William Butterfield

William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900), born in London, architect of the Gothic revival, and associated with the Oxford Movement (aka the Tractarian Movement).

William Butterfield was born in London in 1814. His parents were strict non-conformists and ran a chemist shop in the Strand. He was one of nine children and was educated at a local school. At the age of 16, he was apprenticed to a builder in Pimlico, Thomas Arber, who later became bankrupt. He studied architecture under E. L. Blackburne (1833–1836). From 1838 to 1839, he was an assistant to Harvey Eginton, an architect in Worcester, where he became articled. He established his own architectural practice at Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1840.

From 1842, Butterfield he was involved with the Cambridge Camden Society, later The Ecclesiological Society. He contributed designs to the Society's journal, "The Ecclesiologist". His involvement influenced his architectural style. He also drew religious inspiration from the Oxford Movement and as such, he was very "High Church", despite his non-conformist upbringing. He was a Gothic revival architect, and as such he reinterpreted the original Gothic style in Victorian terms. Many of his buildings were for religious use, although he also designed for colleges and schools.

In 1884, Butterfield was the recipient of the RIBA Gold Medal. In 1900, he died in London.

There is a blue plaque on his house in Bedford Square, London.

Buildings

Butterfield's buildings include:

* The Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester, (1868)
*St Ninian's Cathedral, Perth, (1850)
* All Saints, Margaret Street, London (1859)
* Balliol College, Oxford [http://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/college/chapel/history/ Chapel] (1856–7)
* The Cathedral of the Isles, Great Cumbrae, Scotland
* St Saviour's, Coalpit Heath. Butterfield's first Anglican Church
* Keble College, Oxford (1876)
* St John the Baptist, Bamford, Hope Valley, Derbyshire. Restoration Project 1861
* Merton College, Oxford New Buildings (1864)
* Rugby School Chapel and Quadrangle (1875)
* St Mary Magdalene Church, West Lavington, West Sussex
* St Alban's, Holborn
* St Augustine's College, Canterbury (1845)
* St James's, Christleton
* St Mary Magdalene, Enfield Chase
* St Mary Brookfield, Dartmouth Park, London (1869-75)
* Church of the Holy Trinity with St Edmund (Horfield Parish Church)
* Saint Cross Church, Clayton, Manchester
* St James' Church, Baldersby St James Primary School and village buildings, Baldersby St James, North Yorkshire (1857)
* All Saints Babbacombe, Torquay, Devon
* Sarum College, Salisbury
* St Columba's College Chapel, Whitechurch, County Dublin (1880)
* Exeter School, Exeter, Devon
* St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne (except main tower and spire), Australia (1880-1891)
* Highbury Congregational Church (now Cotham Church) Bristol. This was Butterfield's first work.
* [http://www.holysaviourhitchin.org.uk/ Holy Saviour Church] , Hitchin
* The Old Rectory, St Mawgan, Cornwall.
* Ottery St Mary Parish Church, Devon, south transept refurbishment and marble font
* St Mark's, Dundela, east Belfast (1899)
* Amesbury Parish Church, Restoration Project (Dates unknown)
* St Paul's Church, Wooburn, alterations (1869)
* [http://www.standrewrugby.org.uk/tour.html St.Andrews Parish Church, Rugby]

External links

* [http://www.architecture.com/go/Architecture/Reference/Library_780.html Architecture.com portrait]
* [http://www.saintmarymagdalene.org.uk/section/35 St Mary Magdalene information]
* [http://www.visitcumbria.com/butfld.htm Cumbria information]
* [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARbutterfield.htm Spartacus entry]
* [http://www.coalpitheath.org.uk/beginnings St Saviour's Church, Coalpit Heath. Butterfield's first Anglican Church]