George Thomas "Metz" Robinson

• Born                      1829 at Isleworth, Middlesex
• Married                8 April 1856 to Frances Sparrow (1831-1916) at All Saints Trysull Staffordshire
• Died                     6 May 1897 at 23 Earl’s Terrace, Kensington, aged 68.
• Burial                     Kensington Cemetery, Hanwell

George Thomas Robinson was the son of Richard Robinson, builder/architect of Wolverhampton and was a pupil of John R. Hamilton and James Medland of Gloucester. He commenced practice as an architect in 1848, and was extensively engaged in public works, amongst them being the market-halls of Bolton, Wolverhampton, Tunstall, and Monte Video, the town hall of Burslem, the Exchange at Wolverhampton and many other municipal buildings. He was also in his earlier years of practice largely engaged in the erection of new and the restoration of old churches in the Midlands, including the church of St. Luke, Upper Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, a riot of polychrome brickwork. He was elected Fellow of the RIBA in 1860 but resigned in 1871, being subsequently elected contributing visitor. Fellow of Society of Arts. Exhibited eight designs at the Royal Academy 1850-78. In 1867 he entered into partnership with his former fellow pupil, H. J. Paull at St. Peter's-square, Manchester.

At the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war the editor of the Manchester Guardian appointed and dispatched his own staff as war correspondents. These included G T Robinson, previously the Guardian’s art critic.  The staff appeared to have little choice in the matter and G T Robinson, war correspondent, thus found himself the only British journalist to remain in Metz during the entire siege. He pioneered the use of balloons known as papillons de Metz (Metz butterflies) to send messages beyond the city and across the Prussian lines, addressed to Guardian business manager. On his return to England he wrote “The Fall of Metz.” being an account of the seventy-day siege and the battles which preceded it.

As a result of his experiences, he seemingly lost interest in, and gradually withdrew from, the ordinary routine of architectural practice.  His partnership with H J Paull formally ended in October 1872 after which he moved to London to devote himself entirely to interior design. An early follower of Ruskin, he had sought to raise the standard of design in industrial art and interested himself in producing designs for paper-hangings, textile fabrics, metal-work, furniture, and ceramics. Subsequently he edited “Art,” magazine. In London he was for a time the manager to Burke and Company, marble workers, before entered the service of Trollope and Sons, builders, as head decorative designer or advisor devoting himself, from that time, entirely to designing and carrying out various branches of decorative art. Included among his larger works were those for Earl Brownlow at Belton, his seat, near Grantham. In later years, he executed much of the internal decoration of the principal Atlantic liners, including the “City of York” and the “City of Paris” for the Inman and International Line, and the “Majestic” and “Teutonic” for the Star Line, the four largest ships afloat at the time.

G T Robinson married Frances Sparrow (1831-1916) on 8 April 1856 at All Saints Trysull Staffordshire,Their eldest daughter, (Agnes) Mary Frances married (I) Professor James Darmastatler of Paris and (II) Duclaux. His younger daughter, Frances Mabel never married. (See Dictionary of National Biography for details of their careers). By 1880 the family were living in Kensington and were part of a wide circle of writers and artists. They were They were acquainted with Robert Browning, were familiar with Walter Pater and his sisters, and were great friends with William Rossetti. Other celebrities who frequented the Robinsons' house, including John Sargent, Robert Browning, William Morris, and Oscar Wilde.

After an illness of only three days, G T Robinson died at his residence in Earl’s Terrace, Kensington, on 6 May 1897, aged 68 and was buried at Kensington Cemetery, Hanwell.

Address
1850-4         Wolverhampton
1856            G T Robinson 23 Upper Parade, Leamington
1868-72       1 St Peter’s Square Manchester, in partnership with H.J. Paull
1871            Paull & Robinson FRIBA 1, St Peter's Square (Slater’s Directory)
1876-8         84 Gower Street London

Residence
1858        Milverton Crescent, Milverton, near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
1871        George T Robinson FRIBA  5 Fern Bank, Park Road, Eccles (Slater)
1891        Earl’s Terrace, Kensington
1897        Earl’s Terrace, Kensington

Reference
Death notice    The Times 10 May 1897 Page 1- Deaths
Death notice    London Daily News 11 May 1897
Obituary          Manchester City News 15 May 1897 Page 5
Obituary          Manchester Guardian 15 May 1897 page 10
Obituary          Art Journal July 1897 Page 222
Obituary          Illustrated London News 15 May 1897
Obituary          Building News 14 May 1897 page 699
Reference        Building News V 58 25 April 1890 Page 604 with portrait
Reference        Boase: Modern English Biography Volume 6 page 487