User:Vernon39/talk/draft article - George Wightwick

George Wightwick (August 26,1802 - July 9,1872) was an architect and possibly the first architectural journalist. In addition to his architectural practice, he developed his skills and the market for architectural journalism. His views of church design disagreed with those of churchmen with power to commission new churches and this work dropped off after he published his ideas in Weale's Quarterly papers on Architecture in 1844/1845.

Beginnings
He was born in Wales and trained in London, with a year of travel and study in Italy.

Plymouth Practice
In the late 1820s, he moved to Plymouth, and worked with John Foulston, succeeding to his practice after six months. From then until 1852, when he retired to Bristol, he completed many public and domestic buildings, mostly in Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall.

He completed designs by Foulston for Bodmin Lunatic Asylum and designed the Plymouth Mechanics' Institute, Athenaeum Terrace, the Esplanade and the Post Office at Devonport. In Devon, he designed Calverleigh Court, and Watermouth Castle, near Ilfracombe.

Work in Cornwall
Among the buildings that he designed in Cornwall were country houses at Luxtowe in Liskeard and Trevarno, near Helston, Penquite at Golant and alterations to Tregrehan House at St. Blazey.

In Buildings of England: Cornwall, Pevsner describes St. Michael and All Angels, Bude (1835) ,St. Marys at Portreath(1841) - "rather depressing", Pevsner ,Probus Vicarage (1839) St. Luke's, Tideford (1845), ,Tregrehan House near St. Blazey. ,St. John's, Treslothan Professor Brett has identified Wightwick as the architect of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society building in Falmouth.

Networking
The ODNB articles relates how Wightwick's social networking skills were used to develop his practice. An example of this is his relationship with the Fox family of Falmouth, as described by the brother and sister Barclay and Caroline, who both kept journals, which were publshed in the 1970s. Barclay Fox notes the brilliant lecture the Wightwick gave at the Polytechnic "The Romance of Archiecture" (entry: 3 October 1838). Their companionship at the meeting of the British Association in Plymouth (entry: 29 July 1841) and his visit to the new Bodmin Lunatic Asylum with Wightwick (the architect)(entry: 23 August 1841). Caroline Fox, in her journal, describes his witty tabletalk, when he ate at Penjerrick, the home of Barclay and Caroline's family (entries: 6 April 1839 and 25 October 1839), her attendance at a lecture he gave (entry: 18 January 1849) and news that he would move to Clifton (entry: 27 June 1851). Though this long period, Wightwick kept contact with this family of "opinion-formers" and powerful social networkers.

Writings
After his retirement from architectural practice, he continued his writing about architecture, both in the Bristol papers and the national professional press. He married twice but had no children. He died in Portishead on July 9,1872)

Books by "George Wightwick, Architect" held by the British Library

 * Nettleton’s Guide to Plymouth ... and to the neighbouring country, etc. 1836


 * Hints to young architects: comprising advice to those who are destined to follow the profession, 1846, with new editions in 1847, 1860, 1875 and 1880.
 * The Palace of Architecture: a romance of art and history. [With plates.] 1840.


 * Richard the First, a romantik play in five acts [and in verse, with occasional scenes in prose]. 1848.


 * Henry the Second: a tragedy in five acts [and in verse]. 1851

(Integrated catalogue search June 11, [2006]])