John Newman (1786–1859) was an English architect, known also as an

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

Life

The son of John Newman (of the same name), a wholesale dealer in leather in Skinner Street, Snow Hill, London, and a common councillor of the ward of

Farringdon Without __NOTOC__ Farringdon Without is the most westerly Wards of the City of London, ward of the City of London, England. Its suffix ''Without'' reflects its origin as lying beyond the London Wall, City's former defensive walls. It was first establis ...

, he was baptised at the church of

St Sepulchre-without-Newgate Holy Sepulchre London, formerly and in some official uses Saint Sepulchre-without-Newgate, is the largest Anglican parish church in the City of London. It stands on the north side of Holborn Viaduct across a crossroads from the Old Bailey, and i ...

, on 8 July 1786. Newman was employed under

Sir Robert Smirke Sir Robert Smirke (1 October 1780 – 18 April 1867) was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture, though he also used other architectural styles (such as Gothic and Tudor). As an attached (i.e. official) arch ...

in the erection of

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

in 1809, and on the London General Post Office between 1823 and 1829. From approximately 1815, Newman was one of the three surveyors in the commission of sewers for Kent and Surrey, and with the other surveyors, Joseph Gwilt and Edward I'Anson, published a ''Report relating to the Sewage'' in 1843. He was for many years in the office of the

Bridge House Estates City Bridge Foundation is the working name of the historic Bridge House Estates, which originated in the late eleventh century and was formally established by royal charter in 1282 by the City of London Corporation in London, England. It is a reg ...

, and eventually succeeded to the clerkship. He held several surveying appointments, including that to the commissioners of pavements and improvements for the west division of

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 ...

, and to Earl Somers' estate in

Somers Town, London Somers Town is an inner-city district in North West London. It has been strongly influenced by the three mainline north London railway termini: Euston (1838), St Pancras (1868) and King's Cross (1852), together with the Midland Railway Some ...

. He was honorary architect to the

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its lon ...

from 1846, and to the Society of Patrons of the Charity Children's Anniversary Meeting in

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

. Newman retired in 1851. He died at the house of his son-in-law Alexander Spiers, at

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, on the Rive Droite, Right Bank. It is adjacent to Auteuil, Paris, Auteuil to the southwest, and Chaillot to the northeast. It is home to many ...

near Paris, on 3 January 1859.

Architectural works

Newman designed: * Roman Catholic church of

St Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. ...

, Blomfield Street,

Moorfields Moorfields was an open space, partly in the City of London, lying adjacent to – and outside – its London Wall, northern wall, near the eponymous Moorgate. It was known for its marshy conditions, the result of the defensive wall acting a ...

, in 1817–20, which was used as the

pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish Church (building), church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefect ...

of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster until 2 July 1869; * houses in Duke Street,

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 ...

, with wharves and warehouses, constructed when the line for the new bridge was prepared in 1824; * Islington Proprietary School, Barnsbury Street, 1830; * School for the Indigent Blind in

St George's Fields St George's Fields was an area of Southwark in South London, England. History Originally the area was an undifferentiated part of the south side of the Thames, which was low-lying marshland unsuitable even for agricultural purposes. There ...

, 1834–8, in the Gothic style; * St Olave's Girls' School, Maze Road, Southwark, 1839–40.

Antiquarian

Newman collected antiquities found in London and the surrounding neighbourhood. Some bronzes in his possession from the bed of the Thames were mentioned in a paper by

Charles Roach Smith Charles Roach Smith (20 August 1807 – 2 August 1890), FSA, was an English antiquarian and amateur archaeologist who was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and the London Numismatic Society. He was a founding member of ...

, read before the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

in June 1837. Among them was the colossal bronze head of

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

, now in the Anglo-Roman room of the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

. In 1842, Smith again made use of Newman's collection when reading another paper before the society on ''Roman Remains recently found in London''. In 1847, Newman exhibited before the

British Archaeological Association The British Archaeological Association (BAA) was founded in 1843 and aims to inspire, support and disseminate high quality research in the fields of Western archaeology, art and architecture, primarily of the mediaeval period, through lectures, co ...

an earthen vase of notable form found during the excavations for the new houses of parliament. His collection was sold by auction at

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

in 1848. He was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries from 1830 to 1849, and an original fellow of the Institute of British Architects, where he founded the travelling fund.

Family

Newman married in 1819 a daughter of the Rev. Bartholomew Middleton, sub-dean of Chichester. The architect Arthur Shean Newman (1828–1873), partner of Arthur Billing, was his son.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, John 1786 births 1859 deaths Architects from London English antiquarians Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London