Captain Francis Fowke (1823-1865)
Francis Fowke was born in 1823 in Ballysillan, Belfast. He was a British architect and engineer, and a captain of the Royal Engineers.
He was educated at Dungannon, County Tyrone, and the Royal Military College, Woolwich.
He obtained a commission in the Royal Engineers, and served with distinction in Bermuda and Paris. On his return to England, he was appointed architect and engineer in charge of the construction of several government buildings.
Before he died, he won the competition for the design of the Natural History Museum, although he did not live to see it finished.
His designs for the museum were altered and realised later by Alfred Waterhouse. He died in 1865 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.
Important works by Captain Francis Fowke
- Prince Consort's Library in Aldershot,
- Royal Albert Hall
- Parts of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London,
- Royal Museum in Edinburgh, and the
- National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
- Natural History Museum, London