The Town Hall, Blandford Forum

John (ca 1668–1770) and William Bastard (ca 1689–1766) were British surveyor-architects, and civic dignitaries ^[1] of the town of Blandford Forum in Dorset.^[2] John and William generally worked together and are known as the "Bastard brothers" They are most notable for their rebuilding work at Blandford Forum following a large fire of 1731,^[3] and for work in the neighbourhood that Colvin describes as "mostly designed in a vernacular baroque style of considerable merit though of no great sophistication."^[4]. Their work was chiefly inspired by the buildings of Wren, Archer and Gibbs ^[5] in this way the Bastards' architecture was retrospective and did not follow the ideals of the more austere Palladianism which by the 1730s was highly popular in England. Download high resolution version (700x675, 516 KB)Blandford Forum Dorset, taken by Joe D, November 5, 2004. ... Download high resolution version (700x675, 516 KB)Blandford Forum Dorset, taken by Joe D, November 5, 2004. ... Blandford Forum, or Blandford is a town on the River Stour in Dorset, England. ... Blandford Forum, or Blandford is a town on the River Stour in Dorset, England. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dÉ”.sÉ™t], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... Sir Christopher Wren, (20 October 1632–25 February 1723) was a 17th century English designer, astronomer, geometrician, and the greatest English architect of his time. ... Thomas Archer (1668-1743) was an English baroque architect. ... St Martins-in-the-Fields, London, is the prototype of many New England churches. ... Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). ...

The brothers,^[6] the sons of Thomas Bastard (died 1720), a joiner and architect, the founder of a family firm of provincial architects in the area. However little remains today of the works of the brothers' ancestors, chiefly as the result of the 1731 fire and a previous fire in the town in 1713. A Joiner is a woodworker who makes and installs architectural woodwork, including things that are called Finish carpentry and millwork in the USA. Joiners fabricate and install building components such as doors, windows, stairs, wooden panelling, mouldings, shop cabinets, kitchen cabinets, and other wooden fittings. ...

Rebuilding of Blandford

The Blandford fire, which swept away the heart of a town that had evolved in a haphazard way from the medieval period, presented an opportunity for more regular redevelopment in the classical styles. However, with the exception of a widening the original market square, the fashionable Baroque style of town planning^[7] was ignored and the town was rebuilt on its former medieval street plan.^[8] Block quote For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ...

The first building to be completed in Blandford was the grandiose town hall, finished in 1734.^[9] Constructed, like much of their work, in the local Portland stone. The building is architecturally of interest because of its idiosyncrasies of style. While at first glance appearing to be a typical example of the Palladian style popular at the time - this is not truly the case. The ground floor is an open arcade of three segmented arches more typical of Renaissance Dutch and English market halls. The upper floor however, is in the highest Palladian tradition, as exemplified by Inigo Jones in his Banqueting house at Whitehall, the windows alternating with segmental and pointed pediments. The whole of the facade is surmounted by a uniting pediment, with a circular window at its centre. The design of the facade seems incomplete, as though flanking wings are missing. The provincial design of the building is again emphasised by the placement of three covered urns on the pediment redolent of the Baroque style which by the 1730s had already passed from its brief period of high fashion in England. The pediment appears heavy and lack support from the pilasters which more urbane architects would have placed at either end of the facade. The Cenotaph, in Whitehall, London, England, is made from Portland stone Portland stone is limestone from the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. ... A villa with a superimposed portico, from Book IV of Palladios I Quattro Libri dellArchitettura, in a modestly priced English translation published in London, 1736. ... Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio, Rome, 1502, by Bramante. ... Inigo Jones, by Sir Anthony van Dyck Inigo Jones (July 15, 1573–June 21, 1652) is regarded as the first significant English architect. ... Banqueting House, Whitehall, London The Banqueting House at Whitehall is a famous London building, formerly part of the Palace of Whitehall, designed by architect Inigo Jones in 1619, and completed in 1622, with assistance from John Webb. ... Whitehall, London, looking south towards the Houses of Parliament. ... A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of a triangular section or gable found above the horizontal superstructure (entablature) which lies immediately upon the columns. ... In architecture, pilasters comprise slightly-projecting pseudo-columns built into or onto a wall, with capitals and bases. ... Urbane mentioned in the Bible: Romans 16:9 Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. ...

The Town Hall, designed to provide a central feature to a row of houses, is typical of the work of the Bastard brothers, from which they were to make their fortune. They became entrepreneurs and local politicians.^[10] Other works by the Bastards in the town include the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, built between 1733 and 1739; the market place around the town hall, designed in the classical style but not uniform; the Greyhound Inn (1734-35; now a bank), which was their own property; a terrace of almshouses; and many large private houses with classical facades, notably Spetisbury and Coupar House. The Almshouse at Sherborne, Dorset The Almshouse at Woburn, Bedfordshire West Hackney Almshouses in Stoke Newington, London. ...

The rebuilding of the town was officially completed in 1760 — a feat commemorated by a memorial in the form of a portico to the church, known as the Fire Monument. Pevsner describes this memorial as a "detailed tabernacle with Doric columns".^[11] This was designed and paid for by John Bastard, who had it engraved, somewhat immodestly, with the inscription "in grateful Acknowledgement of the Divine Mercy, that has raised this Town, like a phoenix from its ashes, to its present beautiful and flourishing State." However the monument also has a more practical use, built above a piped spring: should a fire break out again it would supply a head of water for the attachment of fire hoses. The Tabernacle is known in Hebrew as the Mishkan ( משכן Place of [Divine] dwelling). It was to be a portable central place of worship for the Hebrews from the time they left ancient Egypt following the Exodus, through the time of the Book of Judges when they were engaged in conquering... Doric, a synonym of Dorian, may refer to any of the following: The Dorians, one of the ancient Hellenic races, Doric Greek, the dialect of the former, the Doric order and its distinctive Doric column, in ancient Greek architecture, the Dorian mode in music, also called the Doric mode, or... Look up spring in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Other works by John and William Bastard

The Bastard brothers worked in the outmoded Baroque seems to have been through preference rather than ignorance. When working on formal civic buildings they invariably attempted to designed in the more modern Palladian mode, Blandford's town hall exemplifies this. However, when given the freedom of choice over design then they appear to follow the more flowing and curvaceous Baroque. ^[12] John Bastard's own house, and the Red Lion public both in Blandford are both in the Baroque style, with broken pediments and capitals inspired by those of Borromini rather than those of Palladio. The lack of accurate record keeping at the time has neccesitated in many cases attribution to the brothers rather than complete credit. In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has a second meaning based on an alternative sense of capital) is the principal city or town associated with a countrys government. ... Francesco Borromini (Bissone near Lugano, Switzerland, September 25, 1599 – August 3, 1667 in Rome) was a Baroque architect, and active in Rome alongside the more prolific papal architect, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. ... Illustration from a 1736 English edition of I Quattro Libri dellArchitettura. ...

Outside Blandford, the Bastards were responsible for joiner's and carver's work in Hazlegrove House, Somerset and at Lulworth Castle, Dorset (destroyed by fire in 1929). John Bastard was employed, with the master-mason Francis Cartwright, to rebuild Crichel House, Dorset, for Sir William Napier. Lulworth Castle Lulworth Castle, in East Lulworth, Dorset, situated south of Wool, is a Castle. ...

The church of St. Mary at Charlton Marshall is attributed the brothers. ^[13]. The church which was built in 1713 has a distinctive tower topped by four obelisk pinnacles. Charlton Marshall was the home of the Horlock-Bastard family, where they had been country gentlemen since the time of the brother' s grandfather Thomas Bastard. ^[14] Thus the interior of the church contains memorials to members of the Bastard family, including a sculpture dedicated Thomas Bastard who died in 1791 which depicts a putto standing by an urn. The early 18th century nave of the Church of St Mary at Almer in Dorset is attributed to them as Stepleton House at Iwerne Stepleton, and the church of St. Giles in Wimborne St Giles was rebuilt by the brothers in 1732. Charlton Marshall is a village in north Dorset, England, situated beside the River Stour on the A350 road two miles south of the market town Blandford Forum. ... The Luxor obelisk in the Place de la Concorde in Paris For the obelisk punctuation mark, see dagger (typography). ... pinnacle Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk, Ostend, Belgium A pinnacle (from Latin pinnaculum, a little feather, pinna) is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. ... The putto is a figure of a pudgy baby, almost always male, often naked and having wings, found especially in Italian Renaissance art. ... Maya funerary urn For the computing term, see Uniform Resource Name. ... Links to full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are also found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... Wimborne St Giles is a village in east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase seven miles north of Wimborne Minster, north of Poole. ...

In Poole, the town's largest house built for Sir Peter Thompson (now Poole College) is attributed to John Bastard. This three storied brick and stuccoed house designed on an "H" plan is designed in a confused Palladian style, the fenestration making the facade crowded. Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ... Stucco is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water which is applied wet, and hardens when it dries. ... A window is an opening in an otherwise solid and opaque surface through which light and, sometimes, air can pass. ...

John Bastard rebuilt Crichel House for Sir William Napier after a fire in 1742,^[15] and the brothers' nephews and heirs, Thomas,^[16] Benjamin and James, collaborated to enlarge the shell of Crichel House in 1771-73; the new interiors were designed by James Wyatt^[17]. Fonthill Abbey. ...

Other members of the Bastard family were masons in Dorset and as far afield as London and the Dashwood mausoleum at West Wycombe. There are no records of any member of the Bastard family practising as architects after the first quarter of the 19th century ^[18] West Wycombe is an area located just north of High Wycombe in the United Kingdom and is the home of the West Wycombe Caves. ...

Evaluation

While the Bastards worked in a provincial style this should not detract from a positive evaluation of their work. Pevsner describes the Bastards works at Blandford as providing "One of the most satisfying Georgian ensembles anywhere in England".^[19] Such architectural naivety as can be found in some of the Bastards' works is visible in small country towns the length and breadth of Britain and exemplify the spread of evolving architectural genres from the cities. Their work is typical of the architecture which gives character and distinction and an idiosyncratic charm to many of Britain's provincial areas. Nikolaus Pevsner (January 30, 1902 - August 18, 1983) was a German-born British historian of art and, especially, architecture. ... Look up genre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Notes

A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Charlton Marshall is a village in north Dorset, England, situated beside the River Stour on the A350 road two miles south of the market town Blandford Forum. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Look up vista in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Statistics Population: 84,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: ST745645 Administration District: Bath and North East Somerset Region: South West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Somerset Historic county: Somerset Services Police force: Avon and Somerset Fire and rescue: Avon Ambulance: South Western Post office...

References

• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1972). The buildings of England — Dorset. England: Penguin. ISBN 0 14 071044 2. 

• Colvin, Howard (3rd ed. 1995). A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0 300 06091 2. 

• Geoffrey Webb, "John and William Bastard, of Blandford" The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 47 No. 270 (September 1925, pp. 144-145; 148-150.)
• Blandford Forum Official site retrieved 7 March 2007

• Extracts from Hutchins History of Dorset retrieved 8 March 2007

External links

• Image of Charlton Marshall Church retreived 06 March 2007

• Image of the Fire Monument at Blandford Forumretreived 06 March 2007

• Image of Sherborne House designed by Benjamin Bastard retreived 06 March 2007