Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects. While he is best known as the architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral (consecrated for use in 1697), he was also an accomplished scientist working in the fields of astronomy, physics, engineering and anatomy. He was also a founder of the Royal Society and served as its president from 1680 to 1682. Wren’s interest in architecture was borne out of his love for physics and engineering and drew upon expertise realised in the sciences early in his career. In 1657, at the age of 25, Wren was appointed Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College, London. During his tenure there, Wren was part of a group of scientists who met regularly to discuss their work. This group formed the core of what would become the Royal Society and included Edmund Halley, Sir Isaac Newton and Robert Hooke. In 1661, Wren was appointed Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, and in 1669 he was appointed Surveyor of Works to King Charles II. In addition to being the chief architect of St Paul’s Cathedral, responsible for its awe-inspiring dome, Wren oversaw the design of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich (built 1675–1676) for use by the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed.[1] This work, in particular, brought together his love of science and his love of architecture. Other examples of Wren’s many architectural achievements are the south front of Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, the Monument to the Great Fire of London, Marlborough House, and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (now demolished). After the Great Fire in 1666, Wren was commissioned to design 51 churches to replace those lost to the conflaguration. Wren’s classically influenced buildings appear to have had a profound influence on the architectural clock-case designs of prominent London clockmakers of the period, such as Ahasuerus Fromanteel. For instance, the purpose-built walnut case that houses Fromanteel’s Longcase Movement, made around 1663 (and coming soon to Clocktime), features a pediment, cornice and turned Corinthian columns with gilt capitals and bases. Historian Larry Fabian proposes, in his book Could it Have Been Wren?, that this case’s design in particular might be based on or heavily influenced by Wren’s building style. Christopher Wren died at the ripe old age of 90 on 25 February 1723 in St. James’, London, and was buried in St Paul’s Cathedral on 16 March 1723. End Note [1] Sobel 2011, 31–32. References Fabian, L. 1977. Could It Have Been Wren? London: The Antiquarian Horological Society. Sobel, D. 2011. Longitude: The true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time. London: Harper Perrenial. Further Reading Hart, V. 2020. Christopher Wren: In search of Eastern. Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art: Yale University Press. Jardine, L. 2003. On a Grander Scale: The outstanding life of Sir Christopher Wren. New York: Harper Collins. Royal Museums Greenwich. ‘Who was Sir Christopher Wren?’ https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/christopher-wren. Image Credits Sir Christopher Wren by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Barone, oil on canvas, 1711, NPG 113 © National Portrait Gallery, London, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0, https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06939/Sir-Christopher-Wren?LinkID=mp04934&role=sit&rNo=0 St. Mary-le-Bow Church, engraving, 1754, ID: A5505 © Museum of London Pembroke College Library Cambridge. Charles Latham (1847–1912) photographer. Book authors John Belcher and Mervyn E. Macartney, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
