William Wallen (architect)

William Wallen FSA (1807–1888) was an architect who practiced in London and Huddersfield, Yorkshire. He was also a campaigner for better architectural education and professional status.

William Wallen, the son of John Wallen (1785-1865) and Maria Adams (1780-1825) was baptised at St. Marys, Stepney in 1807. William received architectural training from his father. In 1830, William married Frances Gill (1802-1895) and the following year, their son, William Sowerby Wallen, was baptised at Whitechapel, London. They lived with John Wallen’s extended family in various homes in and around Norton Folgate, London. In 1838, William moved his practice to Huddersfield, Yorkshire. Frances had been born in nearby Notton, therefore, family connections may have influenced this move. By 1851, William, Frances, their son, William Sowerby and niece, Julia Gill, were living at 61 New North Rd, Huddersfield.

During 1853, William ceased to practice and it was later assumed by most historians that he had died. Statements made by civic leaders at this point in time indicate that William was highly regarded in both Huddersfield and within architectural circles; therefore, it is probable that his fate was not openly discussed. In reality, William was admitted to the Bootham Lunatic Hospital in September 1853 and remained a patient there until his death in 1888, aged 81 years. The exact nature of William’s condition is not recorded; however, he apparently retained his research and communication skills. In 1871, taking part in Bootham’s regular ‘programme of entertainments’ he delivered a lecture to his fellow inmates entitled, An Analysis of the Franco-Prussian War.

Frances supported herself as a schoolteacher; she died, aged 93, in Leeds. William Sowerby Wallen (1831-1870), became a Surgeon, practicing in Rotherhithe and also serving as Vice Surgeon to the 23rd Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps. He died in Natal, South Africa.

William Wallen received comprehensive tutelage in the office of his father, John Wallen, who was an Architect and the Principal Surveyor in London in the 1830s. William probably completed his training in 1828; however, there is no evidence that he undertook any independent projects during the following ten years. By 1831, John Wallen, William Wallen and William Beatson had formed a partnership that remained intact until 1836, when the firm ‘Wallen, Son and Beatson’ provided a substantial estimate for repairs to the fire damaged Christ Church in Spitalfields. On 24 March 1836, by mutual consent, Beatson withdrew from the partnership. During the partnership, William appears to have gained some autonomy allowing him to also pursue his antiquarian and educational interests. In 1838, he appeared in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, becoming the town’s only qualified architect. William’s career flourished. His many projects included the building of six new churches:

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