Basic Biographical Details

Name: Charles Heathcote Tatham
Designation:  
Born: 8 February 1772
Died: 10 April 1842
Bio Notes: Charles Heathcote Tatham was born in Duke Street, Westminster, London on 8 February 1772, the youngest of the five sons of Ralph Tatham of Stockton, County Durham and his wife, Elizabeth Bloxham, the daughter of a wealthy London tradesman. His father tried to establish himself as a gentleman farmer and horse breeder in Essex with the dowry his wife brought but this failed and he became private secretary to Admiral Rodney. He died suddenly at the age of 47.

The younger Tatham was educated at the grammar school in Louth Lincolnshire where he excelled in the classics and his uncle, a cleric, tried to persuade him to enter the church. However he was averse to this idea and was becoming interested in the arts, particularly drawing. After returning to London, he tried various jobs. He studied drawing under John Landseer and worked for his mother’s uncle who was a coachmaker. He also studied mathematics. At the age of 16 he entered the office of Samuel Pepys Cockerell as a clerk but the menial duties he had to perform led him to leave after a year, although he was articled officially for three years. He returned to his mother’s home in Westminster and spent a year teaching himself to draw by copying from Sir William Chambers’ ‘Treatise’ and French ornament from Jean Le Pautre's ‘Oeuvres d'architecture’.

The furniture maker John Linnell who was a relative of his mother showed Tatham’s drawings to the architect Henry Holland who was impressed and took Tatham into his office as a trainee draughtsman. This enabled him eventually to visit Italy. France declared war on 1st February 1793 and the exchange of ideas and supply of French furnishing, which Holland’s client the Prince of Wales much admired, dried up. Tatham therefore agreed to act as Holland’s agent in Rome, supplying him with designs, casts and original pieces. Tatham arrived in Rome in July 1784 and remained there for two years. He spent two years there making copious drawings of architectural details, thus increasing his knowledge of neo-classical sources. He collected numerous antique fragments for Holland (later bought by Soane for his museum). He became friendly with Antonio Canova, Angelica Kauffman and Sir William Hamilton as well as Mario Asprucci, architect to Prince Marcantonio Borghese and the Spanish architect Isodoro Velasquez. He also became acquainted with potential patrons such as the Earl Bishop of Derry for whom he made drawings for a new house at Ickworth though this commission did not come his way. Through his brother John, who spent much time in Rome on account of his health, he met the Earl of Carlisle, who was to become one of his principal patrons. During this period Tatham also visited Naples and Paestum. While in Rome Tatham also made studies of furniture and he considered the Italian bronze manufacturers superior to the French. He supervised the casting of candlesticks and other pieces which were destined for Carlton House.

He left Rome on 9 July 1796 travelling to England via Venice, Dresden, Prague and Berlin and making drawings on the way. He had been elected an honorary member of the Accademia Clementina in Bologna and of the Accademia di S. Luca in Rome.

On his return Tatham began exhibiting at the Royal Academy and continued to do so until 1836. He also entered various competitions. Apart from the Earl of Carlisle he had not attracted much patronage. His severe neo-classical style was not generally to everyone’s taste. Much of his practice consisted of picture galleries and mausolea. The most important commissions were the Sculpture Gallery for Lord Carlisle at Castle Howard and the severe mausoleum for Lord Stafford at Trentham which was derived from an Egyptian pylon and a stepped pyramid from Halicarnassus. There are also various significant unexecuted designs – for example a palace for the Duke of Wellington at Stratfield Saye in Hampshire and a design for the Fitzwilliam Museum, the latter based on Hadrian’s Library in Athens.

The drawings and collections made by Tatham in Rome were influential in shaping Holland’s style (for example in Holland’s work at Southill House, Bedfordshire remodelled 1796-1800. His publications disseminated the style more widely. He spent two years working on the 102 plates showing the best examples from Holland’s collection and these were published as ‘Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture drawn from the Originals in Rome and Other Parts of Italy during the years 1794, 1795 and 1796’ (published 1799-1800). It became a major source book and ran to three editions and was translated into German. The style of his etching was based on that linear style of Flaxman and Tischbein and was copied by Thomas Hope in his ‘Household Furniture’ and others. Tatham also had a direct influence on contemporary taste through his own metalwork designs and through his influence on his relation John Linnell and his brother Thomas Tatham, both leading cabinet makers.

In 1806 some remaining pieces were published as ‘Etchings Representing Fragments of Grecian and Roman Architectural Ornaments’. In 1826 this and the 1799-1800 book were re-published in one volume as ‘Etching representing the Best Examples of Grecian and Roman Architectural Ornament drawn from the Originals, and chiefly collected in Italy before the late revolutions in that Country’.

In 1799 he submitted designs to the Treasury for a design for a national monument commemorating recent naval victories. By 1802 he had heard nothing so he published the design with a dedication to the Earl of Carlisle.

Much of Tatham’s work prior to 1820 had been destroyed or altered. It mainly comprised alterations work and additions such as cottages, garden buildings, park gates and entrance lodges. Two Scottish commission fall into this category: the lodges at Balgowan, and the park gates and Gothic mausoleum at Ochtertyre; Lynedoch Lodge is demolished. These are all in Perthshire.

Tatham had married in 1801 Harriet Williams, the daughter of a button-maker. They moved soon afterwards to a house in St John’s Wood. The house became a hub of artistic activity as Tatham knew many artists including William Blake, Benjamin Robert Haydon and Samuel Palmer. The Tathams had four sons and six daughters. Frederick became a portrait painter and Julia married George Richmond, R.A.

Tatham’s career went downhill between 1830 and 1836. His wife died in 1834. He was involved in various legal disputes and his clients therefore deserted him. He also refused to work for builders. The house in St John’s Wood was sold along with his collections. He was saved from these financial embarrassments by various friends including Thomas Grenville and the Duchess of Sutherland who obtained for him the place of Warden of Holy Trinity Hospital. He died there on 10 April 1842.

There are various portraits of Tatham including a crayon portrait by B R Haydon in the British Museum and a marble bust in Trinity Hospital, Greenwich.

Publications:
‘Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture drawn from the Originals in Rome and Other Parts of Italy during the years 1794, 1795 and 1796’ (published 1799-1800)
‘Etchings Representing Fragments of Grecian and Roman Architectural Ornaments’ (1806)
‘Etching representing the Best Examples of Grecian and Roman Architectural Ornament drawn from the Originals, and chiefly collected in Italy before the late revolutions in that Country’ (1826)
‘Three designs for the National Monument proposed to be erected in commemoration of the late glorious victories of the British Navy’ (1802)
‘Designs for ornamental Plate’ (1806)
‘The Gallery at Castle Howard’ (1811)
‘The Gallery at Brockesby’ (1811)
‘Representations of a Greek Vase in the Possession of C H Tatham’ (1811)
‘The Mausoleum at Castle Howard’ – description (1812)
He contributed the descriptions for Coney’s ‘Cathedrals’ (1829-31)
Proposed but not executed: ‘Collection of Designs’ illustrating his executed works. An advertisement for this was attached in some copies of 'Ornamental Plate'

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 1Alpha Road, St John's Wood, London, EnglandPrivate1801c. 1833 

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 41802Court HousePerth PerthshireScotlandDesigns dated. Not executed.
Item 2 of 41807BalgowanMethven (near) PerthshireScotlandLodges
Item 3 of 41807Lynedoch  PerthshireScotland 
Item 4 of 41809Ochtertyre HouseBlair Drummond PerthshireScotlandPark gates and Gothic mausoleum

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 6Colvin, Howard2008A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 London: YUP. 4th edition 
Item 2 of 6Farington, Joseph Diary  Entry 5 November 1815
Item 3 of 6New DNB New Dictionary of National Biography  Article by Richard Riddell
Item 4 of 6Searing, H (ed.)1982In Search of Mordern Architecture: A Tribute to Henry Russell-Hitchcock Cambridge, Mass.Chapter by John Harris: 'Precedents and Various Designs collected by C H Tatham'.
Item 5 of 6Stirling, A M W1926The Richmond Papers  pp24, 32, 98-9
Item 6 of 6Whitley, W T1928Artists and their Friends in England  volume ii, pp225-6

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 8ApolloMarch 2004  D Watkin: 'Charles Heathcote Tatham in Italy, 1794-96'
Item 2 of 8Burlington MagazineFebruary 1992  Article by Frank Salmon: C H Tatham and the Accademia di S Luca in Rome'.
Item 3 of 8Connoisseur1971clxxvii D Udny: 'The Neo-Classicism of C H Tatham'.
Item 4 of 8Country Life13 April 1972  C Proudfoot and D Watkin: 'The Neo-Classicism of C H Tatham'

Edition of 13-20 April 1972.
Item 5 of 8Country Life8 June 1972  'The Furniture of C H Tatham - also by Proudfoot and Watkin?
Item 6 of 8Furniture History2002xxxviii Article by Tania B Pos: 'Tatham and Italy: influences on English Neo-classical design'.
Item 7 of 8Gentleman's Magazine1842ii p436
Item 8 of 8Walpole Society Publications2005lxvii Manuscript autobiography (part of) and correspondence with Henry Holland. Orginals now in V & A

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 4Academy of St Luke, RomeArchive Drawings for a Hunting Pavilion, 1796
Item 2 of 4RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Drawings Collection Catalogue
Item 3 of 4Victoria & Albert MuseumPrints & drawings collectionE1310-1-184, E1311-1-272Two albums of architectural drawings by Tatham.
Item 4 of 4Yale Centre for British ArtArchive Six alternative versions of the naval monument