Royal College of Music - Prince Consort Road, London, UK
N 51° 29.986 W 000° 10.631
30U E 695922 N 5709181
The Royal College of Music was designed in 1889 by Sir A W Blomfield and was built between 1890 and 1894. Arthur Blomfield was awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 1891.
Waymark Code: WMHR33
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/07/2013
Views: 6
The Royal College of Music, that stands on the south side
of Prince Consort Road, opposite the Royal Albert Hall, is Grade II listed. The
entry at the
English Heritage website tells us:
College. Designed 1889, built
1890-4 by Sir A W Blomfield; concert hall to rear 1899-1901 by Sidney Smith.
Red brick with stone banding on ground floor and dressings. throughout. Five
storeys with attics and double basements on steeply falling site.
Symmetrical composition with entrance vestibule and staircase hall on
central axis with concert hall behind; former examination rooms underneath
this now sound studio. Main range with basement library, ground and
first-floor offices with practice rooms above. Main facade of twelve bays
with towers to either end capped pyramidal tops and tourelles. Central
arched entrance with two subsidiary arched entrances flanking. Two centre
bays set forward above, with superimposed orders of paired pilasters in free
Ionic and Corinthian orders, and stone gable above with inset clock flanked
by finials. Windows mullioned and transomed, mainly square-headed except
alternate segmental heads to third floor, and those to towers and central
gable which are semi-circular with cuspless tracery. Pediments to second
floor windows. Bands between floors and cornice above third floor. Elaborate
gabled dormers with pedimented tops and finials. Rear elevation with
mullioned and transomed windows under square heads, a plainer design.
Marble-lined entrance hall, double height with gallery and incorporating
First World War memorial. Ceiling here and in former ground-floor council
room, now offices, of Jackson's patent ornamental plasterwork. Elaborate
doors to staircase hall, where imperial stair has simple iron balustrade,
which leads on axis to Smith's concert hall. This has barrel-vaulted roof
with coffering between trusses, which rest on massive modillion moulded
cornice under square clerestorey windows arranged in threes. Under this
five-light round-arched mullioned and transomed windows with floreate
mouldings, their spandrels filled with reclining bas reliefs. Panelling
below dado rail. Large stage (extended later C20 and not special) with
round-arches over entrances either side of organ by J W Walker and
contemporary with hall. Small balcony over entrances to rear, with above
that a round-arched internal window. Most interiors of the main building
retain original doors, cornices and mouldings. Of particular interest is the
former Donaldson Museum, now part of the library, in the lower basement,
with classical arcades - round-arched and with keystones - in the spandrels
of which are paintings by Gaston de Vaere. Trabeated ceiling with elaborate
stenciled decoration. Moorish gallery. Also impressive are the music rooms
in the attic, with open timber trusses and dado panelling in Blomfield's
distinctive idiom; these undergoing careful restoration in 1994.
The
Scottish Architects website tells us about Sir Arthur:
Arthur William Blomfield was born
on 6 March 1829 at Fulham Palace in London the fourth son of Charles James
Blomfield, Bishop of London 1828-1857. He was educated at Rugby School and
Trinity College Cambridge from which he graduated BA in 1851 and MA in 1854.
In 1852 he was articled to Philip Charles Hardwick and about this time he
travelled on the Continent with Frederick Pepys Cockerell. In 1856 he
commenced independent practice was notably successful as a church architect,
in large part due to his father having established a diocesan fund for new
churches. He was president of the Architectural Association in 1861 and was
elected FRIBA on 20 May 1867, his proposers being George Gilbert Scott, H
Brandon and J P Seddon.
Blomfield was appointed architect to the Bank of England in 1883. He also
held the post of architect to the Diocese of Winchester. He was elected vice
president of the RIBA in 1886, was knighted in 1889 and was awarded the RIBA
Gold Medal in 1891. His sons, Charles James Blomfield and Arthur Conran
Blomfield were assumed into partnership in 1890 and after 1901 respectively.
Arthur William Blomfield died on 30 October 1899.
Architect: Sir Arthur W Blomfield
Prize received: RIBA Royal Gold Medal
In what year: 1891
Website about the Architect: [Web Link]
Website about the building: [Web Link]
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