Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey

Portrait of Sir Christopher Wren by Godfrey Kneller, 1711. Wren was the first Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey

The post of Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey was established in 1698.[n 1] The role is an architectural one, with the current holder being responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the Abbey and its buildings.[n 2] In the past, the role has involved overseeing new construction work as well as restoration and architectural conservation. The post has been held by the following people:

  1. Christopher Wren (1698–1723)[1][n 3]
  2. Nicholas Hawksmoor (1723–1736)[1]
  3. John James (1736–1746)[1]
  4. James Horne (1746–1752)[1]
  5. Henry Keene (1752–1776)[1]
  6. James Wyatt (1776–1813)[1]
  7. Benjamin Dean Wyatt (1813–1827)[1]
  8. Edward Blore (1827–1849)[1]
  9. George Gilbert Scott (1849–1878)[1]
  10. John Loughborough Pearson (1878–1897)[1]
  11. John Thomas Micklethwaite (1897–1906)[1]
  12. William Lethaby (1906–1928)[1]
  13. Walter Tapper (1928–1935)[1]
  14. Charles Reed Peers (1935–1951)[1]
  15. Stephen Dykes Bower (1951–1973)[1]
  16. (John) Peter Foster (1973–1988)[2][12][13]
  17. Donald Buttress (1988–1999)[2][14]
  18. John Burton (1999–2012)[15]
  19. Ptolemy Dean (2012–present)[16]

Notes

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  1. ^ Alcuin Club Collections, Volume 38 (1952), page 223, Appendix VIII ('The Surveyors of Westminster Abbey') lists the Fabric Surveyors, the College Surveyors and the Deputy Fabric Surveyors from 1698 (from 1660 for the College Surveyors) to 1952.[1] The 2003 edition of the relevant volume from Pevsner's The Buildings of England series gives a similar list, but disagrees on the transition year between Pearson (who died on 11 December 1897) and Micklethwaite, giving the transition year as 1898 instead of 1897.[2] Pevsner also (incorrectly) gives the transition year between Buttress and Burton as 1995.[2]
  2. ^ For more on the modern evolution of the role and related guidance and legislation, see Cathedral Architect.
  3. ^ Wren was appointed Surveyor of Westminster Abbey following an Act of Parliament to fund repairs to the Abbey. Upon his death, Wren was buried in St Paul's Cathedral. As of 2018, nine of his successors as Surveyors of the Fabric have been buried, or been commemorated, or had their ashes interred in Westminster Abbey: James Wyatt,[3] Scott,[4] Pearson,[5] Micklethwaite,[6] Lethaby,[7] Tapper,[8] Peers,[9] Bower[10] and Foster.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Appendix VIII The Surveyors of Westminster Abbey". Alcuin Club Collections. 38. Alcuin Club: 223. 1952.
  2. ^ a b c d Pevsner, Nikolaus (2003). The Buildings of England: London (except the cities London and Westminster). The Buildings of England. Penguin Books. p. xiv.
  3. ^ "James Wyatt". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Sir George Gilbert Scott". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  5. ^ "John Loughborough Pearson". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  6. ^ "John Thomas Micklethwaite". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  7. ^ "William Richard Lethaby". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Sir Walter Tapper". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Sir Charles Peers". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Stephen Dykes Bower". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  11. ^ "John Peter Foster". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Peter Foster". The Daily Telegraph. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Lives remembered". Salon (230). 14 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Surveyor of the Fabric". The Architects' Journal. 209. Westminster Abbey: 5. 1999 – via Architectural Press Limited.
  15. ^ "Abbey Surveyor to stand down". Westminster Abbey. July 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  16. ^ "Ptolemy Dean appointed Westminster Abbey's new Surveyor of the Fabric". Westminster Abbey. December 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2018.

Further reading

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