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 A stockbroker is an individual or company that buys and sells stocks and other investments for a financial market participant in return for a commission, markup, or fee. In most countries they are regulated as a broker or broker-dealer and ...

. He had a longtime friendship with fellow architect

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was an English 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 responsi ...

, who was inspired to become an architect by Wolfe.

Early life and education

John Lewis Wolfe was born in

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

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

comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...

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 Joseph Gwilt (11 January 1784 – 14 September 1863) was an English architect and writer. He was the son of George Gwilt, architect surveyor to the county of Surrey, and was born at Southwark. George Gwilt the Younger, was his elder brother. ...

, 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 ( ; ) 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 ...

and

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

, 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 Gol ...

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, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

, 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, England. The street runs between Bank Junction and Leadenhall Street. The hill from which it takes its n ...

until 1848. He remained a member of the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

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, established in 1819, and is one of the most exclusive. It was described as "the quintess ...

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

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club, owned and controlled by its members, on the south side of Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it had an all-male membership for ...

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

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

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 (known formerly a ...

, St Stephen's porch, the ceilings of both houses, and the

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

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 1812 – 14 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival architecture ...

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 in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

. He was buried at

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is since 1852 the first (and only) London cemetery to be Crown Estate, Crown property, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington a ...

on 10 October 1881. Much of his £140,000 estate went to his godson who was becoming a prominent

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

, 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) was an English civil engineer known for engineering Tower Bridge over the River Thames in London which was constructed between 1886 and 1894. He was the youngest son of architect Sir C ...

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