Alfred Waterhouse facts for kids

Manchester Town Hall

Alfred Waterhouse (born July 19, 1830 – died August 22, 1905) was a famous English architect. He was especially known for his work in the Victorian Gothic revival style. You might know his designs for Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum in London. He also built many other types of buildings across the country. Waterhouse was one of the most successful architects of his time. He was skilled in both Gothic and Renaissance styles, but he didn't stick to just one.

Who Was Alfred Waterhouse?
- What Kinds of Buildings Did He Design?
  - Famous Public Buildings
  - Designing for Learning and Health
- What Was His Architectural Style?
Images for kids
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Who Was Alfred Waterhouse?

Alfred Waterhouse was a very busy and talented architect. He designed many important buildings in the Victorian era. This was a time when new styles of architecture were popular. Waterhouse was known for his detailed and strong buildings. He often used brick and terracotta in his designs.

What Kinds of Buildings Did He Design?

Waterhouse designed many different types of buildings. These included town halls, museums, universities, and even private homes. He also worked on churches and hospitals. His buildings can be found all over England. Each building was carefully planned for its purpose.

Famous Public Buildings

Two of Waterhouse's most famous works are in big cities.

Manchester Town Hall: This grand building in Manchester is a great example of Gothic revival style. It has a tall clock tower and detailed carvings. It was finished in 1877.
Natural History Museum: Located in London, this museum is famous for its unique terracotta design. Terracotta is a type of baked clay. The building looks like a giant, beautiful castle. It opened in 1881.

Designing for Learning and Health

Waterhouse also designed many buildings for education and health.

Universities: He created buildings for several universities. These include the University of Manchester and the University of Liverpool. His university buildings often have tall towers and steep roofs.
Hospitals: He designed hospitals like the Liverpool Royal Infirmary. These buildings were made to be clean and practical. They often used smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces.

What Was His Architectural Style?

Waterhouse was known for his skill in different styles.

Gothic Revival: This was his main style. It brought back ideas from medieval churches and castles. He used pointed arches, tall windows, and detailed stone carvings.
Terracotta Use: He loved using terracotta, especially for the Natural History Museum. This material allowed for rich colors and detailed patterns. It also made buildings strong and fire-resistant.
Versatility: While Gothic was his favorite, he also used Renaissance and Jacobethan styles. This showed he could adapt his designs to different needs.

Waterhouse's buildings are still admired today. They show his amazing talent and hard work. He left a lasting mark on England's cities.

Images for kids

Darlington Market and clock tower (1861-64) Waterhouse's first public building outside Manchester, the market hall was Waterhouse's only cast-iron building
Manchester Assize Courts (1859–65), showing the elaborate carving on the building's facade: what the drawing cannot show is the different coloured stones used
Gatehouse, Strangeways Prison (1861–69), French Chateau style, main arch is Romanesque, with Gothic window details, the tall 'chimney' on the right was part of the ventilation system
61 New Cavendish Street, Marylebone, London, Waterhouse's practice was based here from 1865, it was also his home, Paul Waterhouse used the house until 1909 after Alfred had died in 1905.
Waterhouse's watercolour perspective of the Natural History Museum London 1876, in the collection of the V&A Museum. Note the side facades – the east one is just visible on the right – were never built.
Plan of the Natural History Museum London 1881, showing the layout of the galleries on the main floor
Terracotta Gothic niche and statue of Prudence, Holborn Bars, above the main entrance arch on High Holborn c.1901, the statue is almost classical in style it was sculpted by F.M. Pomeroy
The former North Western Hotel, Lime Street, Liverpool, in a French Renaissance style, with its dramatic roof and towers typical of the style
Former Seamen's Orphan Institution, Liverpool, with the Great Hall in the centre
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Great George St, London (1896-98), Jacobethan in style
The clock tower (1885-88) at Rochdale Town Hall, showing the carved stone work by Earp & Hobbs
Former Foster's Bank, Sidney Street, Cambridge (1891), Jacobethan in style, using complex decoration
the south front of Foxhill House, on the right is the conservatory (a modern replacement), behind which is the servants' wing, the dining room opens to the veranda, with the drawing room to the left, the upper floor is the family bedrooms and on the right the nursery, servants' bedrooms are in the attic
Goldney Hall, Bristol, Gloucestershire (1865–68), Italianate in style, a style rarely used by Waterhouse, though popular at the time, but he designed a French Renaissance style roof to the tower, clad in Bath stone
Easneye Park, Stanstead Abbots, Hertfordshire (1866) Tudor, with bright red brick with dark brick diaper patterns, note the brick chimneys, based on those at Hampton Court Palace
Allerton Priory, Allerton, Liverpool (1868-76) French Gothic with brick and stone dressings and a very characteristic Waterhouse tower, more often found on public buildings
St Mary's parish church Twyford, Hampshire, from the north, this village church is very different in character to Waterhouse's town churches, there is an attempt to blend the style of the building to the vernacular architecture of the area by using local building materials
St. Elizabeth's Church, Reddish, Stockport (1883–85), Romanesque, red brick with stone dressings, the plan is conventional for an English parish church
The main administration block, Liverpool Royal Infirmary, show the restrained decoration, in red terracotta and dark brick, (1886–92), note the porte-cochere sheltering the main entrance to protect patients from inclement weather
Former University College Hospital, London (1894–1903) showing the main entrance and Waterhouse's radical new design for the hospital
Cricket Pavilion, Marlborough College (1872-73) an example of one of Waterhouse's smaller buildings, he rarely designed buildings for sport, even so much thought has gone into it, the veranda and balcony providing excellent views of the pitch, the easy-going simplicity of the design suits its purpose
Whitworth Hall, University of Manchester (1898–1902) plain stone, with red tile roofs with prominent areas of lead, as with all three universities Waterhouse created one of his typical skylines of turrets and steep roofs, show the continuing influence of French Gothic at the end of his career, the walls are more English Perpendicular in style
Exterior Great Hall, Yorkshire College, now University of Leeds (1892) like his work at Manchester showing the influence of English Perpendicular Gothic as well as French Gothic, the walls are red brick with yellow stone
Victoria Building, red terracotta with darker brickwork, University of Liverpool (1888) the epitome of the Red brick university, this time Waterhouse mixed Early English Gothic with the French Gothic of the roofs
Balliol College. Oxford (1866–71) a High Victorian Gothic design, using the local stone and plain red tiled roof
Hall, Balliol College, Oxford (1873–78) the Gothic style is less fussy than the earlier work at the college, the roofscape is especially restrained for Waterhouse, the style though Decorated Gothic has a Perpendicular feel especially the window aprons.
Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge (1868–70), Tree Court, Jacobethan but with French influenced roofs
Girton College, Cambridge, showing the building phases of 1883–85 & 1886-89
Principal facade Manchester Town Hall (1868-77), from Albert Square, showing the Clock Tower and the almost symmetrical facade, the ends vary in design
Manchester Town Hall, showing the rear facade on Cooper Street left and the Princess Street facade right
Main (South) facade of The Natural History Museum (1873-81), viewed from the east, showing the large number of blocks of terracotta of varying size, shape and decoration needed, mainly buff but with a blue-grey colour used sparingly for decoration, with decorative sculptures also of terracotta
The main entrance and flanking towers, Natural History Museum, the octagonal top storey of the towers contained the water tanks, the four pinnacles surrounding the octagonal tower tops are the air intakes and exhaust vents for the Museum's ventilation and heating system
Eaton Hall (1869-83), Entrance front in 1907, demolished 1961-63 apart from the chapel, on the right is the Library wing with its own squatter tower with pyramidal roof, just visible in the middle is the porte-cochère and the elaborate French-style steeply pitched roofs with tourelles of the main building
Eaton Hall, Garden front c.1880, demolished apart from the chapel and stable court, the main rooms with bedrooms above on the left, in the centre is the servants wing with chapel rising above, on the right the private wing, the surviving stable court is out of view behind and to the right of the private wing
The Gothic Chapel, Eaton Hall, plain solid buttressed walls, with its steeply pitched roof of plain slates, the window tracery is simple in design, this contrasts with the elaborately decorated termination to the tower, the clock face and the stage above it have stripes of red stone running in bands around them
Entrance front, National Liberal Club, London (1884-87) note the doorway with its Italian renaissance design, the thin tower just visible on the left contains the secondary staircase
The National liberal Club, the tower houses the secondary staircase, to the left is the terrace with the billiard room beneath, to the right the lowest row of windows lights the original Smoking Room, above is the former Writing Room (now the Smoking Room), the next level is the Gladstone Library, these are double height spaces, the upper four floors are bedrooms
Holborn Bars, High Holborn, London (1897–1901), Waterhouse's largest and most expensive commercial building, Gothic, using the standard design grey granite lower walls, red brick with red terracotta decoration
Prudential Assurance, Newcastle (1891-97) grey granite base with brick and stone walls
Prudential Assurance, Nottingham (1893–98) grey granite base, red brick and terracotta walls, the decoration is more elaborate than normal
Prudential Assurance, Edinburgh (1895–99) this is the design he used only in Scotland, grey granite base with sandstone walls
The Saloon, Heythrop Hall, Oxfordshire (1871–77) Waterhouse's rare foray into Baroque architecture. A style to match that of the original house
St Ann's Church, St Ann's Square, Manchester, restored (1887-91) with woodwork in a style contemporary with the church, and new stained glass in the end windows, the glass below the galleries, is too intense in colour to have met with Waterhouse's approval
Staple Inn after Waterhouse's restoration, with reconstructed windows, his Staple Inn Buildings is on the right
Alfred Waterhouse 1886 by Arthur Stockdale Cope
Foxhill House, Reading (1867-68) designed by Waterhouse as his family's country home until 1877 when they moved to Yattendon Court
The memorial to Waterhouse in the church of St Peter and St Paul, Yattendon, Berkshire.
Cross section through Manchester Town Hall for 1866 entry in the competition, note the use of colour coding, much faded with age
Working drawing for a Gothic oriel window on Manchester Town Hall c.1868, located on the first floor on the corner of Princess Street and Albert Square, it lights the Banqueting Room, judging by the damage this was almost certainly used on the building site
Cross section of the tower of the Victoria Building University of Liverpool c.1887
Watercolour of the design for Blackmoor Parish Church 1870
The design for the Clock Tower at Rochdale Town Hall c.1885
Aerial view of the design for Liverpool Royal Infirmary c.1886, the administration building is top left, the three blocks of medical wards on the right, visible are the two round structures containing the surgical wards, all are linked by the spine corridor
Watercolour Perspective of Girton College, painted by Waterhouse in 1887, at this date the buildings on the right with the gate-tower were under construction
Wrought iron gates, Manchester Town Hall, located on Lloyd Street, they lead to the courtyard to the south of the Great Hall
Stone sculptures of John Bradford on the left and Charles Worsley executed by Farmer & Brindley, on the main facade of Manchester Town Hall
Terracotta sculpture of a hen harrier on a gate pier, Natural History Museum (1870)
Terracotta sculptures of a Sabre-toothed tiger and lizards, below the second-floor windows of the east wing, Natural History Museum
The series of arches above the main entrance, Natural History Museum, note the use of buff and blue-grey terracotta and sculptures, the main sculptures are: a jaguar; a kangaroo; a lioness being constricted by a snake; an American brown bear; a hyena.
Terracotta coat of arms of the City of Liverpool, Victoria Building, University of Liverpool, located on the second floor above the main entrance
Terracotta sculpture and decoration above main entrance, with a statue of Prudence in the centre, Prudential Assurance Building, Nottingham
Corner gable of terracotta with granite column, Prudential Assurance Building, Bradford
The Main Hall, The Natural History Museum, note the cast-iron roof trusses, with the ceiling panels painted with plants from across the World, the skylights are the main source of light and the imperial staircase rises to the first floor on the end wall, the hall has aisles and on the floor above galleries, as in the nave of a Romanesque cathedral
The painted ceiling, North Hall, Natural History Museum c.1881, designed by Waterhouse, painted by Charles James Lea of the firm of Best & Lea, depicting native British plants, subdued colour palette with subtle gilded highlights is used, note the unobtrusive cast-iron roof trusses, very different from his wooden roofs
Terracotta monkey, one of several in the Main Hall, Natural History Museum
Windows behind the main staircase, The Natural History Museum, Romanesque round windows, note the colonettes with their carved capitals and elaborately decorated shafts, also typical Waterhouse window glass in geometric patterns and shades of pink and blue
The first floor gallery in the east wing at the front of The Natural History Museum, with a typical Waterhouse white ceiling with geometrical patterning contrasting with the terracotta walls and columns, each column has a core of iron, supporting concrete vaults hidden by the ceiling, part of the fireproofing of the building
Detail of one of the faience clad classical Corinthian columns in the current Smoking Room formerly the Writing Room, National Liberal Club, note the darker colour of the capital almost brown compared with the yellow of the shaft, also visible is the plasterwork cornice
Fireplace in the current Smoking Room, National Liberal Club, note wooden mantle enclosing marble fire-surround, with dark tiles within the fireplace
Classical style faience oven surround and tall dado, in the former Grill Room (now called the David Lloyd George Room), National Liberal Club, showing Waterhouse's use of colour in the faience and the simple design of the metalwork on the oven and grill
The classical style bar in the dining room, National Liberal Club, London (1884–87), an example of Waterhouse's furnishings, made of solid mahogany, note the geometrical patterns of the ribs in the plasterwork ceiling and the pendant light fittings
The former Reading Room, The National Liberal Club, this is on the first floor and served the Gladstone Library accessible through the end door on the left, the door on the right leads to the secondary staircase that links all floors in the building, note the vents in the ceiling for the mechanical ventilation system, the walls as well as the columns are clad in faience, the light fittings are not the originals
The Saloon, Eaton hall (c.1883 destroyed c.1962), note the Henry Stacy Marks murals of the Pilgrims from The Canterbury Tales, the elaborately carved marble fireplace, columns and arches, the rows of columns and arches delineate the corridor passing through the building, beyond which is the Entrance Hall with its elaborate mosaic floor.
The east window, Eaton Hall Chapel, designed by Frederic Shields (the altar unusually is at the west end), this shows the stained-glass of light colours that allow plenty of light through that Waterhouse liked, also his use of geometrical window tracery. The main figures depicted are John the Baptist, Saint Peter, James the Great and John the Apostle
Painted coat of arms of Manchester on the vestibule lierne vault beneath the main tower, Manchester Town Hall, the work of Robert Pollitt
Gothic style ironwork, on the lower flight of the Main Staircase, Manchester Town Hall, with typical Waterhouse glass in the background
The principal staircase, Manchester Town Hall, with a spiral staircase projecting into it and typical Waterhouse glass and a painted ceiling of a blue sky with golden stars and suns on the vault. The staircase has stone steps and balustrade, the columns on the left allow natural light to flood into the corridor off which the major rooms of the building open, this is one of the most spatial complex designs of Waterhouse's career
The landing outside the Great Hall, Manchester Town Hall, showing the mosaic floor, and skylights providing light not just for the landing but to the adjacent corridor, the column shafts are of grey or red granite, the arches are of stone, the dado has a pattern formed of plain ceramic tiles, the upper walls are clad in buff coloured terracotta, interspersed with thin bands of blue terracotta, the doors on the right lead into the Great Hall
Mosaic bee, on the floor of landing outside Great Hall, Manchester Town Hall, symbolic of Manchester's industriousness
The Great Hall, Manchester Town Hall, is 50 feet wide and about 100 feet long, with Waterhouse's wooden roof with painted coats of arms, gasoliers and its lower walls decorated with Ford Madox Brown's The Manchester Murals
Painting of coat of arms of Manchester, on the roof of the Great Hall, Manchester Town Hall, the other coats of arms on the roof represented cities and countries Manchester traded with
Gothic style Banqueting Room, Manchester Town Hall, showing a typical later style Waterhouse ceiling, note the fireplaces with stone fire-surrounds with tiled interiors and solid wooden over-mantles, on the left is an upper gallery with wrought-iron balustrade, for musicians to play on, the pendant light fittings are the original gasoliers converted to electricity.
The original Council Chamber, Manchester Town Hall, the painted frieze around the top of walls has tendrils of cotton plants and contains shields with the coat of arms of the surrounding cotton-weaving towns. Note the gallery on the right with wrought-iron balustrade was for members of the public, the recess beneath housed the press, and the stone hooded fireplace, the Mayor's chair used to stand beneath the wooden canopy on the end wall, this was accessible from the Mayor's suite located on the other side of the wall, the wooden gallery above the screen was for the recording clerks
Gothic first floor corridor, Manchester Town Hall, (the corridors higher in the building are much plainer) showing use of ceramic wall tiles of different colours making a geometrical pattern, the upper walls are plain buff terracotta with horizontal lines of blue tiles running through (this was before faience became available), the floor is terrazzo with patterned mosaic borders, the vault painted with geometrical multi-coloured designs, also note the two decorative cast-iron grilles running along the floor, these cover the heating pipes
Spine corridor, Liverpool Royal Infirmary (1886–92), strictly utilitarian in style, showing the lack of mouldings and hygienic use of easily cleaned continuous terrazzo floors (normally Waterhouse created borders of mosaic for his terrazzo floors, but the grout would harbour dirt) and white and grey glazed brick walls forming simple patterns, the light colours also shows any dirt
Faience column in the Chapel, Liverpool Royal infirmary, note the use of different shades of green to denote capital and base, also to subtly denote the plain and decorative tiles on the shaft
Tiling with plain and Encaustic tiles arranged in geometric patterns, surrounded by parquet floor, the Chapel, Liverpool Royal infirmary
Main Hall, Victoria Building, University of Liverpool (1888), Gothic in style, with multicoloured faience covered walls, fireplace and balustrades, terrazzo floor with mosaic borders, this has some of the most ambitious schemes of coloured internal decoration of any of his buildings
First-floor corridor, with faience tiled walls and terrazzo floor with mosaic border contrasted with the simple white plaster-work ceiling, Victoria Building, University of Liverpool
Simple wrought iron balustrade, and typical Waterhouse window glass, staircase, Girton College
Prudential Assurance, Holborn Bars, Gothic style Woodwork and glazing using simple patterns and grey coloured and plain glass, with dark orange faience surround, in main entrance (c.1901)
Faience tiling on the Directors' Staircase, Holborn Bars, showing a combination of pale colours and embossed designs, even the ceiling is of faience tiles, just visible bottom left, is the mosaic floor on the landing
Interior, Hall, Balliol College, Oxford (1883) as with his hall at Girton College, the interior relies on the raw building materials there is no attempt to use tile work or other elaborate decoration save simple wood panelling and natural stonework, note the typically solid wooden braces in the roof resting on corbels that have coats of arms on them, there is also simple armorial stained glass in the end window.
Stables, Eaton Hall, is directly north of the Chapel, in red brick, showing French late Gothic influence and the use of Tudor style half-timbering in the upper storey in the flanking ranges
Parrot House, in the grounds of Eaton Hall, a very rare example of Waterhouse designing a neo-classical building, also the use of bright yellow terracotta is atypical