James William Wild

James William Wild (9 March 1814 – 7 November 1892) was a British architect. Initially working in the Gothic style, he later employed round-arched forms. He spent several years in Egypt. He acted as decorative architect to the Great Exhibition of 1851, and designed the Grimsby Dock Tower, completed in 1852. After a considerable break in his career he worked on designs for the South Kensington Museum, and designed the British embassy in Tehran. He was curator of the Sir John Soane's Museum from 1878 until his death in 1892.

Early life and career Wild was born in Lincoln, the son of the watercolourist Charles Wild.

Wild was articled to the architect George Basevi from 1830. After his apprenticeship, he concentrated on Gothic design, and was entrusted with the design of a country church. He was subsequently engaged on many other church projects, and six churches had been built to his design before 1840.

Christ Church, Streatham

Commissioned to build a new church at Streatham on a limited budget The church was built of brick, with, unusually for the date, some brick polychrome decoration, although sparingly used. A contemporary reviewer wrote that "it has been called Moorish, Byzantine, Arabian, &c, but we incline to think that it may more justly claim the title of 'Italian' than that Palladian modification which has so long monopolized that title in England." Another influence was probably the Basilica of San Zeno, Verona. Wild showed the design for Christ Church at the Royal Academy in 1840, along with another for a church at Paddington (which was never built), in a Lombardic style, with western tower and a central cupola.

In July 1841 Wild built a temporary pavilion seating 2,850 at Liverpool for the "Grand Dinner of the Royal Agricultural Society".

Egypt In 1842 he went to Egypt to work as an architectural draughtsman for the Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius, having obtained the job through Joseph Bonomi. He left Lepsius' employment in 1844, but remained in Cairo for several years, making drawings of Islamic architecture, in which he paid particular attention to details of domestic buildings. Owen Jones later used Wild's drawings as the sole source for the chapter on Arabian design in his Grammar of Ornament, and nine of Wild's sketchbooks from this period are now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Return to Britain

Wild returned to Britain in 1848, having travelled via Constantinople, Italy and Spain. modelling it after the tower of the Palazzo Publico in Siena. The works at South Kensington employed a hybrid round-arched style, often referred to by the German term rundbogenstil. His supervising assistant in Tehran was Caspar Purdon Clarke, one of the South Kensington architectural staff, who also, in 1872, went to Alexandria to oversee the mural decorations at Wild's church there.

Works All Saints, Botley, Eastleigh, Hampshire. (1836). Demolished and replaced 1890. St. John, Moulsham, Chelmsford, Essex (plans approved between 1835 and 1838 ) Holy Trinity, Blackheath Hill, Greenwich (1839; a design was exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1838; demolished). Holy Trinity, Coates, Cambridgeshire (1839). St Lawrence, Southampton (1839–42; design exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1839 demolished 1923). St Paul, Stapler's Road, Barton, Newport, Isle of Wight (first stone laid 1840). Christ Church, Streatham (1841). Temporary pavilion at Liverpool for the Royal Agricultural Society (1841). St Mark's Anglican church, Alexandria, Egypt (1845–54). St Martin in the Fields Northern District Schools, Long Acre, London (1849–50; demolished). Grimsby Dock Tower (1851–2). Various works at South Kensington, including the Cast Court, and East and West Galleries of the South Kensington Museum and the interior planning and structure of the Science Schools (later the Henry Cole Wing of the Victoria and Albert Museum), including the north staircase. Bethnal Green Museum (now the Museum of Childhood). British Legation, Tehran (1876). Arab Studio, at his own house, 18 Aberdeen Place, Maida Hill.

The church of St Mary and St Cuthbert at Barton, Yorkshire, sometimes attributed to Wild, is by Joseph Bonomi.