Knightsbridge Living
George Basevi (1794 - 1845)
Basevi was born in London in 1794. His mother’s name is not known but his father’s name was also George Basevi. The father’s sister, Maria, married Isaac D’Israeli. Their son was, Benjamin Disraeli, the future Prime Minister, who therefore was George Basevi junior’s cousin.
George Basevi went to school at Greenwich. He decided to become an architect and in 1811 became a pupil of Sir John Soane. In 1816 he toured Italy and Greece studying classical and modern architectural styles and did not return to England for three years.
On his return Basevi set up in practice on his own account. In 1820 he was involved in the construction of Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire for David Ricardo. In 1821 he was appointed the surveyor to the Guardian Assurance Company. He was also engaged in the construction of two churches he had designed, St Thomas’s at Stockport and St Mary’s at Greenwich.
In 1828 John Alexander, the owner of land in South Kensington which later became the Thurloe Estate, commissioned Basevi to act as architect for the new houses he planned for the estate. Since Alexander’s estate adjoined the Henry Smith’s Charity’s estate his work there probably brought him to he attention of the trustees. When William Clutton retired as surveyor of the estate, the Smith’s Charity’s trustees appointed Basevi.
Basevi was responsible for the style of the buildings on the estate and to a large extent of buildings in the whole area. He designed the facades and elevations of the houses in Eerton Crescent, Pelham Crescent and (probably) Pelham Place. He also designed the church of St Saviour's in Walton Street in the Victorian Gothic style. Even after his untimely death in 1845, his influence affected subsequent building on the estate. Charles Freake who was responsible for much of the later building on the estate, kept largely to Basevi's fundamental designs.
Apart from his work on Henry Smith’s Charity’s estate and Alexander’s estate, from 1825 and 1840 Basevi designed and supervised the building of Belgrave Square.
Basevi’s most important public work is the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge, which he began in 1837. After his death, the work was taken over by R C Cockerell and it was completed in 1874 by E M Barry. While working on the Fitzwilliam Museum, Basevi also supervised the building of a prison at Wisbech and enlargements to Ely’s jail.
Basevi worked with Sydney Smith to build the Conservative Clubhouse which was finished in 1845. They were then commissioned to rebuild the Carlton Club premises, but Basevi died before work began.
Basevi was inspecting the western bell tower of Ely Cathedral when he fell and was killed on 16th October 1845. He was buried in Bishop Alcock’s Chapel at the east end of the cathedral.
