William Beatson

William Beatson (1807–1870) was a London trained architect who immigrated to New Zealand. He adapted contemporary English building design to meet the rigors of the New Zealand environment.

William Beatson was born in Rotherhithe, Surrey in 1807, the son of David Beatson (1775–1859) and Harriet Beatson née Whalesby (1780–1830). The Beatson family were well known in London’s shipping industry. David Beatson arrived in London from Fife, Scotland in about 1790, to join his cousins who were shipbreakers at Rotherhithe. By 1820, David was shipbreaking at Surrey Canal Wharf, eventually passing the business on to his oldest son, John Beatson (1802–1858). In 1838, the Beatson family enjoyed a dinner party aboard the historic HMS Temeraire as she was towed up the Thames to Beatson’s breaking yard.

It has been suggested that William Beatson was educated at Eaton; however, he is not recorded at Eaton and it is more likely that he attended Kings College, London. William pursued a career in architecture under the tutorship of John Wallen and in 1830, he married John’s daughter, Maria Wallen, at Bishopgate, London. They lived at Park Road and also Edwin Place, Peckham, producing seven sons and two daughters. As a qualified architect, William practiced in London until 1851, when he and his family boarded the barque Midlothian at Gravesend and set sail for New Zealand.

The Beatsons arrived in Lyttleton on the 8th October 1851, resting briefly in Christchurch, before sailing to Nelson. William and Maria’s third daughter, Catherine Alice Beatson (1851–1925) was born soon after their arrival in Nelson. William moved to Stoke, initially attempting to farm, before returning to architecture in 1857. During the unsuccessful farming venture, William completed his first New Zealand building project, “Guthrie Grange”. This became his home and office from 1854 until 1866 when an increasing workload necessitated his move to an office in Nelson. He died at his home at Selwyn Place, Nelson on 13 January 1870. William’s sons, William Ford Beatson (1833–1904) and Charles Edward Beatson (1846–1927) followed their father into his profession and successive generations have all produced at least one architect.

During the late 1820s, William was articled to the prominent architect and surveyor, John Wallen and upon Wallen’s recommendation; he was admitted to the Royal Academy in 1832. His time at the academy would have given him a deeper appreciation of the Classical and Gothic architecture. During the early 1830s, John Wallen, William Wallen and William Beatson formed a partnership which lasted at least until 1836 when the firm ‘Wallen, Son and Beatson’ provided a substantial estimate for repairs to Christ Church in Spitalfields. During 1838, William Wallen was commencing his new practice in Yorkshire and this is probably about the time Beatson also left the partnership to begin his own practice at 3 Bartholomew Lane.

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