Thomas Hardy and Arthur Blomfield

Sir Arthur William Blomfield (1829-1899)

Thomas Hardy, was apprenticed to him for a short time.

Sir Arthur Blomfield specialised in church architecture, usually in a Gothic Revival style. Son of Bishop C. J. Blomfield, he was born on the 6th March 1829, and educated at Rugby and Trinity, Cambridge. He was then articled as an architect to P. C. Hardwick, and subsequently obtained a large practice on his own account. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861, and a fellow (1867) and vice-president (1886) of the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 1887 he became architect to the Bank of England, and designed the law courts branch in Fleet Street, and he was associated with A. E. Street in the building of the law courts. In 1889 he was knighted. He died on the 3Oth of October 1899. He was twice married, and brought up two sons, Charles J. Blomfield and Arthur Conran Blomfield, to his own profession, of which they became distinguished representatives. Among the numerous churches which Sir Arthur Blomfield designed, his work at St Saviour's, Southwark, is a notable example of his use of revived Gothic, and he was highly regarded as a restorer. He was also, however, interested in the potential of reinforced concrete as a building material, as in the house he designed for himself in East Sheen, London.