Henry Roberts (16 April 1803 – 9 March 1876) was a British architect best known for Fishmongers' Hall in London and for his work on model dwellings for workers.

Biography

Henry Roberts was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in 1803. His family returned to England shortly thereafter. In 1817, Roberts began an apprenticeship with Charles Fowler, where he stayed until 1825. He then entered the

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

and worked for Robert Smirke, took part in competitions, and traveled in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

before returning to London to set up his architectural practice there in 1830.Dora Ware, ''A Short Dictionary of British Architects'' (London: Allen & Unwin, 1967), p. 200 In 1832, Roberts won the competition for the Fishmongers' Hall at

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

, which was to be his most well-known large-scale work.

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...

was his pupil during this period. He also designed a number of country houses, including Escot House, Devon (1838) and Norton Manor,

Norton Fitzwarren Norton Fitzwarren is a village, electoral ward, and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton. The village has a population of 3,046. History The village is on the southern slope of Norton Camp, a large hillfort that s ...

, Somerset (1843). He also designed the Camberwell Collegiate School (1843). In 1844, Roberts was appointed architect to the joint companies building the Brighton, Croydon, Dover and Greenwich Railway, and was jointly responsible for designing the rebuilt

London Bridge railway station London Bridge is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Southwark, south-east London. It occupies a large area on three levels immediately south-east of London Bridge, from which it takes its name. The m ...

. The same year, he became Honorary Architect to the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes. For that Society, and later for the

Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes In London, the Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes (MAIDIC) was a Victorian-era, philanthropically-motivated model dwellings company. The association, established in 1841, was fore-runner of the mode ...

, Roberts designed a number of buildings that represented innovations in workers' housing, including the houses in Lower Road,

Pentonville Pentonville is an area in North London, located in the London Borough of Islington. It is located north-northeast of Charing Cross on the London Inner Ring Road, Inner Ring Road. Pentonville developed in the northwestern edge of the ancient p ...

, London (1844) and the famous model dwellings in Streatham Street,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

(1849–1851). Another estate of model dwellings built by Roberts in 1852 survives today in Windsor, Berkshire, and the only other example of 2 storey Model dwellings that exists are to be found in Newcomen Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Roberts was very influential on subsequent efforts in the area of workers' housing throughout Europe and the United States, both through his built work and his writings. Roberts spent his later life in

and died in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

in 1876

Publications

* ''The Dwellings of the Labouring Classes'', 1850. * ''Home Reform: or,'' ''What the Working Classes may do to Improve their Dwellings'', 1856. * ''The Improvement of the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes through the Operation of Government Measures'', 1859. * ''The Essentials of a Healthy Dwelling and the Extension of its Benefits to the Labouring Population'', 1862. * ''The Physical Condition of the Labouring Classes, Resulting from the State of their Dwellings'', 1866. * ''Efforts on the Continent for Improving the Dwellings of the Labouring Classes'', 1874.

References

Sources

* James Steven Curl, ''Henry Roberts'', ''A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture'', Oxford University Press, 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Henry 1803 births 1876 deaths 19th-century English architects Model dwellings Architects from London