Architects

Name:

Edward Blore

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

13/08/1925

Year of Birth :

1787

Circa Year of Birth :

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DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

09/04/1879

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

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Date of Death After (Year):

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DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

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Bio Notes :

Edward Blore was born in Stamford in 1787, the eldest son of Thomas Blore, a lawyer who was also a prominent antiquary. He began his career as an artist with the illustrations for his father's 'History of Rutland' published in 1811. This resulted in commissions for other topographical volumes and from John Britton for drawings for both 'The Cathedral Antiquities' and 'The Architectural Antiquities'. In Scotland he was engaged by Sir John Hall to illustrate his 'Essay on the Origins, History and Principles of Gothic Architecture', published in 1813. In 1816 he was illustrated to Sir Walter Scott as illustrator and manager of 'The Provincial Antiquities and Picturesque Scenery of Scotland', published in 1819-22. In parallel he provided Scott and his architect William Atkinson with details 'in the old fashioned Scotch stile' for Abbotsford, and it is not improbable that the knowledge of English gothic detail he had acquired while working for Britton was extensively applied to its neo-Tudor interior work as well.

Blore never served any formal articles and probably learned the business of building from Atkinson and the Smiths of Darnick. The building of Abbotsford also drew Scott's neighbours, the Heitons of Darnick, into architecture: William Heiton joined Blore, while Andrew presumably joined Atkinson, as he was based at Inchture on the Rossie estate when his son Andrew Heiton II was born in 1823.

In 1824-27 Blore built Corehouse, Lanarkshire, for Scott's friend George Cranstoun, Lord Corehouse, and in 1825-26 he and Burn jointly reconstructed Freeland, Perthshire for Lord Ruthven. Although their relationship seems to have gone sour, the pioneer Cotswold Tudor of Corehouse formed the starting point for Burn's smaller-scaled cottage houses beginning with the similarly-styled Snaigow designed in 1824. A common interest in collecting brought Sir Samuel Meyrick into Scott's circle and resulted in the commission for Goodrich Court, Herefordshire where William Heiton was in charge from 1829 until his death in 1833. A third Heiton brother, Francis, was put in charge of the building of Blore's Alupka Palace in the Crimea in 1832, and died there in or before June of the following year. Although never attached to the Office of Works, Blore was engaged to complete Buckingham Palace in 1832 and was consulting architect on the Glasgow Cathedral works of 1846 to 1849 which were carried out by William Nixon and Robert Matheson. In parallel Blore was consulted on John Baird's scheme for the proposed college of the University of Glasgow at Woodlands Hill in 1846 and at the suggestion of the Treasury he provided revised elevations to cut costs in 1849, the year of his retirement from practice. A knighthood was offered at that time but declined.

Blore died at his house in Manchester Square, London, on 4 September 1879.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Private Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From Char	Date From Type	Date To Char	Date To Type	Notes
Manchester Square London England	Private

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date From Type	Date To	Date To Type	Notes
62 Welbeck Street London England	Business

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The following individuals were employed or trained by this person (click on an item to view details):

Employees or Pupils2 classic

Name	Name Link	Date From	Date To	Position	Notes
William Mason	205352	c. 1825	c. 1830	Apprentice
Philip Charles Hardwick	206014	c. 1838	In year 1843	Apprentice

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This person was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs2 classic

Building Name	Date Started	Town, District or Village	City or County	Country	Notes
Abbotsford	In year 1816	Melrose	Roxburghshire	Scotland	First phase - adapted designs of William Atkinson
Abbotsford	In year 1821	Melrose	Roxburghshire	Scotland	Second phase - drawing room, library, study, great hall, and clearance of original farmhouse
Corehouse	In year 1824	Lesmahagow	Lanarkshire	Scotland
Freeland House	In year 1825		Perthshire	Scotland	Radical reconstruction of existing house, apparently largely designed by Blore and executed by Burn
Monteviot House	In year 1830		Roxburghshire	Scotland
Kirklands	c. 1830	Ancrum	Roxburghshire	Scotland	Original house
Hundalee	After 1832		Roxburghshire	Scotland	Rebuilding - plans prepared by 'Mr Tomes', clerk to Blore
Castle Upton	In year 1836		Co. Antrim	Northern Ireland	Alterations to house
Harlaxton Manor	In year 1837		Lincolnshire	England	Acted as consultant
McLean Museum and Watt Institution	In year 1837	Greenock	Renfrewshire	Scotland	Library
Crackaig Farmhouse	In year 1843	Loth	Sutherland	Scotland	Alterations
Glasgow Cathedral	In year 1848		Glasgow	Scotland	West front (including tracery added to original west window), embellishment of transept windows, Parapets around crypt descents
University of Glasgow, proposed new college at Woodlands	In year 1849	Woodlands	Glasgow	Scotland	Commissioned by the Treasury to draw up for plans for less costly elevations following rejection of J Baird I's; fees to be met by the railway company; abandoned when railway company client withdrew
Mounteviot		Roxburgh	Roxburghshire	Scotland	Date not known.

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
Brett, C E B	Towers of Crim Tartary: English and Scottish Architects in the Crimea, 1762-1853
Walker, Frank Arneil	South Clyde Estuary: An Illustrated Architectural Guide to Inverclyde and Renfrew	1986			p130
Grove Dictionary of Art	Grove Dictionary of Art
Colvin, H M	A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840	1995	New Haven and London: Yale University Press	3rd edition
DNB	Dictionary of National Biography
Lowe, Rosalind	Sir Samuel Meyrick and Goodrich Court

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employees or Pupils

Employees or Pupils2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

Bib ref classic