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Gilbert R. Blount Collection

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Architectural Archives [Contact Us]220 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19094

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Architectural Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Gilbert Robert Blount (1819-1876) was an English Catholic architect active from the 1840s until 1870. He worked as a civil engineer under Brunel (1840-1842). As a clerk in the office of Anthony Salvin (1842-1846), he was responsible for drawings for Wells Cathedral and some Cambridge colleges. He established his own office about 1846, designing houses and churches for the Catholic community. About 1849 he was appointed as architect to Cardinal Wiseman, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster and England's first Roman cardinal since the Reformation. In Blount's mature period his designs and executed buildings include churches, monastic complexes, and related educational institutions for the monastic community.

The collection contains a range of Blount's designs for both executed and projected buildings. They include proposals for St. Edward's, Clifford, Yorkshire (ca. 1844-1845), a church and buildings at Crewe (1851-1852), Holy Trinity, Kidderminster (1856), St. Peter's, Bromsgrove (1858), and St. Helen's, Brentwood (1860-1861). The collection is also rich in Blount's drawings of liturgical furniture.

The following projects are not represented in this collection: St. Anne's, Spitalfields (1850) and the Dominican Priory, Carisbrooke, Hampshire (1865-1866).

In processing this collection and preparing the finding aid, the staff of the Architectural Archives have relied heavily on the M.A. thesis by Constance McPhee cited above. A full index to projects represented in this collection is found in Appendix A.

Arranged by project in chronological order.

Gift of G. Holmes Perkins, 1976.

The collection was processed and the finding aid prepared by William Whitaker, Emily Cooperman, Laura Stroffolino and Nancy Thorne. Work was substantially completed in 2000, with additions and corrections in 2003.

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Architectural Archives

Collection Inventory

061.1. St. Edward Church Church, School and Presbytery (Crewe) Our Lady of the Rosary Church and School St. Ambrose Church St. Peter Church Sacred Heart and St. Helen Church . 7 drawings.
Folder 061.1
Physical Description

7 drawingsSt. Edward Church

061.2. St. Mary Magdalene Church St. Peter Church, School and Presbytery Dominican Convent, Northern Residential Wing Ss. Anthony and George Church Our Lady and St. Catherine of Siena Church St. Mary Church The Holy Child Jesus and St. Joseph Church .
Folder 061.2
061.3. Unidentified drawings. 1 drawings.
Folder 061.3
Physical Description

1 drawingsUnidentified Chapel

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