Imagine London in 1814 a time when William Butterfield was born. Who was William Butterfield you might ask? Well let’s find out as we stroll along Allée William Butterfield.
William Butterfield became a prominent British Gothic Revival architect. His story is one of dedication architectural innovation and a unique vision. He left an indelible mark on the world.
Butterfield’s early life began in London. His parents were strict non-conformists. They ran a chemist’s shop in the Strand. One of nine children he attended a local school. At 16 he apprenticed with Thomas Arber a builder in Pimlico. Arber later went bankrupt. Butterfield studied architecture under E. L. Blackburne from 1833 to 1836. From 1838 to 1839 he assisted Harvey Eginton an architect in Worcester. He established his own practice at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in 1840.
In 1842 Butterfield became involved with the Cambridge Camden Society. It was later known as The Ecclesiological Society. He contributed designs to the Society’s journal The Ecclesiologist. His involvement influenced his architectural style significantly. He drew religious inspiration from the Oxford Movement too. Despite his non-conformist upbringing he leaned towards the high church. He reinterpreted the original Gothic style in Victorian terms. Many of his buildings served religious purposes. He also designed for colleges and schools.
All Saints Church on Margaret Street in London marked the start of the High Victorian Gothic era. That’s according to Henry-Russell Hitchcock. Designed in 1850 it was externally completed by 1853. Consecration occurred in 1859. Flanked by a clergy house and school it was intended as a model church. The Ecclesiological Society sponsored it. The church was built of red-brick. This material had long been out of use in London. It featured patterns of black brick and bands of stone on the spire. It was the first use of polychrome brick in the city. The interior displayed even richer decoration. Marble and tile marquetry adorned it.
John Ruskin published his Seven Lamps of Architecture in 1849. He urged the study of Italian Gothic and the use of polychromy. Many contemporaries viewed All Saints as Italian in character. In reality it combined fourteenth-century English details with a German-style spire.
Around 1850 Butterfield designed St Matthias in Stoke Newington. It lacked polychromy. It featured a bold gable-roofed tower. At St Bartholomew’s in Yealmpton in the same year he used considerable marquetry work for the interior. He built striped piers using two colors of marble.
Butterfield designed Keble College at Oxford. Its style diverged radically from the university’s existing Gothic traditions. The walls were boldly striped with various colors of brick. Intended for clerical students it was largely built in 1868–70. It had a more domestic scale. The chapel of 1873–6 was more monumental. In his buildings of 1868–72 at Rugby School the polychromy is even more brash.
Butterfield received the RIBA Gold Medal in 1884. He died in London in 1900. He was buried in a simple Gothic tomb designed by himself. His final resting place is in Tottenham Cemetery Haringey North London. The grave is easily visible from the public path through the cemetery. It is close to the gate from Tottenham Churchyard. There is a blue plaque on his house in Bedford Square London.
So here on Allée William Butterfield we remember an architect. William Butterfield created striking designs and left a lasting legacy. His buildings still inspire awe and admiration today.