William Atkins (architect)

William Atkins (c.1811–1887) was an Irish architect of the Victorian era. He was born in County Cork, and was reputedly apprenticed to architect (and his uncle by marriage) George Richard Pain.[1]

Works

Eglinton Lunatic Asylum (latterly known as Our Lady's Hospital and Atkins' Hall) was built to designs by William Atkins in the mid 19th century

In 1846 Atkins received one of the largest public commissions in Cork city, to build the Cork City and County Asylum. This commission, commonly and latterly known as Our Lady's Hospital, Cork, was received from the Board of Works. It was being angled for, at the time, by the more established Cork architect Thomas Deane who was then engaged in the building of Queen's College Cork.[2] Built in a revival Gothic style between 1846 and 1853, this is popularly held to have the longest corridor in all of Europe. The building was partly converted into an apartment development known as "Atkin's Hall".[3]

Atkins' other works include:

• Funerary Chapel (1845) at Mount Jerome Cemetery Dublin, the first Puginian Gothic church in Dublin.
• St Mary's Priory in Cork (1850), which is in a Ruskinian neo-Romanesque style.[4]
• Oak Park (1857–60), a private dwelling house near Tralee, County Kerry.[5]
• Muckross Estate (1857) additions of a porte-cochère, gatehouse and other works on the estate.[5][6]
• Father Mathew Statue (1864); base designed by Atkins, statue itself by John Henry Foley.[5][7]
• Holy Trinity Church (1867) in East Ferry, County Cork.[8]
• St. Michael and All Angels church (1881), in Corkbeg parish, Whitegate, County Cork.[5][9]

He also received the first prize for a design for a new town hall for Cork in 1851, although this was never built.[5]

See also

• List of public art in Cork city

References

1. "William Atkins - Biography". Dictionary of Irish Architects. Irish Architectural Archive. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
2. F. O'Dwyer (1997). The Architecture of Deane and Woodward. Dublin.
3. "Atkin's Hall, Cork". antaisce.org. An Taisce. Retrieved 5 April 2020. Designed by William Atkins [..] Only half of the existing building has been converted to apartments with the remainder left abandoned. Significant fire damage has occurred to the unfinished section in 2010
4. "St. Mary's Priory, Cork". irish-architecture.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008.
5. "William Atkins - Works". Dictionary of Irish Architects. Irish Architectural Archive. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
6. "1843 – Muckross House, Killarney, Co. Kerry". Architecture of Munster. Archiseek. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
7. "Fr Mathew Statue". corkpastandpresent.ie. Cork City Library. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
8. "Holy Trinity, East Ferry". cloyne.anglican.org. Cloyne Union. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
9. "New Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Corkbeg" (PDF). XXIII. Irish Builder. 1881: 142. Retrieved 5 April 2020. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)