Basic Biographical Details Name: | Richard Popplewell Pullan | Designation: | | Born: | 27 March 1825 | Died: | 30 April 1888 | Bio Notes: | Richard Popplewell Pullan was born at Knaresborough on 27 March 1825. He was articled to Richard Lane in Manchester, and in Lane's office he subsequently became acquainted with Alfred Waterhouse who was five years younger. In 1853 he worked with Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt and Owen Jones on the Byzantine and medieval courts at the Crystal Palace and from 1854 onwards made exploratory expeditions to the east, the first important one being in 1856 when he assisted Charles Newton with the excavations at Halikarnassos. In parallel he commenced independent practice as an architect first coming into prominence when he was placed second in the competition for Lille Cathedral in 1855. From at least 1859 he was closely associated with William Burges whose sister Mary he married in that year.
From 1862 to 1869 Pullan was employed by the Society of Dilettanti on excavations at Teos and Priene and at Gulpinar in Turkey. While engaged on that work he made intensive studies of the Byzantine architecture in that area, joining forces with the Frenchman Charles Texier to publish 'L'Architecture Byzantine' in 1864 and 'The Principles Ruins of Asia Minor' in 1865.
Pullan maintained an office at 15 Clifford's Inn London and after his return from the east entered most of the major competitions and was invited to take part in a number of limited ones including that for Truro, but without success. His few executed works are mainly on the Continent, and much of his time appears to have been devoted to his books on Asia Minor (1876), eastern cities and Italian towns (1879) and a considerable number of books on church architecture, decoration and furnishing from 1873 onwards. On Burges's' death in 1881 the Pullans inherited Tower House, on which Pullan published a book in 1886. He also inherited Burges's practice, and with Burges's assistant, John Starling Chapple, he completed the work in hand and published several folio's of Burges's drawings in 1883-87. He hoped to retain the patronage of the 3rd Marquess of Bute for the unbuilt Byzantine church at Troon - subsequently built at Galston - but the Marquess found him 'rather a brute' and appointed Robert Rowand Anderson.
In his last years Pullan suffered severely from bronchitis. He died at Brighton, 30 April 1888. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 15, Clifford's Inn, London, England | Business | c. 1860 | | |
Employment and TrainingEmployersThe following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | Richard Lane | c. 1845 | Before 1853 | Pupil | | | Owen Jones | 1853 | 1853 | Assistant | | | Matthew Digby Wyatt | 1853 | 1853 | Assistant | |
Buildings and DesignsThis was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | | Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | | 1881 | Glasgow Municipal Buildings | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Second competition design - not successful | | 1882 | Byzantine Chapel | Troon | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Drew up proposals with Anderson |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | DNB | | Dictionary of National Biography | | | | | Grove Dictionary of Art | | Grove Dictionary of Art | | | | | Lucas, C | 1886 | Deux architectes Anglais: william Burges and Richard Popplewell Pullan | | Paris | |
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