Nicholas Hawksmoor

1661-1736. British architect.

Nicholas Hawksmoor was born as the son of a yeoman family in 1661 at Ragnall, Nottinghamshire. There is only little known about his youth and his education, but it is reasonable to assume that his schooling went far beyond mere literacy. When he first came to London he discovered his interests in architecture and became clerk to Christopher Wren in order to become an architect.

Hawksmoor and Wren worked together for several years including projects such as St Paul's Cathedral and the Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich. Later he also worked with John Vanbrugh, helping him build Blenheim Palace. According to the Parliamentary Act of 1711 Hawksmoor designed six new churches in and around London. Hawksmoor's architecture was strongly influenced by the wide range of cultures that came to the British empire through increasing numbers of explorations and travels. The post-Restoration ideology and the developing rationalism of contemporary science also influenced Hawksmoor's architecture. The influence of Palladianism, most notable in the Mausoleum at Castle Howard reflects the change in national taste during his career.

Although Nicholas Hawksmoor is regarded to be a famous 18th-century architect there is no popular work associated with only his name. He had no pupils or contemporary disciples and following the shift in national taste from Baroque to Palladianism he sank into obscurity. During the latter part of his life his buildings were publically dismissed and after his death completely ignored. Nicholas Hawksmoor died in 1736.

References:

Hart, Vaughan: Nicholas Hawksmoor. Rebuilding Ancient wonders. New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 2002.

Downes, Kerry: Hawksmoor. London: Publishing House???, 1959.