus Burton had over 30 years of correspondence with John Wilson Croker, a co-founder of the club, and was a close friend of Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, who was another early member.

Henry Marley Burton succeeded to Decimus's architectural practice subsequent to Decimus's retirement.

Decimus Burton had previously designed Bineham in Chailey for Dodson's brother-in-law, John George Blencowe.

Adelaide Crescent, Hove, Brighton, Decimus Burton's houses are on the left.

Decimus Burton spent two decades of his life modernising and landscaping the neglected site of Phoenix Park, Dublin.