1838 - 1891 (Victorian Engineer Extraordinary) |
Wilson Phipson born on the 30th
August in 1838 the third son of six children of
father Samuel Ryland Phipson and mother Ellen Emma
Elizabeth Lambe, came from a well to do family who
lived in the Ladywood area of Birmingham. His father
due to the outcome of some bad investments was forced financially to move his
family to Belgium where the cost of living and
education was more affordable. On the families
return to this country circa.1859 Wilson at the age
of 22 started his own business looking for H&V
work, but more about that later.
Unlike other well known H&V engineers of the Victorian period, strangely, nothing was previously known about Wilson Phipson until an archive containing documents, papers and sketches was given to the CIBSE in the mid -1990’s. Who left them is still unknown. From the reading of these papers
emerged an eminent and innovative Engineer whose
contracts and achievements had been lost to time.
During his productive period from the 1860's until
his untimely early death in October 1891, he had
been involved with a large number of prestigious
building projects working with many distinguished
architects including Digby Wyatt, Gilbert Scott,
Verity, Pugin, Burges and many more. The list
of his projects is the evidence that speaks for
itself.
How this engineer who was so well
known during his adult life and directly involved
with such an impressive list of contracts could
just disappear from our pool of historical knowledge
is most disheartening. This poses the question, how
many other notable Victorian H&V engineers are
there, still unknown to us.
To date the Heritage Group has
been unable to find any likeness of Wilson Phipson.
This is a great sadness, as not being able to see
the person, is not possible to fully appreciate his
achievements. All the details and facts we know
about him do not fully fit together without an image
of him to which we can relate. However, occasionally
the Heritage Group do come across small snippets of
information from his life like this book by Robert
Mackenzie which Phipson has signed across the front
cover.
An obituary written about his
father Samuel, who died in October 1887, states "his
manly features and tall slim figure".
From his photograph now added to this Phipson
webpage we now have an indication of the families
facial characteristics.
However not everything was lost.
Research by the Heritage Group at the British
Library brought to light a booklet titled "Wilson W
Phipson. M Inst C E. A Memoir".
This booklet was printed and published in 1892 by an
unnamed
author. However, from
the amount of historical family facts given in the
booklet, it does seem most likely to have been
written by a member of the Phipson family.
Wilson Phipson’s personal
accomplishments were many and diverse. During his
time on the continent he excelled musically at the
piano, and had a splendid tenor voice. His other
talents included composing and publishing several
pieces of music. The Phipson family were
musically very talented and often gave concerts. His
mother was an accomplished singer, his elder brother
Thomas was a virtuosa violinist who gave concert
performances in his own right.
He composed the Polka Mazurka in 1857 when only 19 years of age and dedicated the music to Princess Charlotte of Belgium who married in 1857 the Archduke Maximilian of Austria. It is most likely that the Polka was composed in celibration of her marriage. For a member of the Phipson family to be able to compose music for the Royal family of Belgium in whose country they were living indicates how very well connected they were within the Royal circle. Wilson's untimely death in
October 1891 at only 53 years of age seems to have simply closed the book
on his lifetime of achievements. That these
achievements have remained unknown for 100 years is
a sad loss to our industry. However, the Heritage
Group has corrected this omission, with the Chairman
Brian Roberts recently written book in 2006 titled “Wilson
Weatherley Phipson - Victorian Engineer
Extraordinary”. The book is a definitive
account of his life, which lists his many contracts
and catalogues all the documents contained in the
Phipson archive. The Heritage Group is also active
in increasing the profile of this long forgotton
H&V Engineer such that :-
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Wilson Phipson's application forms for membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers are copied below. It is noticeable that on his Associate form two of his proposers are, the well known engineer Joseph Bazalgette who designed and supervised the new sewerage system for London. Matthew Digby Wyatt was an eminent Architect from the Victorian era who was one of the panel of judges at The Great Exhibition of 1851.
SELECTIVE PICTURES OF MAJOR CONTRACTS
1868 The Royal Albert Hall, London
1872 The Natural History Museum, London
1872 The Hull Dock Company Offices
1875 Aquarium London
1879 Castell Coch Wales
1882 Royal Holloway College, Egham,
Surrey
1869 The University of Glasgow
1874 The second Alexandra Palace, London
1875 Todmorden Town Hall
1877 Mount Stuart House Scotland
1881 Cardiff Castle Wales
1890 Birmingham Town Hall
His contribution to the heating & ventilating of the Royal Albert Hall
is documented by the remarks written in the book printed in 1873
from the Corps of Royal Engineers titled
"ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ALBERT HALL"
as the page shown below from the book explains.
Six Selective Photos of his
Birmingham Contract Drawings
use this link to view them at a larger size
LIST OF KNOWN CONTRACTS
1862 Residence for Baron Rothschild
1864 Rothschild Bank, London
1864 Strand Music Hall, London
- The Institution of Civil Engineers
1865 Birmingham Exchange
- The University Medical Schools, Edinburgh
- The Law Courts, Birmingham
- The Town Hall, Birmingham
- The Guildhall, Gloucester
1865 Proposal for St Thomas's Hospital, Lambeth
1865 National Provincial Bank of England, London
1867 Marine Barracks, Woolwich
1868 Junior United Services Club. London
1869 The Birmingham & Midland Bank, Birmingham
1870 The University of Glasgow
1871 The Royal Albert Hall. London
1872 National Provincial Bank of England.Newcastle-upon-Tyne
1872 The Hull Dock Company's New Offices, Hull
1873 National Provincial Bank of England,Piccadilly, London
1874 The New Alexandra Palace. Muswell Hill. London
1874 The Criterion Restaurant, Piccadilly. London
1875 The Royal Aquarium. London
1875 Todmorden Town Hall. Yorkshire
1877 Merchant Taylors School. Charterhouse
1878 Design for the University of Leyden
1880 Natural History Museum. Kensington
1880 Mansion for the Marquis of Bute at Rothesay
1881 Cardiff Castle
1881 New Corn Exchange, Sheffield
1882 Exeter Asylum
1882 Royal Holloway College, Egham
1883 New Town Hall for Dover
1884 The Holloway Sanatorium, near Virginia Water
1886 Royal Infirmary, Liverpool
1887 The National Liberal Club
1887 The Jessop Hospital for Women, Sheffield
1888 New Sessions Court. Nottingham
1890 Empire Theatre, London
1890 Report on Central Station Heating & Power Supply, Boston, USA
1890 Prudential Assurance. High Holborn, London
1890 Proposals for Harrogate Baths
1890 Exeter Hall, London
1891 SKM Competition (South Kensington Museum)
1891 Baths at Halifax, Yorkshire
1891 Battersea Technical College, London
1891 Courts of Justice, Dublin
1891 National Hospital for Paraplegics
This colour denotes that original W W Phipson
contract drawings still exist in various archives.
Wilson Phipson
on his return to England c1859 from the
continent, at the age of 21, was keen to extol
the engineering importance of the new
heating and ventilating system he had been
associated with through
his work with Van Hecke. He presented papers
and made contact with the Admirality to set up a
trial on board a ship to show how this new
form of ventilation greatly improved the
living conditions for
the crew below decks and others on board.
The following
webpages give an insight into his efforts to
get this new ventilating arrangement accepted by
the authorities.
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The Van Hecke Connection |
Whilst his
family were living in Brussels, Wilson
Phipson was for a short time the friend and
pupil of Dr Van Hecke, a gentleman who had
discovered a new method for the heating and
ventilation of hospitals, which had already
given some very satisfactory results on the
grounds of economy as well as
efficiency. When Wilson's studies at
the French School of Engineering was
completed he assisted Van Hecke in Paris
where he ventilated and warmed the hospitals
Necker and Beaujon, and accompanied him to
Bordeaux and to Holland, where similar work
was done on several Government buildings.
During his time
in Belgium as a student-engineer he made the
acquaintance of Prince George of Prussia who
took a great interest in the new ventilation
scheme of Van Hecke - a real enthusiast who
exerted considerable influence in those
early days on the young Wilson's future
career.
When the
Phipson family returned to London England
c1859 Wilson tried introducing here the new
system of heating and ventilation.
However the amount of prejudice and
ignorance he had to overcome, both in the
Medical world and among the Architects was
quite astonishing. The art of ventilation
was entirely in its infancy, and complaints
about the impure atmospheres of the law
courts, theatres, hospitals and other public
buildings were of daily occurrence.
Wilson
published an important paper showing the
benefits of the new system which he read and
discussed before the Medical Officers of
Health who met at the Marylebone Court
House.
Edited extracts from the "A Memoir"
|
The important
paper prepared by Phipson outlining the
benefits of the System Van Hecke is given in
the article titled REMARKS ON VENTILATION -
COMBINATION OF VENTILATION & WARMING. The first two pages of the article which he presented to the METROPOLITAN ASSOCIATION OF THE MEDICAL OFFICERS OF HEALTH are shown below. |
METROPOLITAN
ASSOCIATION
OF THE
MEDICAL OFFICERS OF HEALTH At the meeting
of the above Association on the 16th November
1861
Mr W Weatherley Phipson C.E, read a paper entitled NOTICE ON DR VAN HECKE'S SYSTEM OF WARMING AND VENTILATION. The
Author comparing the Van Hecke system with
those already employed, arrives at the
conclusion enunciated by Dr Pettenkofer of
Berlin, and Drs Maximillien, Vernois and
Grassi of Paris, that Dr Van Hecke's
system is the only one which realises
efficient ventilation and uniform warming
combined with economy in the first
outlay and in annual maintenance. " The
system of Van Hecke" says Dr Pettenkofer,
in his recently published "Remarks on
Warming and Ventilation" has completely
upset all our ventilation
traditions." Mr Phipson shows that
this result has been attained by the
application of scientific principles and
mathematical calculations, by means of
which the supply of air and the heat are
completely under control. The author
explained the whole principles of the
system, illustrating it by plans of the
Chamber of Representatives at the Hague
(Holland), the Hospital Necker of Paris,
the Asile Imperiale of the Verinat, and
several
other
buildings warmed and ventilated on the Van
Hecke principle, bringing forward at the
same time abstracts from the French, Dutch
and Barvarian Governments relative to the
system in question. The system appears
extremely simple, the success of the
operation depending rather upon the manner
in which it is disposed than upon the
apparatus itself. The fresh air is
propelled along an air channel by means of
a perculiarly shaped fan (patented by Dr
Van Hecke) into an air chamber
containing a warming apparatus,
where it is warmed and moistened, and
whence it is distributed over the
building. An anemometer and
dynamometer, placed before the fan,
indicate at any moment the amount of air
supplied. The amount in hospitals is
2200 cubic feet per hour per patient
(minimum); but it is capable of being
doubled if required. This quantity
of air is supplied without the least
perceptible draft, and the thermometer
indicating 60 Fahr. in all parts of the
Wards. The air is cooled in summer
as it is warmed in winter. The
vitiated air escapes through flues
constructed for that purpose, each having
free access to the external air. The
Author in his description of the warming
apparatus, showed that the waste heat of
the smoke is completely utilized. The warm
and vapour baths are also supplied by
waste steam from the small engine working
the fan. To economise heat in
winter, the vitiated air escapes from that
part of the room at which the temperature
is lowest. The heating chambers vary
according to the requirements of the
building. Enclosed in each of these
is the warming apparatus, consisting of a
cast-iron cockle, from the summit of which
issue a series of sheet-iron smoke flues,
which circulating four times round the
cockle in the shape of a square conduit,
convey smoke to the chimney. To this is
added a special vessel for moistening the
air. An animated and interesting discussion ensued, in which Mr Chadwick, Dr Sanderson, Dr Thompson, Dr Lankester, Dr Greenhow and others took part. Mr Phipson was congratulated upon having called the attention of the members to a system so valuable, and one that had already been tested by some of the ablest men of the day. After an address from the President, the thanks of the meeting were unanimously voted to Mr Phipson for his very able and valuable paper. |
The
Times Newspaper article September 25th
1862 Wilson Weatherley
Phipson CE A
trial by order of the Lords of the
Admiralty is now being made on board
the St. Vincent training ship at
Portsmouth, of a plan introduced to
the notice of their Lordships by Mr
Phipson, CE. of London, for
ventilating the ‘tweendecks’ of Her
Majesty’s ships of war. The
apparatus consists of an airshaft or
cylinder, 4ft-3in. in diameter,
continued in lengths from the upper
deck to the lower decks. The first
length from the upper deck, being
made of sheet-iron, contains
the fan, at a level with the ceiling
of the upper deck, and the remainder
of the lengths between each deck are
of sail-cloth,
so as to
admit the whole being removed at any
time to work the guns for any other
reason. The fan is worked from the
main deck by a small two-horse power
vertical engine. The fan consists of
two blades, set at an angle of about
50 deg, regulated by a spring placed
on the spindle. Above the fan is
placed a dial to indicate at any
time the amount of air supplied to
the decks below. The amount supplied
by the apparatus on board the St
Vincent is 503,000 cubic feet per
hour. There is no perceptible
draught produced, the inlet of pure,
cold air below displacing and
driving out the hot, impure air
floating above. So far the
experiment on board the St Vincent
appears to have been perfectly
successful, but the St Vincent is
not a seagoing or even one of our
efficient warships, being merely a
harbour training ship, with a free
communication fore and after lower
deck, and without the machinery,
stokeholes and compartments below of
our iron ships. As we have said, so
far the
experiment
appears to have been perfectly
successful, but if only on account
of this very success, it
should be tried on board one of our
iron ships. If these vessels which
are divided into compartments below,
the engine rooms and stokeholes,
when the machinery is worked up to
full power, become intolerably hot.
As the Defence is now in dock at
Portsmouth, she offers a capital
opportunity for testing the
new apparatus.
|
The
Times Newspaper article September 30th
1862 Wilson Weatherley Phipson CEThe training ship in Portsmouth harbour, which has been fitted with the patent ventilating apparatus by Mr Phipson CE. referred to in The Times of Thursday last, has been visited during the week by a number of naval officers and gentlemen interested in the question of ventilation, the majority of whom, it is stated by the officers of the St Vincent have expressed great satisfaction with the results. So many plans have been tried during the past few years for ventilating large public buildings, and have turned out in so many cases to be miserable failures, that every fresh scheme is viewed with distrust. The plan now introduced by Mr Phipson to the Admiralty has, however, been working successfully for several years in some of the French hospitals. To inform himself fully on the subject, our Portsmouth correspondent went on board the St Vincent at 9.30 pm on Friday, and was accompanied over the ship by Commander Lowther and his officers. The ship is intended to have 600 boys on board under training, who would hang their hammocks for sleeping on the middle and lower decks. At present she has only 375 on board, but the whole of these, together with 40 seamen, were sleeping on the lower deck, which although not at all crowded, was therefore sufficiently full to test the efficiency of the proposed system. The lower deck has a capacity of 70,000 cubic feet. The night was unusually oppressive, and it was a dead calm, thus affording an excellent opportunity for testing the apparatus in the severest manner. Passing along the lower deck underneath the swing hammocks, the temperature was taken by a thermometer at various places. The maximum was found to be 72deg and the mean 68deg. At the mouth of the shaft which delivered the air from above, the current was felt with considerable force. A few yards from the shaft however, the flame of a naked candle was scarcely disturbed, and at the same time, clear forward, where there is no communication with the deck above, nor opening of any kind, the cool air could be perceptibly felt moving along underneath the line of hammocks, and this was further confirmed by the reading of the thermometers. In measuring the force of the current over the fan in the cowl on deck with one of Biram’s patent anemometer it was found that 507,000 feet of air were then being thrown down upon the ship’s lower deck per hour, the engines working at three fourths of their power. Mr Phipson
believes that this large volume of air
passes along in a continuous steady form,
without draught, along the entire deck
underneath the hammocks, and expels the foul
air above at once where there is a hatchway
of other outlet. Where there is no outlet,
as in the fore part of the St Vincent’s
lower deck, he thinks that the pure air
ascends and rolls back to the hatchway the
impure air floating over the faces of the
men. It is to be hoped that if the
system should be found to possess all the
merits claimed for it by the inventor other
ships may enjoy its advantages, and that
stokers, above all working in stagnant air
with the thermometer at 146deg as was the
case in the Resistance on Thursday last
during her trial trip, may be allowed to
share the benefits.
|
The
Times
newspaper article January 17th
1863 Wilson Weatherley Phipson CEThe Ergmont
storeship remains at Spithead for final
orders. Capt. Crauford has applied to the
Admiralty for Phipson’s ventilating
apparatus to be fitted on board prior to
the ship sailing for her destination. As
it could be fitted in about five days, and
has proved its merits in the most
satisfactory manner during a lengthened
trial on board the St Vincent training
ship at Portsmouth, there is every reason
for Captain Crauford’s request being
acceded to, especially as the Egmont will
be placed at stationary harbour moorings
in a part of the world where a supply of
pure air is one of the necessaries of
life. The cost of fitting the apparatus on
board the St Vincent did not exceed £200
|
An insight showing the high regard in which Wilson W Phipson was held, can be seen in the newspaper or magazine articles written about him and his contracts. Only two of which have so far been discovered.
Obituary in the Birmingham Daily Mail.
Tuesday 27th October 1891
There are many in Birmingham who will experience personal regret in learning of the painfully sudden death of Mr W W Phipson. Mr Phipson was an engineer of standing and had become conspicuously known in connection with the ventilation of public buildings. It is but comparatively recently that there has been applied to our public institutions a method of ventilating other than the primitive one of opening a window or a door. By the modern system of equally distributed injection and extraction we get a wholesome atmosphere without draughts. Mr Phipson who was a connection of the Phipsons of Birmingham was prominent in establishing an improved method of ventilation. He ventilated several of the theatres and public buildings of London and what is more immediately interesting to Birmingham people, he ventilated and heated the Victoria Law Courts and the Town Hall. Nothing could be better than the principle by which a cool and wholesome atmosphere is continuously preserved in the Assize Courts, no matter how packed they may be, and this without the slightest draught from injected air. Some strictures have been passed upon the ventilation of the Town Hall. These may have been deserved, so far as relates to the temporary control of them, but not to the construction. For last night when the hall was filled, the ventilation was admirable, which shows that when the apparatus is properly worked it is efficient and suitable for its purpose. By means of it two million cubic feet of air can be passed through the hall in an hour, and during the concert last night 1,800,000 cubic feet were forced through. Mr Phipson died of heart disease.
Article in "THE BUILDER"
31st October 1868 regarding
the Ventilation of the
Junior United Service Club London |
Alterations have been carried out during the recess for the improvement of the ventilation of the Junior United Service Club, by Mr Wilson W Phipson ICE. A fan worked by a small gas-engine now supplies the fresh air to the building; a new air supply erected near Waterloo-Place; and an entire rearrangement of the old air-pipes and main channels to the different rooms, constitute the most important features of the arrangement; besides which a more direct use of the existing extracting-shaft has been effected, so that it is hoped the coffee-room will especially derive great advantage from the adoption of this plan. We shall be glad to hear of the result. |
When Phipson died so suddenly in
1891 he must have left many contracts
unfinished with no one capable of providing
the necessary knowledge to carry these
outstanding works through to completion.
Phipson's executors for his Will were Walter
John New a Solicitor and William Pelly an
engineers assistant. Neither of these persons
had the knowledge or experience to complete
Phipson's unfinished contracts so its looks
most likely that Walter New took the
initiative to sell the business interests and
goodwill of Phipson, his contracts and his
contacts. So step forward the heating firm of
Ashwell & Nesbit of Leicester. In their
centenary book titled Ashwell & Nesbit
1879 to 1969 reference is made to the firm
taking over the goodwill of Phipson's work
after his death. They also took over his
London office in Adelphi Street, so it is
assumed that they could then administer the
completion of Phipson's contracts and expand
their business interests into London. |
It appears from the Local Newspaper the Leicester Chronicle that after the death of Wilson Phipson the trustees of his estate had sold the business to Ashwell & Nesbit and they employed a relative of Phipson namely his nephew Thornton Rutter. This is the child shown in the photo in the arms of his mother, Phipson's younger sister Emmeline. Problems ensued with Rutter's employment which resulted in him suing Ashwell & Nesbit. |
FAMILY TREE - DATES, PHOTOS
and INTERESTS
On the 28th May 1867 the marriage took place at St George's Chapel Stamford
(Rector the Reverend Henry Browning assisted by Reverend James Twining,
Rector of Little Casterton, Rutland) between Wilson Weatherley Phipson Esq.
Charlwood Villa Putney to Elizabeth Humberstone Newcombe, only daughter
of F P Newcombe Esq. Solicitor Long Clawson Leicestershire and niece of
Oct N Simpson Esq. JP. of Stamford.
On the 30th April 1868 Elizabeth wife of Wilson Weatherley Phipson at
Charlwood Villas Putney gave birth prematurely to a daughter stillborn.
On 14th December 1892 at Long Clawson, Elizabeth Humberstone Phipson
widow of Wilson Weatherley Phipson died aged 47 years.
The Phipson family gave Soirees whilst they lived at Long Clawson
One such soiree was on the Friday 16th September 1887 when the members of the Clawson Temperence Band, twelve in number, were kindly invited to the house of W W Phipson Esq. to partake of a good substantial supper, accompanied by non-intoxicating beverages, and a plentiful supply of cigars and tobacco.
At three o'clock, the band played into the yard but the weather unfortunately turning out wet they could not assemble on the lawn as was first intended but repaired to a building near at hand where at intervals a variety of pleasing music was performed in excellent style.
At six o'clock all the members and four other friends sat down to supper, the worthy host presiding. Ample justice having been done to the viands so liberally provided, a unanimous vote of thanks, with musical honours was accorded to Mr & Mrs Phipson for their valuable help and kindness on this and former occasions, which was suitably responded to by Mr Phipson.
The company included the following visitors Mrs J M Swain, Mrs Rainbow, Miss Guthrie, Miss Stokes, Miss Philips, Mr Wilson and Mr Watehorn. the evening was spent in the utmost harmony and good-fellowship until half past nine o'clock when the band having played the National Anthem, this very agreeable entertainment came to a close.
POSTSCRIPT. The Heritage Group has recently discovered that one of Wilson Phipson's siblings, his sister Emmeline Claridge (see photos below on this webpage) married Henry Rutter and they had children. This descendant line has continued right up to the present day. It is now the Heritage Group's fervant wish that family mementoes may come to light which could at last provide a portrait or likeness of Wilson.
The Belgian artist and family friend Victor Eeckhout painted a coloured sketch of Mrs Ellen Emma Phipson with four of her children, Thomas, William, Wilson and Emmeline all in fancy dress costume ready for a party they were to attend in Brussels in 1856, during the family's residence in Belgium.
Samuel Ryland Phipson
1803 - 1887
Thomas Lambe Phipson
1833 - 1908
Emmeline Claridge Rutter (nee Phipson)
1842 - 1921
Wilson Phipson spent the last month of his life travelling around the country superintending his recently completed works and also attending consultations.
The last and final resting place, of this long forgotten H&V engineer is now known, but a photograph or likeness of him still eludes us.
If anyone has any suggestions about possible sources or archives where a picture or likeness of Wilson might be found, the Heritage Group would like to hear from you.