John Lewis Wolfe (10 April 1798 - 6 October 1881) was an English

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, artist and stockbroker. He had a longtime friendship with fellow architect

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also respons ...

, who was inspired to become an architect by Wolfe.

Early life and education

John Lewis Wolfe was born in Streatham, today part of south London. He was the eldest of two sons born to Lewis Wolfe (1761–1838), comptroller of

HM Stationery Office The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of His Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) and of other public information services of the United Kingdom. The OPSI is part of the National Archives of the Un ...

, and his wife Ann (née Porter, 1773–1830).Blissett, David G. (2004), ''Wolfe, John Lewis (1798–1881)'', Oxford National Dictionary of Biography, https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/57399. In 1813, Wolfe was articled to the architect Joseph Gwilt, becoming his favourite pupil. In September 1819, he began a three-year tour of Europe to study architecture. While in Rome, he met

, starting a life-long friendship while measuring and drawing Italian Renaissance buildings. Wolfe accompanied Barry to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

and

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, then travelled to Greece and Sicily with architects

Thomas Leverton Donaldson Thomas Leverton Donaldson (19 October 1795 – 1 August 1885) was a British architect, notable as a pioneer in architectural education, as a co-founder and President of the Royal Institute of British Architects and a winner of the RIBA Royal Gold ...

and W. W. Jenkins, before returning to London in 1822.

Business career

He started in architectural practice, entering a design competition for new buildings at

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

, but his Italian design was unsuccessful. Soon after, he joined his brother, Lewis Mortlock Wolfe (1801–1862), establishing a stockbroking business, Wolfe Brothers, based at 23 Change Alley,

Cornhill, London Cornhill (formerly also Cornhil) is a ward and street in the City of London, the historic nucleus and financial centre of modern London. The street runs between Bank Junction and Leadenhall Street. The hill from which it takes its name is one ...

until 1848. He remained a member of the

London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St P ...

until 1878. However, he retained his interest in architecture, mentoring Barry's practice and offering frequent design advice. Wolfe's influence is evident in designs for the

Travellers' Club The Travellers Club is a private gentlemen's club situated at 106 Pall Mall in London, United Kingdom. It is the oldest of the surviving Pall Mall clubs and one of the most exclusive, having been established in 1819. It was described as "the ...

(1829), in Barry's successful competition entry for the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it comprised an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male cl ...

(1837), and in Barry's designs for the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north ban ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

Victoria Tower The Victoria Tower is a square tower at the south-west end of the Palace of Westminster in London, adjacent to Black Rod's Garden on the west and Old Palace Yard on the east. At , it is slightly taller than the Elizabeth Tower (formerly known ...

, St Stephen's porch, the ceilings of both houses, and the clock tower are said to show Wolfe's modifications. From about the mid-1830s Wolfe's influence on Barry's work diminished, but he remained close to the Barry family, and was godson to their fifth son, named John after him, and to daughter Adelaide Sarah. After Barry's death in 1860, Wolfe contributed anonymously to obituaries, helped compile Barry's biography, and organised a fund (to which he contributed £200) for Barry's statue in the Palace of Westminster. He did not get drawn into contemporary debates about whether Barry or

Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

had been the primary architect of the new palace. On 6 October 1881 Wolfe died at the Great Western Hotel,

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

. He was buried at

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Establ ...

on 10 October 1881. Much of his £140,000 estate went to his godson who was becoming a prominent civil engineer, and who - in Wolfe's honour - added Wolfe to his name after being knighted in 1898, becoming Sir

John Wolfe Barry Sir John Wolfe Barry (7 December 1836 – 22 January 1918), the youngest son of famous architect Sir Charles Barry, was an English civil engineer of the late 19th and early 20th century. His most famous project is Tower Bridge over the River ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfe, John Lewis 1798 births 1881 deaths People from Streatham 19th-century British architects Italianate architecture in the United Kingdom Architects from London Burials at Brompton Cemetery