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Basic Biographic Details

William Eden Nesfield
Architect
Exact Date
Exact Date
25/03/1888
William Eden Nesfield was born in Bath on 2 April 1835, the eldest son of the garden designer Major William Andrews Newfield and his wife Emma Mills. He was educated at Eton and after a few months with the architect-author James Kellaway Colling learning to draw, he was articled in 1851 to William Burn with whom his father had collaborated on a number of projects. There he worked with Richard Norman Shaw who was a few years older. In 1853 he transferred his articles to Anthony Salvin, his uncle by marriage and remained with him until 1856. In 1857-58 he undertook a major study tour, mainly of France but extending as far afield as Athens, with James Smollet Donaldson, the son of Professor Thomas Levington Donaldson, and at some point spent time with Violet-le-Duc. On his return he set up practice at Bedford Row in 1859. His earliest commissions were mainly garden and estate buildings for his father's clients which enabled him to take time off to revisit France and Italy to complete his great folio 'Specimens of Medieval Architecture' published in 1862 and complementing Shaw's 'Architectural Sketches from the Continent' published four years earlier.

In 1861 Nesfield was commissioned to build a new wing at Combe Abbey Warwickshire for Lord Craven. This reflected his continental studies as did Cloverly, begun 1865, but after he began sharing an office with Shaw at 30 Argyle Street in 1863 his work took on an 'Old English' character of Kent-Sussex origin, related in some degree to the work of George Devey who was fifteen years older, but with a bolder use of half-timbered features and the introduction of Anglo-Japanese elements derived from his important collection of Japanese, Chinese and Persian objets d'art. From 1866 onwards he began to experiment with late Stuart or 'Queen Anne' architecture, generally purer in form then the work of John James Stevenson, a development which reached spectacular maturity in his reconstruction of Kinmel in 1871-74.

From 1866 Shaw and Nesfield were in formal partnership but as they consulted rather than collaborated on projects, the partnership was allowed to lapse in 1869. They reverted to sharing an office, an arrangement which lasted until they were required to vacate Argyle Street in 1876. Nesfield then moved office to Margaret Street.

After the move to Margaret Street and his separation from Shaw, Nesfield's health declined from a combination of overwork and heavy smoking. He became prone to depression, particularly after the deaths of his brother Markham in 1874 and his father and Salvin uncle, both in 1881. He retired to Brighton where he made a late marriage to a daughter of the architect John Sebastian Gwilt.

Nesfield spent his last years as a painter, dying in Brighton on 25 March 1888.

Nesfield had little business in Scotland but through George Washington Browne, one of his ablest assistants, his work had a considerable impact on Rowand Anderson's and John More Dick Peddie's practices and his influence spread widely through their pupils.

Addresses

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

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From Date From TypeDate ToDate To TypeNotes
Bedford Row London EnglandBusiness1859
30 Argyle Street London EnglandBusiness1863
Margaret Street London EnglandBusinessAfter 1876

Employment and Training

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

Employers2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
William Burn200136In year 1851Apprentice
Anthony Salvin202043In year 1853In year 1856Apprentice
Nesfield & Shaw202028In year 1866In year 1869Partner

Employees or Pupils

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

Employees or Pupils2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
George Washington Browne200049After 1877In year 1879Assistant
Robert Morham200385c. 1862c. 1866Assistant

Buildings and Designs

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 NameDate StartedTown, District or VillageIslandCity or CountyCountryNotes
Lochluichart Lodgec. 1875Ross and CromartyScotlandScheme for adding top floor to centre block and baronialising tower
Newbattle AbbeyIn year 1878NewbattleMidlothianScotlandLibrary interiors - not executed

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
Girouard, MarkSweetness and Light: The Queen Anne Movement1977
Newfield, W ELetters of W E Nesfield1989J F W Bullock (ed) Facsimile edition
Cresswell, H BWilliam Eden Nesfield 1835-88: an impression and a contrast1897Architectural Review, p23-32v2
Hebb, JWilliam Eden Nesfield1903RIBA Jounral, pp396-400
Aslet, CliveThe country houses of W E Nesfield1978Articles from Country Life
Service, AlastairEdwardian Architecture and its Origins1975Article by John McKena Brydon in Architectural Review, reprinted here
Saint, ARichard Norman Shaw1976

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical NamePublisherDate CircEditionNotes
Builder1888/03/31*Obituary
Builder1888/04/07*Obituary
Builder1888/04/14*Obituary
Building News1888/03/30*Obituary