fbpx

Women in Architecture: Elizabeth Wilbraham

As part of our ongoing “Women in Architecture” series, we’re spotlighting a trailblazing yet often forgotten leader in architecture, Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham. While it was nearly impossible for women to professionally pursue architecture throughout their life in the 17th century, Wilbraham is often considered the first woman architect in the United Kingdom’s history. Learn more about her storied life and career below: 

The Life of Elizabeth Wilbraham

Elizabeth Wilbraham was born into a wealthy family in Staffordshire, England, on February 14, 1632. At 19, she married Thomas Wilbraham, heir to the Baronetcy of Wilbraham. Following their marriage, the couple traveled across Europe for their honeymoon, and because of her interest in architecture, she took it upon herself to make the trip an extended architecture tour. 

On their trip, the couple conversed with several significant architectural leaders of the time. She met Pieter Post, a Dutch Golden Age Architect in the Netherlands, studied Andrea Palladea’s work in Italy and fell in love with the Stadtresidenz in Germany before returning to the United Kingdom, where her mostly unseen career began. 

Notable Works and Achievements

While there is a lack of evidence that clearly links Wilbraham’s involvement as a formal architect at the time, it is clear that she held a great interest in architecture and was a considerable patron of architecture throughout the 17th century. However, historians continue to argue that she managed to practice architecture secretly and was likely involved in the design of more than a dozen grand homes for her extended family, including Weston Park, Staffordshire and a chapel at Woodley, Chesire.

John Millar, an American historian, claims that Wilbraham could have contributed designs to more than 400 buildings across the United Kingdom during her lifetime, using male assistant architects to supervise and take credit for the projects due to her social position. 

Wilbraham is also credited for not only tutoring Christopher Wren, one of England’s most highly acclaimed architects but contributing designs for 18 of the 52 churches he commissioned following the Great Fire of London in 1666, most of which share unique design features Wilbraham included in countless other builds. 

In a time when women couldn’t find themselves in any professional setting, Elizabeth Wilbraham did what no others did at the time and pursued her passion through a professional lens. And even though she completed much of her work behind closed doors and credit was given elsewhere, her legacy as a major patroness of architecture, and possibly even the first women architect in the United Kingdom, remains. 

Women in Architecture: Mary Jane Long

As part of our ongoing “Women in Architecture” series, we’re spotlighting a designer who left a powerful presence on the architecture of 20th century England, Mary Jane Long. From juggling the construction of a library for three decades to teaching at Yale, Long was always engrossed in her work. Learn more about her impressive life and accomplishments below: 

The Life of MJ Long

MJ Long was born on July 31, 1939, in Summit, New Jersey. Long graduated as the valedictorian of her high school class in 1956 and excitedly moved to Montreal, where she began her undergraduate studies in journalism at Smith College. Shortly after though, she discovered her love for architecture and enrolled in Yale’s four-year architecture program. 

During her time at Yale, Long was surrounded by some of the 20th century’s most celebrated architects, including James Stirling, Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, her professor Paul Rudolph and her future husband, Colin St John Wilson. After meeting at Yale, Wilson and Long moved to London together, where she began working in his office as an architect in 1965 and later married. 

The British Library, designed by Long and Wilson, 1973

Notable Works and Achievements

Much of Long’s work was created in tandem with her husband at his architecture firm. One of their first projects was Spring House in Cambridge, which was completed in 1965 and featured a mixture of traditional US, UK and Scandinavian architectural elements. Unique characteristics of the home include a roof clad in concrete Roman tiles, reclaimed brick and specific lighting conditions for several rooms.

Long’s next major project took nearly 30 years from start to finish to complete, but it immediately became a beloved masterpiece across the United Kingdom. Originally part of the British Museum, the British Library officially found its own home in 1973 with the help of Long and Wilson. Home to nearly 14 million books, the library is one of the largest in the world. Along with designing the library itself, Long was responsible for designing the King’s Library – the glass-enclosed sculptural centerpiece of the building. 

The National Maritime Museum, designed by Long and Wilson, 2003

Other notable builds designed by Long include the Pallant House, an extension of an elegant Georgian build, and the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, England, a grand timber shed paired with a concrete lighthouse completed in 2003. 

Until her passing in 2018, Long brought her unique design perspective with her wherever she went, always building with utmost attention to detail. Her distinguished career solidified her as one of England’s most acclaimed architects whose designs still influence the daily lives of many today.

person name goes here

Maintenance Supervisor

Glencoe, IL





    Acceptable file types: *.pdf | *.txt | *.doc, max-size: 2Mb