List of public and civic buildings by Alfred Waterhouse
Town hall, market hall and clock tower, Darlington
Alfred Waterhouse (1830–1905) was a prolific English architect who worked in the second half of the 19th century. His buildings were largely in VictorianGothic Revival style. Waterhouse's biographer, Colin Cunningham, states that between about 1865 and about 1885 he was "the most widely employed British architect".[1] He worked in many fields, designing commercial, public, educational, domestic, and ecclesiastical buildings.[1]
Waterhouse was born in Liverpool of Quaker parents. After being articled to Richard Lane in Manchester, he took a ten-month tour of the Continent, then established his own practice in Manchester. Many of his early commissions came from Quakers and other nonconformist patrons. He came to national recognition when he won success in a competition for the design of Manchester assize courts. His next major public commissions in Manchester were for Strangeways Gaol and Manchester Town Hall. In 1865 he opened an office in London, which was followed by his first major commission in London, the Natural History Museum. Meanwhile he was also designing country houses. Here his major work was the rebuilding of Eaton Hall in Cheshire for the 1st Duke of Westminster, which was "the most expensive country house of the [19th] century".[1] He also designed educational buildings including schools and works for the universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, and Liverpool. In the commercial field, he designed banks, and offices for insurance and assurance companies, especially the Prudential Assurance Company, for whom he built 27 buildings.[1]
Waterhouse's success came from "a thoroughly professional approach rather than on brilliance or innovation as a stylist".[1] He paid particular attention to detail and, although he designed many major buildings, he still accepted smaller commissions.[1] Although most of his work was in the Gothic Revival style, he also employed other styles, including Romanesque and French Renaissance.[2] He used many building materials, but is noted for his use of red brick and terracotta. The use of these materials for many university buildings in the north of England is a major factor in their being termed "red brick universities".[1][3] In addition to his design work as an architect, Waterhouse was an assessor for about 60 architectural competitions. He was awarded the Royal Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1878 for his design for Manchester Town Hall, and was president of that institution from 1888 to 1891. He was gained international diplomas, and in 1895 was awarded an honorary LL.D by Manchester University. Waterhouse was also a painter, exhibiting 80 watercolours at the Royal Academy. He suffered a stroke in 1901, and died in his home at Yattendon, Berkshire, in 1905. His practice was continued by his son Paul, followed by his grandson, Michael, and his great-grandson. His estate at death amounted to over £215,000 (equivalent to £29,160,000 as of 2023).[1][4]
This is a list of the more notable civic and public buildings designed by Waterhouse, and includes such structures as town halls, clock towers, hospitals, a prison, hotels, a market hall, a museum, and a library.
Won in a competition, this was Waterhouse's first major commission, It was praised by Ruskin, and it was the stepping stone to further work, but has since been demolished.[1][7][8][9]
A two-storey building in brick with a slate roof. The frontage is in five bays, the projecting central bay being canted with a balcony between the storeys.[1][7][11]
A seven-stage tower in brick with stone bands. The top stage contains clock faces with turrets at the corners, surmounted by a slate spire with lucarnes.[12]
This originally had the dual function of an observation and a water tower. It is built in brick with stone dressings and has an octagonal plan, in the style of a minaret. It is about 365 feet (111 m) high.[13][17]
Originally the station hotel for Liverpool Lime Street Station, it was later used for offices, then converted into a student hall of residence. It is a stone building in French Renaissance style, with a frontage of 21 bays and is in five storeys plus basement and attic. There are towers on the corners and flanking the three projecting central bays.[1][18][19]
Built as the Seamen's Orphanage, it is in brick with stone dressings, and has a slate roof. It has three storeys, and a symmetrical front of 19 bays. To the south is a five-story tower.[1][25][26]
The building is connected to the hospital by a later corridor. It is constructed in brick with stone dressings and a slate roof. It is in three storeys with an attic, and incorporates dormer windows.[27]
The building is constructed in red and grey brick with decorations in terracotta. It is in two storeys with an attic and an attached five-storey tower.[1][28]
This is the first building to be completely faced in terracotta. It is constructed with an iron frame and has slate roofs. The main front is in 27 bays, the central three of which protrude forward to form a centrepiece. The terracotta is decorated with features such as animals.[1][29][30]
Built as a free library, later a shop and office, and then a museum. It is constructed in red brick with sandstone dressings and a slate roof. It has a T-shaped plan in Elizabethan Revival style with some Gothic features.[33][34][35]
The town hall was built in 1867–71 to a design by William Henry Crossland. Its tower was destroyed by fire in 1883, and Waterhouse designed a new, smaller tower, linked to the main building by an arch.[41][42]
Built in conjunction with his son, Paul, the building was extended in 1909–10. It has since been used as a private hospital named the Lister Hospital.[49][50]
Cunningham, Colin; Waterhouse, Prudence (1992), Alfred Waterhouse, 1830-1905: Biography of a Practice, Clarendon Studies in the History of Art, Oxford University Press, ISBN978-0198175117
Dixon, Roger; Muthesius, Stefan (1985) [1978], Victorian Architecture (2 ed.), London: Thames and Hudson, ISBN0-500-20160-9
Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, ISBN0-300-10910-5
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