William Vertue (died 1527) was an English architect specialising in Fan vault ceilings. Along with his brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

, he was involved in the construction of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

(1501–1502) and

Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...

. The Vertue brothers are reported as telling Bishop Oliver King, the patron of the work, that the vaulting "Ther shal be no one so goodeley, neither in England nor in France". The brothers were involved in undertaking the vaulting and the

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

windows and walls of the Henry VII's chapel at

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, ...

, between 1506 and 1509, although Robert Virtue was dead by then and William is thought to be entirely responsible. William advised John Wastell about the design for the fan vaulted ceiling at

King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...

. The fan vault over the crossing at

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St George's Chapel, formally titled The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle, at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal peculiar, Royal Peculia ...

in 1528 finished after his death was his last known architectural work.page 656, Geoffrey Tyack, Simon Bradley & Nikolaus Pevsner, Buildings of England Berkshire, 2010, Yale University Press

Gallery of architectural work

File:Bath.abbey.fan.vault.arp.jpg, Fan Vault, Bath Abbey, the vault by Virtue is in the distance, in the chancel, the nearer vault is a Victorian copy by Sir

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...

File:Castell de Windsor - Capella de Sant Jordi.JPG, St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, vaulting, the vault by Vertue is the fan vault over the crossing File:Westminster abbey16.jpg, Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, main vault File:Henry7Chapel 07.jpg, Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, aisle vault File:Henry7Chapel 04.jpg, Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, exterior from the south-east File:Henry7Chapel 01.jpg, Henry VII's chapel, Westminster Abbey, interior looking west

References

Architects from Somerset Gothic architects 1527 deaths Year of birth unknown 15th-century English people 16th-century English architects {{England-architect-stub