Timothy Mowl FSA (born 1951) is an architectural and landscape historian. He is Emeritus Professor of History of Architecture and Designed Landscapes at the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

, and Honorary Professor at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester. He is also Director of AHC Consultants. He was awarded the Hawksmoor Medal of the

Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain The Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (SAHGB) is a United Kingdom learned society for people interested in the history of architecture. Purpose The Society exists to encourage interest in the history of architecture, to enab ...

in 1987, was elected a

Fellow of 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 1993, and served as a member of Council of the

Garden History Society The Gardens Trust (formerly the Garden History Society) is a national membership organisation in the United Kingdom established to study the history of gardening and to protect historic gardens. It is a registered charity with headquarters in Lo ...

between 2002 and 2007. He is currently President of the

Avon Gardens Trust Avon may refer to: *River Avon (disambiguation), several rivers Organisations *Avon Buses, former bus operating company in Merseyside and Cheshire, England * Avon Coachworks, a car body builder established in 1919 at Warwick, England, relaunc ...

Career

Timothy Mowl was educated at the Oxford School before taking degrees at the University of Bristol and Birmingham University. He studied for his doctorate in architectural history under

Sir Howard Colvin Sir Howard Montagu Colvin (15 October 1919 – 27 December 2007) was a British architectural historian who produced two of the most outstanding works of scholarship in his field: ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–184 ...

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

. Mowl's career has included work as an Inspector for

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

, an architectural consultant for the Bath Preservation Trust, a journalist on the ''

Bath Chronicle The ''Bath Chronicle'' is a weekly newspaper, first published under various titles before 1760 in Bath, England. Prior to September 2007, it was published daily. The ''Bath Chronicle'' serves Bath, northern Somerset and west Wiltshire. History ...

'' and as a freelance architectural and garden historian. He taught in the departments of History of Art and Archaeology at the University of Bristol before taking early retirement in 2011. He has published over thirty books on architectural history, landscape and garden history, biography, planning and conservation. During 2022 he a completed an extensive period of archival research, resulting in the document "A History and Structural Development of Rudloe Manor" His latest book, written with Julian Orbach, is a study of architectural schemes for Bath that never materialised - ''Unbuilt Bath: The City as it Might Have Been'', published by Stephen Morris, 2023. He is currently working on a book entitled ''All around is Fairy-ground - Pleasure and the Regency Garden'', which will be published by Reaktion Books in 2026.

Publications

*''Trumpet at a Distant Gate: The Lodge as Prelude to the Country House'' (with Brian Earnshaw), London: Waterstones, 1985. *'' John Wood: Architect of Obsession'' (with Brian Earnshaw), Millstream Books, 1988. *''

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

: Last Age of the Merchant Princes'', Millstream Books, 1991. *''To Build the Second City: Architects and Craftsmen of Georgian Bristol'', Redcliffe Press, 1991. *''Elizabethan and Jacobean Style'', Phaidon, 1993. *''Palladian Bridges:

Prior Park Prior Park is a Neo-Palladian house that was designed by John Wood, the Elder, and built in the 1730s and 1740s for Ralph Allen on a hill overlooking Bath, Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building. The house was bu ...

and the Whig Connection'', Millstream Books, 1993. *''Architecture Without Kings: The Rise of Puritan Classicism under

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially a ...

'' (with Brian Earnshaw),

Manchester University Press Manchester University Press is the university press of the University of Manchester, England, and a publisher of academic books and journals. Manchester University Press has developed into an international publisher. It maintains its links with t ...

, 1995. *''

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

Betrayed'', Redcliffe Press, 1995. *''

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...

: The Great Outsider'', John Murray, 1996. *'' William Beckford: Composing for Mozart'', John Murray, 1998. *''The Sack of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and After'' (with Adam Fergusson), Michael Russell, 1989. *''An Insular Rococo: Architecture, Politics and Society in Ireland and England, 1710–1770'', (with Brian Earnshaw), Reaktion, 1999. *''Stylistic Cold Wars:

Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architectu ...

versus Pevsner'', John Murray, 2000 (paperback edition 2011). *''Gentlemen and Players: Gardeners of the English Landscape'', Sutton Publishing, 2000 (revised edition ''Gentlemen Gardeners: The Men Who Recreated the English Landscape Garden'', 2004). *''Historic Gardens of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

'', Tempus Publishing, 2002 (Reprinted 2005). *''Historic Gardens of

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

'', Tempus Publishing, 2003 (Reprinted 2004). *''Historic Gardens of

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

'', Tempus Publishing, 2004. *''Historic Gardens of

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

'', Tempus Publishing, 2005. *''Historic Gardens of

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

'', Tempus Publishing, 2006. *''

William Kent William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, b ...

: Architect, Designer, Opportunist'', Jonathan Cape, 2006 (paperback - Pimlico, 2007) *''Bristol: City on the Edge'', Frances Lincoln, 2006. *''Historic Gardens of

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

'', Tempus Publishing, 2007. *''Historic Gardens of

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

'', Tempus Publishing, 2008. *''Historic Gardens of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

'', Redcliffe Press, 2008. *''Historic Gardens of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

'', Redcliffe Press, 2009. *''Historic Gardens of

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

'', Redcliffe Press, 2010. *''Historic Gardens of

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

'', Redcliffe Press, 2011. *''Historic Gardens of

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

'', Redcliffe Press, 2012. *''Historic Gardens of

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

& The Isle of Ely'', Redcliffe Press, 2013. *''Historic Gardens of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

'', Stephen Morris, 2015. *''Bristol Explored: Twelve Architectural Walks'', Stephen Morris, 2015. *''Architect of Obsession: John Wood and the Creation of Georgian Bath'', Stephen Morris, 2022. *''Unbuilt Bath: The City as it Might Have Been'' (with Julian Orbach), Stephen Morris, 2023

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mowl, Timothy Living people Academics of the University of Bristol Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Alumni of St John's College, Oxford 1951 births Alumni of the University of Bristol Alumni of the University of Birmingham