This collection is available for use by appointment in the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For further information and to make an appointment, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.
The Francis W. B. Yorke papers consist of correspondence, photographs, writings, clippings, and some sketches. The majority of the correspondence in the collection is between Francis W. B. Yorke and his cousin Florence Bridgen dated from 1925 until 1956 (approx. 44 items). One letter in particular, dated 27 Jun 1952, goes into particular detail on the construction of ice houses and underscores Yorke's interest and authority on the topic. The collection also contains 3 letters to Florence Bridgen not from F.W.B. Yorke. The photographs in the collection are from circa 1924-1925 and include two snapshots of the Yorke family and one portrait of a woman (possibly F.W.B. Yorkle's wife Mary or his cousin Florence Bridgen). Writings of Yorke's represented in this collection include the 1956 article "Some Midland Ice-Houses" a published letter from Yorke following a visit to Warsaw in connection with the I.U.A. Working Committee on Housing, an order form for Yorke's seminal 1949 work "The Planning and Equipment of Public Houses" and other miscellaneous clippings. There are also miscellaneous literary articles, typescripts, and poems probably written by F. W. B. Yorke, however, authorship is difficult to confirm. The collection also includes obituaries for Yorke and various clippings and articles on Yorke's architectural projects such as the Ilmington Sports Pavilion, The Shrieves House, and the Sir Thomas Herbert's House. The collection also includes 28 travel sketches and early student works, however, it is unclear if Yorke is the creator of these drawings. A letter written to Florence Bridgen from Yorke's daughter (?) indicates that the drawings are probably not by her father. However, it is also unclear if the letter is referring to all the sketches in the collection or just a small portion. Finally, the collection also includes greeting cards illustrated with reproduction of Yorke's drawings.
1922-1966
This collection is available for use by appointment in the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For further information and to make an appointment, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.
Source of acquisition--Florence Bridgen. Method of acquisition--Donated;; Date of acquisition--1970. Accession number--1970.004.
Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Francis Walter Bagnall Yorke (1879-1957) was an English architect and surveyor based primarily in Stratford-on-Avon, though he did have branch offices in Redditch and Henley-in-Arden at various times during his career. Yorke began his architectural practice in 1908 in Birmingham, England. After the dissolution of his longtime partnership with H. M. Barker, Yorke founded the firm Yorke, Harper & Harvey. The majority of Yorke's work was done in the English counties of Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Yorke built or restored many inns, farms, and country houses. Highlights of his career include the National Farmers' Union Headquarters Building and the restoration of Shottery Manor, both in Stratford-on-Avon. Yorke was also known for his book"The Planning and Equipment of Public Houses" published by The Architectural Press in 1949. Yorke died in 1957 in Henley-in-Arden, England.
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