Who was Nicholas Hawksmoor?
Architect.
Date and Place of Birth:
1661, East Drayton, Nottinghamshire, England.
Family Background:
Son of a yeoman farming family.
Education:
Unknown, but as he was literate probably local
schools. Served as an apprentice to Sir Christopher Wren
from the age of 18.
Chronology/Biography of Nicholas Hawksmoor:
1679: Joins his architectural
teacher Sir Christopher Wren in London.
1683: Begins working
jointly on architectural projects with Wren
as acting Deputy Surveyor at the Royal Hospital Chelsea and later
St Paul's Cathedral, London.
1684: Works on Winchester
Palace.
1685: First recorded
as working on the royal chapel in Whitehall.
1688: Draws up first
designs for the Royal Hospital at Chelsea.
1689: Works on designs
for the new wing of Hampton Court Palace and begins being the Clerk
of Works to Kensington Palace for the King on the recommendation
of Wren.
1690: Hawksmoor designs
Broadfield Hall.
1695: Designs Easton
Neston in Northamptonshire.
1696: Appointed a
a surveyor's clerk to Greenwich Hospital.
1698: Appointed Clerk
of Works at Greenwich Hospital.
1699: Hawksmoor works
on designs for a revamped Whitehall.
1701: Designs the
West Dormitory at Greenwich Hospital.
1702: Begins building
Easton Neston for Sir William Fermor which is the only house to
be solely designed by Hawksmoor.. Designed the obelisk in the market
place at Ripon.
1704: Designs the
Orangery at Kensington Palace.
1705: Begins working
jointly on Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire with John
Vanbrugh. Becomes deputy surveyor at Greenwich Royal hospital.
1708: Works at Queen's
College, Oxford.
1711: Works on the
Chapel at Greenwich Hospital. The Parliamentary Act provided taxation
money for the building of fifty new London churches which allowed
Hawksmoor to build some of his designs.
1712: Designs King's
College, Cambridge. His first designs were too expensive and had
to be scaled down. Designs St Alphege Church, Greenwich.
1714: Hawksmoor designs
work on St George in the East Church, London Christ Church, Spitalfields
and St Anne's Church, Limehouse.
1715: Becomes the
Clerk of Works at Whitehall, Westminster and St James.
1716: Works on repairs
at Beverley Minster. Starts work on the churches of St Mary Woolnoth,
London, St George, Bloomsbury, London and all Souls College, Oxford.
1718: Makes repairs
to the Jewel Tower at the Palace of Westminster. Wren was succeeded
as Surveyor, by the amateur William Benson and consequentially Hawksmoor
was dismissed to make way for Benson's brother.
1720: Works on designs
for Bracenose College, Oxford. Kings College Cambridge lost a lot
of money in the South Sea Bubble collapse and Hawksmoor's works
there could never be completed in his lifetime.
1723: Appointed Surveyor
General at Westminster Abbey. Starts work on Ockham Park. Became
surveyor to Westminster Abbey on the death of Wren.
1726: He is re-appointed
Secretary to the Board of Works.
1729: Hawksmoor designs
the Mausoleum at Castle Howard, Yorkshire.
1734: Works on the
West Towers of Westminster Abbey.
1736: Does the designs
for Westminster Bridge.
Marriage:
Not much is known about his private life but
he was married and had three children.
Date and Place of Death:
25th March 1736, Millbank, London, England from
gout of the stomach.
Age at Death:
75.
Site of Grave:
Parish Church, Shenley, Hertfordshire.
Places of Interest:
LONDON:
King's Gallery, Kensington Palace.
St. Vedast, Foster Lane (Steeple).
King William Block and Queen Anne Block, Greenwich Hospital.
St. Alphege, Greenwich.
St. Anne, Limehouse.
St. George-in-the-East, Wapping.
Christ Church, Spitalfields.
St. James, Garlickhythe, City of London.
St. George, Bloomsbury.
St. Mary Woolnoth, City of London.
St. Michael, Cornhill, City of London.
St. Luke, Old Street.
West Towers, Westminster Abbey.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE:
Easton Neston.
OXFORDSHIRE:
Clarendon Building, Oxford.
The Codrington Library, Oxford.
All Souls College.
Also responsible for parts of Queen’s College (High Street Screen)
and All Souls Colleges and Worcester College, Oxford.
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock.
YORKSHIRE:
Castle Howard, near Harrogate. Also the Pyramid,
Mausoleum and Carrmire Gate.
