Regent Alfred John Bidwell (R. A. J. Bidwell) | |
---|---|
Born | Regent Alfred John Bidwell 12 June 1869 |
Died | 6 April 1918 48) Tanjong Katong, Singapore | (aged
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Architect |
Spouse | Edith Allen (d. 1944) |
Regent Alfred John Bidwell, or R. A. J. Bidwell, was an English-born architect noted for his colonial era buildings in Singapore. His best-known works include the Raffles Hotel and the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall in Singapore, and Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur.
Regent Alfred John Bidwell was born in 1869. He received his architectural training with Lockyer, Son, & Cox, of London, and he became a member of the Architectural Association, and was placed on the honours list of this institution for design. [1]
Bidwell started work as an assistant to a succession of architects: Crikmay & Son, W. H. Woodroffe of London, and the superintending architect of the London County Council. [1] In 1893 Bidwell left England to go to Malaya after he was nominated for appointment by Sir Charles Gregory to work for the Public Works Department (PWD) of Selangor.
Bidwell was involved in the design of Kuala Lumpur's public buildings and other works, the most important of which is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. [2] The building was originally designed by A.C. Norman who drew the ground plan with Bidwell designing the elevation in a Classic Renaissance style. However, the State Engineer of Selangor PWD Charles Edwin Spooner disliked the design, and he instructed Bidwell to rework the building in an Indo-Saracenic or Neo-Mughal on Norman's ground plan. [3] Although the building is formally credited to A.C. Norman (and only his name appears on the foundation stone as the architect), the actual appearance of the building is largely the work of R. A. J. Bidwell with contributions from A. B. Hubback who also worked on the building after Bidwell left. [2]
In April 1895, Bidwell resigned from the Selangor PWD to join Swan and Maclaren in Singapore. He became a partner of the firm in 1899, [2] and Bidwell designed most of the buildings by Swan and Maclaren during his time at the firm. In 1903 he was elected a fellow of the Surveyors' Institute. [1]
Bidwell designed some of the most significant colonial-era buildings of Singapore such as the Raffles Hotel.
He also helped develop a style of building termed Black and White House which is an adaptation of the traditional English homes that show influences from the Tudorbethan style and Arts and Crafts movement to suit a tropical environment. [4] His design for W. Patchitt House at Cluny Road in 1903 started a trend for building such houses. [5]
Bidwell ceased to be a partner of Swan and Maclaren by 1915, but continued to practice for a few more years. [2] He died on 6 April 1918 in Tanjong Katong after a period of illness. [6]
The year 1899 in architecture involved some significant events.
Indo-Saracenic architecture was a revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and government buildings in the British Raj, and the palaces of rulers of the princely states. It drew stylistic and decorative elements from native Indo-Islamic architecture, especially Mughal architecture, which the British regarded as the classic Indian style, and, less often, from Hindu temple architecture. The basic layout and structure of the buildings tended to be close to that used in contemporary buildings in other revivalist styles, such as Gothic revival and Neo-Classical, with specific Indian features and decoration added.
The Sultan Abdul Samad Building is a late-19th century building located along Jalan Raja in front of Dataran Merdeka and the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The building originally housed the offices of the British colonial administration, and was known simply as Government Offices in its early years. In 1974, it was renamed after Sultan Abdul Samad, the reigning sultan of Selangor at the time when construction began.
Independence Square is a square located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is situated in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was formerly known as the Selangor Club Padang or simply the Padang and was used as the cricket green of the Selangor Club. It was here that the Union Flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957. Since then, the Independence Square has been the usual venue for the annual Independence Day Parade.
The Kuala Lumpur railway station is a railway station located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Construction began in 1910 and was fully completed in 1917. It replaced an older station on the same site, the station was Kuala Lumpur's railway hub in the city for the Federated Malay States Railways and its successor Keretapi Tanah Melayu, before Kuala Lumpur Sentral assumed much of its role in 2001. The station is notable for its architecture, adopting a mixture of Eastern and Western designs.
The Royal Selangor Club is a social club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, founded in 1884 by the British who ruled Malaya. The club is situated next to the Dataran Merdeka, or Independence Square, padang (field), and is accessible from Jalan Raja.
The Klang War or Selangor Civil War was a series of conflicts that lasted from 1867 to 1874 in the Malay state of Selangor in the Malay Peninsula.
Sultan Abdul Samad ibni Almarhum Raja Abdullah was the fourth Sultan of Selangor.
Sultan of Selangor is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia who is the head of state and head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. The current monarch, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ascended the throne on the death of his father, on 22 November 2001.
Kuala Lumpur is the largest city in Malaysia; it is also the nation's capital. The history of Kuala Lumpur began in the middle of the 19th century with the rise of the tin mining industry, and boomed in the early 20th century with the development of rubber plantations in Selangor. It became the capital of Selangor, later the Federated Malay States, and then Malayan Union, and finally Malaya and Malaysia.
Swan & Maclaren Architects is a Singaporean architectural and industrial design firm. One of the oldest architectural firms in the country, it was formerly known as Swan & Maclaren and Swan & Lermit, and was one of the most prominent architectural firms in Singapore when it was a crown colony during the early 20th century. The firm has designed numerous iconic heritage buildings in Singapore as well as Malaysia.
The architecture of Kuala Lumpur is a blend of old colonial influences, Asian traditions, Malay Islamic inspirations, modern and post modern mix. Being a relatively young city, most of Kuala Lumpur's colonial buildings were built toward the end of 19th and early 20th century. These buildings have Mughal, Tudor, Neo-Gothic or Grecian-Spanish style or architecture. Most of the styling have been modified to cater to use local resources and the acclimatized to the local climate, which is hot and humid all year around.
Charles Edwin Spooner was a British engineer who worked in Malaya. He oversaw the construction of many important buildings in Kuala Lumpur, and he reorganised and expanded the railway system in the Federated Malay States.
Arthur Benison Hubback was an English architect and soldier who designed several important buildings in British Malaya, in both Indo-Saracenic architecture and European "Wrenaissance" styles. Major works credited to him include Kuala Lumpur railway station, Ubudiah Mosque, Jamek Mosque, National Textile Museum, Panggung Bandaraya DBKL, Ipoh railway station, and Kowloon railway station.
Arthur Charles Alfred Norman (1858-1944), often referred to as A. C. Norman, was a British architect who was active in Malaya at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century. Some of the most important colonial era buildings of Kuala Lumpur built in that period were credited to him, although many of these also involved other architects of the period.
The National Textile Museum is a museum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The museum is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm, with admission fees ranging from RM2 to RM5.