Ptolemy Dean

Last updated

Ptolemy Hugo Dean OBE (born 1968) is a British architect, television presenter and the 19th Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey. He specialises in historic preservation, as well as designing new buildings that are in keeping with their historic or natural settings. He is best known for his appearances on two BBC television series, Restoration and The Perfect Village.

Contents

Personal

Dean is the son of Jenefer Dean and Joseph Dean, a judge, and the grandson of the actor and impresario Basil Dean; [1] his uncle is the noted musicologist Winton Dean. [2] Ptolemy Dean grew up in Wye in Kent. One of his sisters is called Antigone, the other is the artist Tacita Dean. He attended Kent College, Canterbury.

He studied architecture first at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London, then continued with a post-graduate diploma in architecture from the University of Edinburgh. At Edinburgh, Dean studied under the late-modernist Professor Isi Metzstein, building conservation engineer and writer Ted Ruddock and design critic Mike Duriez.

Dean is a reported to have been a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II, and a regular guest of the Royal Family. [3]

Career

Architecture

After finishing his academic studies, Dean received funding from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) to document mud adobe structures in New Mexico and Arizona. He then worked for Peter Inskip and Peter Jenkins Architects on a variety of Grade I listed buildings, including Stowe House, Chastleton House and Waddesdon Manor.

Ptolemy completed the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings scholarship.

He has worked for a number of Britain's more traditionally influenced architects, including Sir William Whitfield, neo-classicist John Simpson, Sir Frederick Gibberd and Richard Griffiths. At Griffiths', he provided heritage assistance in obtaining planning consent for RHWL architects' post-modern influenced extension to St Pancras Chambers.

He now runs his own small practice, Ptolemy Dean Architects, near Borough Market in London. From March 2012 he has also worked as Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey, [4] where in 2018 he designed Weston Tower, a new Gothic lift access to upstairs galleries, the most significant addition to the building since Nicholas Hawksmoor's west towers were completed in 1745, [5] and which was the subject of a profile on the Sky Arts programme The Art of Architecture in 2019. [6]

Dean was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to heritage and design. [7]

Books

Dean has written and illustrated two books on the 19th-century British architect Sir John Soane, and co-written a study of London's historic Borough Market.

Television

Dean has appeared with Marianne Suhr as the resident "ruin detective" on the BBC Two television programme Restoration. In his seven-episode series The Perfect Village, on BBC Four, Dean visited 12 English villages and discussed the qualities that would create the "perfect village."

Art and illustration

As seen in his television appearances, Dean produces watercolour cityscapes and architectural renderings or illustrations. These are done in a wobbly line pen and ink technique with evocative colour washes, broadly influenced by the English tradition typified by Samuel Palmer.

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Abbey</span> Church in London, England

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British monarchs and a burial site for 18 English, Scottish, and British monarchs. At least 16 royal weddings have taken place at the abbey since 1100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Barry</span> British architect (1795–1860)

Sir Charles BarryFRS RA was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens. He is known for his major contribution to the use of Italianate architecture in Britain, especially the use of the Palazzo as basis for the design of country houses, city mansions and public buildings. He also developed the Italian Renaissance garden style for the many gardens he designed around country houses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir John Soane's Museum</span> Museum and former home of John Soane

Sir John Soane's Museum is a house museum, located next to Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn, London, which was formerly the home of neo-classical architect John Soane. It holds many drawings and architectural models of Soane's projects and a large collection of paintings, sculptures, drawings, and antiquities that he acquired over many years. The museum was established during Soane's own lifetime by a private Act of Parliament in 1833, which took effect on his death in 1837. Soane engaged in this lengthy parliamentary campaign in order to disinherit his son, whom he disliked intensely. The act stipulated that on Soane's death, his house and collections would pass into the care of a board of trustees acting on behalf of the nation, and that they would be preserved as nearly as possible exactly in the state they were at his death. The museum's trustees remained completely independent, relying only on Soane's original endowment, until 1947. Since then, the museum has received an annual Grant-in-Aid from the British Government via the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Soane</span> English architect

Sir John Soane was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the Royal Academy and an official architect to the Office of Works. He received a knighthood in 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesex Guildhall</span> Building of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in London

The Middlesex Guildhall is a historic court building in Westminster which houses the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The building stands on the south-western corner of Parliament Square, near the Palace of Westminster. In 1970, the building was listed Grade II*.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Smirke (architect)</span> English architect

Sir Robert Smirke was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture, though he also used other architectural styles. As an attached architect within the Office of Works, he designed several major public buildings, including the main block and façade of the British Museum and altered or repaired others. He was a pioneer in the use of structural iron and concrete foundations, and was highly respected for his accuracy and professionalism. His advice was often sought in architectural competitions and urban planning, especially later in his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitzhanger Manor</span> English country house

Pitzhanger Manor is an English country house famous as the home of neoclassical architect, Sir John Soane. Built between 1800 and 1804 in what is now Walpole Park Ealing, to the west of London), the Regency Manor is a rare and spectacular example of a building designed, built and lived in by Sir John Soane himself. Soane intended it as a domestic space to entertain guests in, as well as a family home for a dynasty of architects, starting with his sons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moggerhanger House</span> Manor house in Bedfordshire, England

Moggerhanger House is a Grade I-listed country house in Moggerhanger, Bedfordshire, England, designed by the eminent architect John Soane. The house is owned by a Christian charity, Harvest Vision, and the Moggerhanger House Preservation Trust, and has recently undergone a £7m refurbishment project with help from organisations such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, World Monuments Fund and the East of England Development Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darnley Mausoleum</span> Mausoleum in Cobham Woods, Kent

The Darnley Mausoleum, or Cobham Mausoleum as it is often now referred to, is a Grade I Listed building, now owned by the National Trust and situated in Cobham Woods, Kent. It was designed by James Wyatt for the 4th Earl of Darnley of Cobham Hall according to detailed instructions in the will of the 3rd Earl of Darnley. It was never used for interments. The woodland is part of the parkland laid out by Humphry Repton, and is 1.6 km from the North Downs Way.

Marcus Hugh Crofton Binney is a British architectural historian and author. He is best known for his conservation work regarding Britain's heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Tapper</span> English architect (1861–1935)

Sir Walter John Tapper was an English architect known for his work in the Gothic Revival style and a number of church buildings. He worked with some leading ecclesiastical architects of his day and was President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Tapper was appointed Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey and acted as consulting architect to York Minster and Manchester Cathedral. On his death in 1935 his son Michael Tapper completed some of his works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wotton House</span> House in Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire

Wotton House, Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire, England, is a stately home built between 1704 and 1714, to a design very similar to that of the contemporary version of Buckingham House. The house is an example of English Baroque and a Grade I listed building. The architect is uncertain although William Winde, the designer of Buckingham House, has been suggested. The grounds were laid out by George London and Henry Wise with a formal parterre and a double elm avenue leading down to a lake. Fifty years later William Pitt the Elder and Capability Brown improved the landscape, creating pleasure grounds with two lakes. After a fire gutted the main house in 1820 Richard Grenville, 1st Earl Temple, commissioned John Soane to rebuild it. After the 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, the last direct Grenville male heir, died in 1889, the house was let to a succession of tenants; including, notably; the philanthropist, Leo Bernard William Bonn (1850–1929) who became deaf while residing at Wotton, and later founded (1911) what became the RNID. His son and heir, the decorated First World War hero, Major Walter Basil Louis Bonn, DSO, MC, MA (Oxon.) FRSA, FZSL (1885–1973) is also listed as resident at Wotton House; in the New College archives, at Oxford University; during his three years as an Oxford undergraduate, there, 1903–1906, while living fifteen miles away from his family home of many years, at Wotton House.

Alec Clifton-Taylor was an English architectural historian, writer and TV broadcaster.

Warwick James Rodwell is an archaeologist, architectural historian and academic. He was lately visiting professor in the Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, and is Consultant Archaeologist to Westminster Abbey, where he is also a member of the College of St Peter in Westminster. He is the author of many books and articles, including the standard textbook on church archaeology. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the Royal Historical Society.

Patricia Ann Hopkins, Lady Hopkins, is an English architect and joint winner, along with her husband Sir Michael Hopkins, of the 1994 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture.

The Soane Medal, established in 2017, is an international award presented annually by Sir John Soane's Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Seely, 2nd Baron Mottistone</span> British architect (1899–1963)

Henry John Alexander Seely, 2nd Baron Mottistone, was an architect whose work in the partnership of Seely & Paget included the interior of Eltham Palace in the Art Deco style, and the post-World War II restoration of a number of bomb-damaged buildings, such as houses in the Little Cloister, the London Charterhouse and the church of St John Clerkenwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey</span>

The post of Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey was established in 1698. The role is an architectural one, with the current holder being responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the Abbey and its buildings. 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)
  2. Nicholas Hawksmoor (1723–1736)
  3. John James (1736–1746)
  4. James Horne (1746–1752)
  5. Henry Keene (1752–1776)
  6. James Wyatt (1776–1813)
  7. Benjamin Dean Wyatt (1813–1827)
  8. Edward Blore (1827–1849)
  9. George Gilbert Scott (1849–1878)
  10. John Loughborough Pearson (1878–1897)
  11. John Thomas Micklethwaite (1897–1906)
  12. William Lethaby (1906–1928)
  13. Walter Tapper (1928–1935)
  14. Charles Reed Peers (1935–1951)
  15. Stephen Dykes Bower (1951–1973)
  16. (John) Peter Foster (1973–1988)
  17. Donald Buttress (1988–1999)
  18. John Burton (1999–2012)
  19. Ptolemy Dean (2012–present)
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of John Betjeman</span> Statue in St Pancras station, London

The statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras railway station, London is a depiction in bronze by the sculptor Martin Jennings. The statue was designed and cast in 2007 and was unveiled on 12 November 2007 by Betjeman's daughter, Candida Lycett Green and the then Poet Laureate Andrew Motion to commemorate Betjeman and mark the opening of St Pancras International as the London terminus of the Eurostar high-speed rail link between Great Britain and mainland Europe. The location memorialises the connection between St Pancras station and Betjeman, an early and lifelong advocate of Victorian architecture who led the campaign to save the station from demolition in the 1960s.

Peter Ambrose Barber is a British architect recognised for his work designing social housing. He has been praised for his attempts to address the lack of homeless shelters and social housing provision in a way that aspires to well-designed urbanism.

References

  1. ↑ Dean, Tacita (1 February 2010). "Joseph Dean obituary". The Guardian. London.
  2. ↑ As noted by Ptolemy Dean during interview on BBC Radio 3's Essential Classics programme (broadcast 28 May 2012)
  3. ↑ "Londoner's Diary | Evening Standard". Archived from the original on 11 December 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Wainwright, Oliver (3 December 2012). "Holy Orders". The Guardian G2. London. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  5. ↑ Wainwright, Oliver (29 May 2018). "'A gothic space rocket to a secret realm' – Westminster Abbey's new £23m tower". The Guardian . Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "The Art of Architecture – S1 – Episode 5". Radio Times . Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "No. 62666". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.