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Dictionary of Scottish Architects (1660 - 1980)
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Basic Biographic Details
Name:
Peter Frederick Robinson
Designation :
Architect
Date of Birth:
Year Only
Exact DOB:
06/10/1926
Year of Birth :
1776
Circa Year of Birth :
Date of Birth Before (Year):
Date of Birth After (Year):
DOB (1st 'Or' Year):
DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):
Date of Death:
Exact Date
Exact DOD:
24/06/1858
Year of Death:
Circa Year of Death:
Date of Death Before (Year):
Date of Death After (Year):
DOD (1st 'Or' Year):
DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):
Town of Birth :
Bio Notes :
Peter Frederick Robinson was born in 1776 and was apprenticed to William Porden in 1790 moving to become an assistant to Henry Holland. In 1801-4 he supervised the latter’s work at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Robinson had a busy practice particularly designing country houses and picturesque cottages. He offered his clients a choice of style – for example ‘Old English’, ‘Tudor’ or Elizabethan. He even drew up plans for a ‘Norman’ villa in Hampshire with elements derived from a variety of specific church sources. He also designed an ‘Egyptian Hall’ in Piccadilly as a museum for the naturalist and antiquarian William Bullock which is the first time Egyptian features were used in an English building. Elsewhere he used Greek elements to good effect. After a study tour on the Continent during which he visited Italy and Switzerland, he added the ‘Swiss chalet’ to the style of villa he offered.
Robinson was also employed to develop layout plans for various estates including that of E Wiles in 1823-6 for Leamington Spa. The streets around Beauchamp Square were developed under his direction in 1825-6. At about the same time he planned the development of the Park Estate on the outskirts of Nottingham for the 4th Duke of Newcastle. His proposals for a rigid grid of street were not executed but some villas were built to his designs in Park Terrace.
Various other Robinson designs remained unexecuted. He drew up plans for re-erecting the portico of Carlton house as a memorial to the Duke of York in 1827. In 1831 he made designs for a building on the north side of Trafalgar Square to house the Royal and Antiquarian Societies. He also competed unsuccessfully for the Houses of Parliament competition. There is also an unexecuted design for a castle style house for Pryse Powell.
Robinson published widely and a list of his publications is below. In 1826 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and was one of the first presidents of the Institute of British Architects. He regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1795 to 1833. Later in his life he was in straightened circumstances and went to live in Boulogne from about 1840. He died there in 24 June 1858, aged 82.
Publications:
‘Woburn Abbey’ (1827), ‘Hatfield House’ (1833), ‘Hardwicke Hall’ (1835), ‘Castle Ashby’ (1841) and ‘Warwick Castle’ (?1842) published for projected continuation of ‘Vitruvius Britannicus’
‘Rural Architects; or a Series of Designs for ornamental Cottages’ (1823) (5th edition 1850 with landscapes re-drawn by J D Harding)
‘Designs for ornamental Villas’ (1827, 1836, 4th edition 1853)
‘Village Architecture, being a Series of Designs…illustrative of the Observations contained in the Essay on the Picturesque by Sir Uvedale Price’ (1830, 4th edition, 1837)
‘Designs for Farm Buildings’ (1830, 3rd edition 1837)
‘Designs for Lodges and Park Entrances’ (1833, 3rd edition 1837) (This series of designs was frequently re-used by others)
‘Domestic Architecture in the Tudor Style’ (1837)
‘A New Series of Designs for Ornamental Cottages and Villas’ (1838)
‘An Attempt to ascertain the age of Mickleham Church in Surrey’ (1824)
Papers read to the Institute of British Architects: ’The Newly Discovered Crypt at York Minster’ (6 July 1835) and ‘Observations relating to the proposal for removing the choir screen’ and ‘Oblique Arches’ (5 December 1836).
'Biography authored by the Dictionary of Scottish Architects Compilation Team.'
Bio Notes continued...
Additional Notes
Addresses
The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:
Business Addresses
Business Addresses2 classic
Address
Class
Date From
Date From Type
Date To
Date To Type
Notes
London England
Business
1838
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RIBA Proposals
This person proposed the following individuals for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic
Person
Date Proposed
Notes
Anthony Salvin
1836/04/25
for Fellowship
Thomas Henry Wyatt
1839/01/07
for Fellowship
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References
Bibliographic References
The following books contain references to this person:
Bib ref classic
Author
Title
Date
Publisher
Part
Notes
Colvin, Howard
A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840
2008
London: YUP. 4th edition
British Architectural Library, RIBA
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914
2001
APSD
The Dictionary of Architecture
The Architectural Publication Society (8v 1852-1892)
ed Wyatt Papworth
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Periodical References
The following periodicals contain references to this person:
Period ref classic
Periodical Name
Publisher
Date Circ
Edition
Notes
Builder
1858
xvi
p458
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Archive References
The following archives hold material relating to this person:
Arc ref classic
Archive Name
Source
Source Cat No
Building Id
Item Name
Notes
General records
Public Record Office
200755
App.Reg 1/34
p188
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