Francis Octavius Bedford (1784–1858) was an English ecclesiastical architect, who designed four Greek Revival churches in south London during the 1820s. He later worked in the Gothic style.

Life and career

Little is known about Bedford's early years. In 1812–13 he was one of two draughtsmen (along with John Peter Gandy) who accompanied

William Gell Sir William Gell FRS (29 March 17774 February 1836), pron. "Jell", was a British classical archaeologist and illustrator. He published topographical illustrations of Troy and the surrounding area in 1804. He also published illustrations show ...

on an expedition sent to Greece and

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

to record Classical antiquities on behalf of the

Society of Dilettanti The Society of Dilettanti (founded 1734) is a British society of noblemen and scholars that sponsored the study of ancient Greek and Roman art, and the creation of new work in the style. History Though the exact date is unknown, the Society i ...

. He is also known to have corresponded with

Charles Robert Cockerell Charles Robert Cockerell (27 April 1788 – 17 September 1863) was an England, English architect, archaeologist, and writer. He studied architecture under Robert Smirke (architect), Robert Smirke. He went on an extended Grand Tour lasting sev ...

on the subject of Greek architecture. In 1818 Bedford was placed second to

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and Henry Inwood in the competition to design

St Pancras New Church St Pancras Church is a Greek Revival church in St Pancras, London, built in 1819–22 to the designs of William Inwood, William and Henry William Inwood. The church is one of the most important 19th-century churches in England and is a Grade I ...

. Bedford was the architect of four south London

Greek revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

Commissioner's Churches: St George's, Camberwell (1822–24), St John's, Waterloo, (1823–24), St Luke's, West Norwood, (1823–25) and Holy Trinity Church, Newington, Southwark (1823–24, now the Henry Wood Hall). The designs were rather similar, a fact that provoked a negative reaction from some contemporary critics. Reviewing St John's in 1827, ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' commented "After the description of St. George's Church, Camberwell ... it will be unnecessary to go into a minute detail of the present edifice. The monotony of Mr. Bedford's designs has already been noticed under the head of that building, as well as Trinity Church, Newington." The four buildings (all of which survive) have a portico with a tower rising immediately behind it out of the body of the church, after the pattern of

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

, although at Holy Trinity, standing in the southern part of a square, Bedford varied the formula by placing the portico against the long north side of the nave. The interiors originally had flat ceilings and galleries supported on columns, although St Luke's was initially designed with a gallery at the west end only. At St John's and St George's, Bedford used an unusual variant of the

Doric order The Doric order is one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of t ...

based on that of the Choragic Monument of Thrasyllus in Athens, with myrtle wreaths replacing the triglyphs on the frieze. His other two Neoclassical South London churches used the

Corinthian order The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric or ...

, although one contemporary writer felt the version used at St. Luke's was so bare of ornamentation, that, to the untutored eye it more resembled the Ionic. Bedford later used a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style for churches, at St Mary-the-Less, Lambeth (1828), St George, Newcastle-under-Lyme (1828), Holy Trinity, Little Queen Street Holborn (1829–31) Holy Trinity, Horwich (1830–31) and St James, Ridding, Derbyshire (1832). In 1849 he built, or rebuilt, a stuccoed house for Richard Arabin at High Beach, Essex. He exhibited drawings of Greek architecture at the Royal Academy between 1814 and 1817, and designs for ''Trinity Church, St. Giles's'' and ''A Chapel for a Cemetery'' in 1831 and 1832 respectively. He died at his home at Greenhithe, Kent on 13 March 1858.

Family

He married Sophia Curtis of Camberwell in 1814; she died, aged 43, in 1839. His son Francis Bedford was a notable photographer, and his grandson

Francis Donkin Bedford Francis Donkin Bedford (1864–1954), also known as F. D. Bedford, was a British artist and illustrator. He was born in Notting Hill and lived in London. He painted genre scenes and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1892. Bedford's works in ...

was an artist and book illustrator.

List of works

* St George's Church,

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

, London (1822–24), now converted into apartments. *

St John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on h ...

, Waterloo Road,

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

, London (1823–24). *

Holy Trinity Church Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

, Newington,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, London (1823–24), now the Henry Wood Hall. * St Luke's Church, West Norwood, London (1823–25). * St George's Church,

Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...

, Staffordshire (1827–28). * St Mary-the-Less, Black Prince Road, Lambeth (1828); demolished 1967. * Holy Trinity Church, Little Queen Street, Holborn, London (1829–31), demolished. * Christ Church, Tunstall, Staffordshire (1830–31). * Holy Trinity Church, Horwich, Lancashire (1830–31). * St James' Church, Riddings, Derbyshire (1830–31).

Gallery of architectural work

File:St John's Church, Waterloo Road, Waterloo, London (IoE Code 204772).JPG, St John the Evangelist, Waterloo Road File:St John, Waterloo Road, SE1 - East end - geograph.org.uk - 1871854.jpg, St John the Evangelist, Waterloo Road File:St John, Waterloo Road, SE1 - geograph.org.uk - 1871891.jpg, St John the Evangelist, Waterloo Road File:St Luke's Church TQ3172 019.jpg, St Luke's Church, West Norwood File:Horwich Parish Church.jpg, Holy Trinity Church, Horwich File:The Henry Wood Hall (former Holy Trinity Church) - geograph.org.uk - 847582.jpg, Former Holy Trinity, Southwark, from the south-west File:Brockham Street, Southwark - geograph.org.uk - 1766149.jpg, Former Holy Trinity, Southwark, east end

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedford, Francis Octavius 1784 births 1858 deaths English ecclesiastical architects Greek Revival architects

Life and career

Family

List of works

Gallery of architectural work

See also

References