James George Smither

FRIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

(1833–1910) was an Irish architect and a Ceylonese public servant. He served as

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

's first Government Architect in the Public Works Department, for eighteen years, between 1865 and 1883. In 1869 he was made a fellow of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

. The same year he designed the Victorian Gothic Revival style

All Saints' Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania * All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Brisbane, Queensland *All ...

in Galle Fort. In 1873 he was responsible for designing and overseeing the reconstruction/conversion of the

Grand Oriental Hotel Grand Oriental Hotel or GOH (also previously known as the Taprobane Hotel) is a 3 star heritage hotel, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. History The original building on the site was a simple, single-storey structure with open verandah to the st ...

and the construction of the former Colombo Town Hall, together with the adjoining public markets (Edinburgh Hall). The structure has a "Cruet-like top" and was flanked and backed by the Edinburgh Hall, so called because His Royal Highness, Prince Alfred

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

, laid the foundation stone for the building in April 1870. PSM V71 D493 Colombo city museum 1896

Between 1873 and 1875, under the direction of Governor Sir William Gregory, a complete site survey of structural remains at

Anuradhapura Anuradhapura (, ; , ) is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies north of the cur ...

was undertaken. The work was carried out by Smither, who subsequently published in 1894, ''Architectural Remains Anuradhapura, Ceylon: the Dugabas and Certain Other Ancient Ruined Structures'', which comprised information on Anuradhapura's

stupas In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

and other ancient ruined structures. In 1875 Smither designed the

Jaffna Clock Tower Jaffna Clock Tower ( ''Yāḻppāṇam Maṇikkūṭṭuk Kōpuram'') is a clock tower in the city of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. It is one of the landmarks of the city. It was built to commemorate the visit of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales to C ...

and was also responsible for designing the

Colombo General Hospital The National Hospital of Sri Lanka (sometimes General Hospital) is a government hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1864 as the General Hospital, it is the leading hospital in Sri Lanka and is controlled by the central government. The hosp ...

. In 1875 he designed the

National Museum of Colombo The Colombo National Museum, also known as the Sri Lanka National Museum, is a museum in Colombo and the largest in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1877 and maintained by the Department of National Museums, it holds collections of significant importance ...

, a two-storey

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

-style building with open verandahs, arches and pillars with ornate capitals and mouldings. In 1879 Smither designed a block of outbuildings at

Coole Park Coole Park is a nature reserve of approximately located a few miles west of Gort, County Galway, Ireland. It is managed by the Irish National Parks & Wildlife Service, part of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The park is in ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, Ireland for Sir William Gregory. Smither retired to England but was called upon in 1886 to design and carry out the buildings of the Ceylon Court at the

Colonial and Indian Exhibition The Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 was held in South Kensington in London with the objective to (in the words of Edward VII of the United Kingdom, the then Prince of Wales) "stimulate commerce and strengthen the bonds of union now exis ...

in London (including the 'Ceylon Tea House' and the 'Ceylon Porch' at the old Imperial Institute). The dagoba forming the central feature and other works for the Ceylon Court at the 1888

International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry The International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry was the first of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It took place at Kelvingrove Park between May and November 1888. Th ...

in Glasgow. In 1889 he designed the ornamental screens enclosing the Ceylon Court and other works at the Exposition Universelle. He retired from architectural practice in 1899 and died an invalid in 1910, at the age of 78, at his residence in

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 ...

. He was buried in the South Metropolitan Cemetery on 6 January 1911.

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smither, James 1833 births 1910 deaths British architects Sri Lankan people of Irish descent People from British Ceylon