The first of the Atkinson dynasty of architects was Peter Atkinson senior (1735-1805). Atkinson had been Principal Assistant to York's most important Georgian architect, John Carr (1723-1807), and his family line carried on this legacy. Atkinson took his son, another Peter (c.1776-1843) into partnership in 1801. Peter Atkinson junior then took his elder son, John Bownas Atkinson (1807-74), into partnership in 1831. Due to a "financial crisis" in 1832 (see Hall), this partnership only lasted until 1833, but then John Bownas went into partnership with his younger brother William (1811-86) in 1837. Although the architectural scene had changed now, and was no longer dominated by any one partnership (see Nuttgens 94), these two, as J. B. and W. Atkinson, were certainly among the most prolific architects in York during the Victorian period, "producing many accomplished Classical buildings and a few less-assured Gothic churches" (Pevsner and Neave 90). The partners were joined in 1877 by James Demaine (1842-1911), who carried the practice forward into the Edwardian period. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Works
- (Former) Trinity Chapel, Peckitt Street, York
- (Former) York County Hospital
- Heworth Croft
- Gray's Court
- (Former) York Union Workhouse
- (Former) Institute of Popular Science and Literature
- Nos. 35-41, Micklegate
- Nos. 2 and 4 Museum Street
- 6 Spurriergate, York
- Varvil's Warehouse, Queen's Staith, York
- Nos. 1 and 3 Nessgate, York
- Nos. 62 and 64, Low Petergate, York
- Dean Court Hotel, Duncombe Place, York
- St Paul, Holgate Road, York (exterior)
- St Paul, Holgate Road, York (interior)
- Former Girls' School, 3 Blossom Street, York
- St Paul's, Heslington, York
- Village School, Heslington, York
- Additions to the York Blue Coat School, Aldwark and Peaseholme Green, York
Church Restorations
Note: Only the first one in this list provides a link to more material.
- St Mary, Bishophill Junior, extensive restoration 1860
- Holy Redeemer, Boroughbridge Road — West Window restored (Pevsner and Neave 160)
- Holy Trinity, Micklegate — south aisle restored from 1850, the Victorian restoration as a whole deplored by Sir Gilbert Scott (Pevsner and Neave 162)
- St John the Evangelist, Micklegate — south wall restored 1866 (Pevsner and Neave 167)
- St Martin-cum-Gregory, Micklegate — early fifteenth-century west tower, faced in brick in 1677, largely rebuilt 1844-5 by the Atkinson brothers (Pevsner and Neave 169]
- St Martin-le-Grand, Coney Street — openwork battlements on south aisle restored 1853-4 but damaged in World War II (Pevsner and Neave 170)
- St Michael, Spurriergate — north wall rebuilt 1867-8 (Pevsner and Neave 173)
Bibliography
Hall, Ivan. "Atkinson, Peter (bap. 1780, d. 1843), architect." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 28 November 2020.
Nuttgens, Patrick. York: The Continuing City. York: Maxiprint, 1989.
Pevsner, Nikolaus, and David Neave. Yorkshire: York and the East Riding. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2002.
Last modified 15 May 2023