Robert Taylor (architect)

Sir Robert Taylor
JP
Sir Robert Taylor JP
	Carmarthen Guildhall by Sir Robert Taylor 1767–77
Born	1714; Woodford, Essex
Died	27 September 1788; London
Nationality	English
Occupation	Architect
Buildings	Bank of England; Heveningham Hall; Gorhambury House

Sir Robert Taylor JP (1714–1788) was an English architect and sculptor who worked in London and the south of England.

Early life

Born at Woodford, Essex, Taylor followed in his father's footsteps and started working as a stonemason and sculptor, spending time as a pupil of Sir Henry Cheere.^[1] Despite some important commissions, including a bust of London merchant Christopher Emmott (died 1745) today held in the church of St Bartholomew, Colne, Lancashire,^[2] and another of William Phipps (died 1748), now in the parish church of Westbury, Wiltshire,^[3] he enjoyed little success and turned instead to architecture.

Career

Among Taylor's earliest projects was Asgill House (known then as Richmond Place), built for a wealthy banker, Sir Charles Asgill, in Richmond upon Thames (c. 1760), and nearby Oak House. Through such connections, he came to be appointed as architect to the Bank of England until his death, when he was succeeded by Sir John Soane. In 1769 he succeeded Sir William Chambers as Architect of the King's Works. His pupils included John Nash, Samuel Pepys Cockerell, George Byfield and William Pilkington.

He served as a magistrate, and in 1783 served as a Sheriff of London and was knighted the same year.^[4]^[5]

Sir Robert served as a vice president on the board of the Foundling Hospital, a prominent charity dedicated to the welfare of London's abandoned children.

Personal life

Taylor and his wife Elizabeth (d. 1803)^[6] had a son, Michael Angelo Taylor (1757–1834), who, as MP for Poole, became a Whig politician during the 1830s. His death was caused by catching a chill at his friend Asgill's funeral in September 1788.^[7] Father and son were buried in the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London. Taylor is commemorated, with a marble plaque dedicated to him, on the wall of the south transept of Westminster Abbey.^[5]

Legacy

The Taylor Institution, Oxford University's centre for the study of medieval and modern European languages and literature, takes its name from a bequest from Taylor for the purpose of "establishing a foundation for the teaching and improving the European languages". The money was initially invested and interest left to accrue to cover building costs.^[1]

The Sir Robert Taylor Society is an organisation which seeks to bring together modern language teachers in schools and university lecturers from the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, University of Oxford. A meeting is held once a year, shortly before the start of the Michaelmas term, at which talks are given on the literature and culture of the language communities represented in the Oxford faculty, and university admissions trends in the various languages are discussed.^[8]

Architectural works

From Binney's book:^[9]

14 St. James's Square, London, alterations (1748–50)
112 Bishopsgate, City of London (c. 1750); demolished
Braxted Lodge, Essex, extension (1752–56)
Bishop's Palace, Chester, remodelled (1754–57); demolished 1874
35 & 36 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London (1754–57); 36 rebuilt 1859, 35 bombed in the Blitz 1941
Mausoleum, Chilham Church (1754); demolished 1862
Harleyford Manor, near Marlow, Buckinghamshire (1755)
Coptford Hall, nr. Margaretting, Essex (1755); demolished 1850
Comarques, Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex, later the home of the novelist Arnold Bennett^[10]
London Bridge, removal of houses on the bridge and replacement of the central two arches by a single arch (1756–66); demolished 1831
Barlaston Hall, Staffordshire (1756–57)
The Grove, Watford, Hertfordshire remodelling (1780)
70 Lombard Street, London (c. 1756); demolished c. 1920
Pond House, Village Way, Dulwich (1759) for John Tinkler as a hunting lodge; exceptional original features include gold cornicing in the drawing room and exquisite mouldings in the dining room depicting Roman and Greek themes
Grafton House, Piccadilly (c. 1760); demolished 1966
Longford Castle, alterations (c. 1760)
Ottershaw Park, nr. Chertsey, Surrey (1761); demolished 1908
Asgill House, Richmond, Surrey (1761–64)
Danson House, Bexley, Kent (1762–67)
Trewithan House, Cornwall, dining room and other additions (1763–64)
Bank Buildings, Threadneedle Street, City of London (1764–66); demolished 1844
Bank of England, Rotunda & Transfers office (1765–68), Court Room & associated offices (1765–72), Reduced Annuity Office (1787); demolished apart from the Court Room which was incorporated into the current building
Arnos Grove house in Cannon Hill, Southgate, north London, library and dining room (c. 1765)
34 Spring Gardens, Charing Cross, London, Taylor's own house (1767); demolished 1885
Kevington Hall, enlarged, Kevington, Kent (1767–69)
Six minor bridges on the Botley Road, Oxford (1767); none survives
Swinford Bridge, over the River Thames at Eynsham (1767–69)
33 Upper Brook Street, Mayfair, London (1769)
1 to 14 Grafton Street, London (1769 onwards); only 3 to 6 and the basement of 7 survive
Chute Lodge, Wiltshire, near Andover (c. 1768)
Purbrook Park, Portsdown Hill, Hampshire (c. 1770) – the first recreation of a Roman atrium in England; demolished 1829
Sharpham House, nr. Totnes, Devon (c. 1770)
The Oaks, the ballroom, attributed, Carshalton, Surrey (c. 1770)
The Bishop's Palace, Ely, alterations (1771); little of the work survives
Althorp, Northamptonshire, repairs to the roof (1772)
Thorncroft, Leatherhead, Surrey (1772)
Spencer House, London, decoration of staircase ceiling (1772)
Mount Clare, Roehampton (1772)
Maidenhead Bridge, Berkshire (1772–77)
Ely House, Dover Street, Mayfair, London (1772–1776); interior remodelled 1909
Porter's Lodge, Shenley, Hertfordshire (1772); altered 1903
Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, London (1774–80)
Six Clerk's and Enrolment Offices, Chancery Lane, London for Lincoln's Inn (1775–77)
Assembly Rooms, Belfast, Northern Ireland (1776); exterior altered 1845, interior altered 1895
Spire of St Peter's Church, Wallingford (1776–77)
Heveningham Hall (1777 – c. 1780); interiors by James Wyatt (c. 1780 – 1784)
Gorhambury Manor, St Albans (1777–90); altered 1816–17, 1826–28 and 1847
Church Long Ditton, Surrey (1778); demolished 1880
Bishop's Palace, Salisbury, alterations including gothic porch, doors, windows and chimneypiece (1982)
Admiralty House, London (1786–88); interiors by Samuel Pepys Cockerell
Salisbury Guildhall (1788–95), executed after Taylor's death by his pupil William Pilkington
House in Whitehall Yard, London for his son (1788), built 1793
15 Philpot Lane, London, date unknown
Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire, a room with columned screens at either end, date unknown, demolished 1938