- Robert Kerr (architect)
Robert Kerr (
17 January 1823 –21 October 1904 ) was anarchitect and writer.He was born in
Aberdeen ,Scotland , and trained as an architect there. In 1844, he moved toLondon and then spent a year inNew York .He returned to London and was one of the founders of the
Architectural Association in 1847, becoming its first President. He was an examiner of theRoyal Institute of British Architects and served as a member of its Council; he had been elected a Fellow in 1857.Between 1861-1890, he was Professor of the Arts of Construction at
King's College London .He was a prolific writer as well as lecturer on architectural subjects, favouring a mixture of architectural styles, which he called "latitudinarian". His books included "The Gentleman’s House, or, How to plan English residences, from the parsonage to the palace", originally published in 1864, and reaching a third edition in 1871. The "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" describes this as "the most lucid and encyclopaedic account available of mid-Victorian domestic planning".
His main buildings were English country houses, and included "Dunsdale",
Westerham ,Kent (for Joseph Kitchin);Ascot Heath House,Berkshire ; Ford House, Lingfield,Surrey (now called Greathed Manor); and Bearwood,Berkshire . Great Down (for T M Kitchin, perhaps related to Joseph Kitchin of Dunsdale) on theHog's Back in Surrey (now demolished) has also been attributed to him on stylistic grounds.References
Source: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Links
* [http://www.ganderton.net/bear_wood_cont4.htm Bearwood] "Country Life" illustrated article, 17 October 1968 (extract, first page starts [http://www.ganderton.net/berkshire1.htm here] )
* [http://www.humberts-leisure.com/uploads/media/Greathed_Manor_-_full_final_particulars.pdf Greathed Manor] illustrated brochure
* [http://theweald.org/M13.asp?PicIdto=9901214 Dunsdale] postcard photograph of 1916
* [http://www.francisfrith.com/search/england/surrey/seale/photos/seale_57034.htm Great Down] photograph of 1906
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.