Richard Knill Freeman (1840,

Stepney Stepney is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name was applied to ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

– 24 June 1904) was a British

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 ...

who began his career at

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

and moved to

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

in the late 1860s. His work, in Victorian Gothic style and typically recalling the

Decorated Period English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...

of later medieval architecture, can be seen in several cities and towns across the north of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He worked in total on about 140 buildings, of which about half survive in some form. Freeman was a fellow of the

Manchester Society of Architects The Manchester Society of Architects (MSA) is a professional society for architects in the Greater Manchester area, England. The society is led by an elected President (corporate title), President. The society organises activities such as lectu ...

and president of that Society from 1890 to 1891.

Career

Freeman's work included new churches, restorations, vicarages, schools, homes, museums, municipal buildings and hospitals. He designed additions to

Southport Pier Southport Pier is a pleasure pier in Southport, Merseyside, England. Opened in August 1860, it is the oldest iron pier in the country. Its length of makes it the second-longest in Great Britain, after Southend Pier. Although at one time span ...

and an "Indian Pavilion" for Blackpool's North Pier in 1874. His Derby Museum, Library and Art Gallery, a gift to

Michael Thomas Bass Michael Thomas Bass, Deputy Lieutenant, DL (6 July 1799 – 29 April 1884) was an English brewer and a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament. Under his leadership, the Bass Brewery became the largest brewery in the world, ...

, was completed in 1876. In 1882 he won the first competition for the Museum of Science and Art, Dublin with a design for "a building quadrangular in form, with mansard roofs" which made provision for the collection of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

; but because no Irish architect had been shortlisted there was controversy leading to a second competition in 1883, which was won by

Thomas Newenham Deane Sir Thomas Newenham Deane (1828 – 8 November 1899) was an Irish architect, the son of Sir Thomas Deane and Eliza Newenham, and the father of Sir Thomas Manly Deane. His father and son were also architects. Works attributed to Thomas Newe ...

& Son. In 1878 Freeman was selected to design St. Andrew's Anglican Church in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Responding to the growth of the Moscow British community, church officials desired an English architect, and Freeman responded by submitting plans for a "typical English church in Victorian Gothic style". The church was completed in 1884. In 1887 Freeman worked as the architect on a home in Bryerswood, Far Sawrey, delegating the job of supervising construction to his assistant, Dan Gibson. British

garden design Garden design is the art and process of designing and creating plans for layout and planting of garden, gardens and landscapes. Garden design may be done by the garden owner themselves, or by professionals of varying levels of experience and expe ...

Thomas Hayton Mawson Thomas Hayton Mawson (5 May 1861 – 14 November 1933), known as T. H. Mawson, was a British garden designer, landscape architect, and town planner. Personal life Mawson was born in Nether Wyresdale, Lancashire, and left school at age 12. ...

was hired to work on the garden at the same time. On the strength of that commission, the trio went on to work in the same capacities at Graythwaite Hall,

Newby Bridge Newby Bridge is a hamlet in the Lake District, Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is located several miles west of Grange-over-Sands and is on the River Leven, close to the southern end of Windermere. History The name derives ...

, and Gibson and Mawson engaged in a brief partnership after that. Freeman's Holy Trinity Church, Blackpool was completed in 1895, as was his church of St Lawrence in

Barton, Preston Barton is a linear village and civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. The parish had a population of 1,150, of whom 552 were male and 598 were female, according to the 2011 census. Geography The village is about north of P ...

. He also built St Margaret's Church in

Hollingwood Hollingwood is a small village approximately four miles north east of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. Description Hollingwood and Barrow Hill were built in c.1900 when the Staveley Coal and Iron Company was formed and built homes there fo ...

, did restoration work for the

Worsley Worsley () is a village in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which in 2014 had a population of 10,090. It lies along Worsley Brook, west of Manchester. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county ...

Church, and designed a hospital. His son, Frank Richard Freeman (1870–1934), was also an architect. He continued his father's practice as Freeman & Son and built several churches in a style similar to his father's.

References

External links

Provisional list of buildings by Richard Knill Freeman

"Richard Knill Freeman" at Dictionary of Scottish Architects
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Richard Knill 1840 births 1904 deaths People from Stepney Architects from Lancashire 19th-century English architects Presidents of the Manchester Society of Architects

Career

See also

References

External links