Walter Richmond Butler (24 March 1864 – 31 May 1949), was an Australian

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 ...

trained in the

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

style, born in

Somerset, England ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

Personal life

In 1864 Walter Richmond Butler was born on his family's farm in Pensford in Somerset, England. He was the sixth of eight children. At 15 Butler became the apprentice of developing Arts and Crafts architect Alexander Lauder (1836–1921), who allegedly described Butler as "a truly gifted person". Butler frequently travelled throughout England and Europe and it was not until 1888 that Butler decided to follow in the footsteps of five of his siblings and emigrate to Australia in search of prosperity and exciting new possibilities. He departed from Plymouth on the SS Oroya on 21 July arriving in Sydney in October, and by the end of the year had moved to Melbourne. Butler married Emelie Millicent Howard in April 1894, and they had three children: Adna Millicent Howard, Howard Richmond Henry and Winifred Howard. The family lived in Armadale in the eastern suburbs of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

in a large house called Duncraig. Butler's daughter Adna once described him as "a very energetic man… never idle. He was good at all ball games… and was as fond of dancing and playing bridge as he was of mending anything". At the age of 21, Butler's son Howard died fighting in WWI, and it was after this that Butler appeared to limit his professional involvement in architecture. He did however continue as a practicing architect until he retired in 1939 at the age of 75. He died in 1949 at the age of 84.

Professional life

Having trained with Alexander Lauder in Barnstaple UK, Butler worked for three years in the office of J D Sedding in London where he was accepted into the domestic revival groups centered on

William Lethaby William Richard Lethaby (18 January 1857 – 17 July 1931) was an English architect and architectural historian whose ideas were highly influential on the late Arts and Crafts and early Modern movements in architecture, and in the fields of ...

Ernest Gimson Ernest William Gimson (; 21 December 1864 – 12 August 1919) was an English furniture designer and architect. Gimson was described by the art critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers". Today his reputat ...

and a number of other architects around

Richard Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...

and

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

. In 1885 W. R. Lethaby encouraged Butler to move to London and work with J. D. Sedding, there, he worked for 3 years. In June 1888 Butler left Sedding's firm and set for Australia, where he resided and worked in Melbourne. Three of Butler's brothers and one of his sisters also settled in Australia. From 1889 until 1893 Butler worked in collaboration with Beverely Ussher. In 1896 George C. Inskip joined his practice, however their association ended in 1905 after a disagreement with the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects over the conduct of a competition. In 1907-16 he partnered Ernest R. Bradshaw and after World War I he was in association with his nephew Richard (b. 1892) as W. & R. Butler, which shortly included Marcus Martin. In the late 1930s Butler was in partnership with Hugh Pettit before retiring when Pettit enlisted for World War II.

Notable projects

The Missions to Seamen (1916)

In 1916 Walter Butler designed the Anglican mission building located on 717 Flinders Street

Docklands Dockland or Docklands are areas occupied by, or in the neighbourhood of maritime docks, sometimes described as a Sailortown (dockland). The term is more common in Britain and British Commonwealth. Specifically the term may refer to: * Aarhus Dock ...

. It was designed in a mixture of styles one being in the style of

Spanish mission revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

, which was prevalent during the 1890s, and his immense experience in the arts and craft architecture. What made The Missions to Seamen building so significant was the introduction of the Spanish Mission style to Melbourne. The revival of this building is evident in its bell tower with its pinnacles, its rough-hewn timber trusses, and the monastic- like courtyard. This style soon after became popular in the Melbourne suburbs. David Syme tomb Kew

David Syme Tomb (1908)

Walter Butler was selected to carry out the commissioning of this tomb situated in Boroondara Cemetery in Kew. The tomb was designed similarly to an

Egyptian temple Egyptian temples were built for the official worship of the gods and in commemoration of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt and regions under Egyptian control. Temples were seen as houses for the gods or kings to whom they were dedicated. Within t ...

, only smaller and encompassing a similar symbolic context. Butler ensured that the symbolism best represented Symes character merged with his growing interest in iconography architecture. Edzett Mansion Toorak

Edzell Mansion (1892)

Located in Toorak along the Southbank of the Yarra River, the Edzell mansion can be said to be one of Tooraks grandest mansions. It was originally designed by the architects Reed Smart and Tappin and in 1917 Butler designed extensions to the mansion including a ballroom and an additional garden to the property. What makes this mansion so significant is the mixture of architectural styles by prominent architects.

Other projects

: Houses/mansions *Blackwood (1891) near Penshurst for R.B. Richie *Wangarella (1894) in NSW for Thomas Milear *Newminster Park (1901) near Camperdown for A.S. Chirnside *Warrawee (1906) in Toorak for A. Rutter Clark *Thanes (1907) in Kooyong for F.Wallach *Kamillaroi (1907) for Clive Baillieu Churches * Bishopscourt (Extensions) (1902) in East Melbourne *

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roma ...

(1899) in Armadale * Wangaratta Cathedral (1907) * Christ Church (c.1910) in Benalla City buildings * Collins House (1910) *Queensland Insurance BuildingQueensland Insurance Oldies, ''http://queenslandinsuranceoldies.org/qibuilding.html''(1911)

References

External links

Heritage Listing for the Missions to Seamen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Walter 1860 births 1949 deaths Arts and Crafts architects Victoria (state) architects Federation architects