I am delighted to be able to publish here a detailed essay about Charles Atkinson, an early collaborator – but not a relative – of Thomas Atkinson. Like Thomas he was an architect and artist and the two men were in partnership in London during the late 1820s. It was at that time that they published Gothic Ornaments Selected from the Different Cathedrals and Churches of England, about which I have written in the past.

To date, little has been written about Charles, but Sally Hayles, the author of this essay, has researched her subject extensively and follows his trail from London surveyor and architect, via shipwreck off the coast of Brazil, to what was then known as Van Diemen’s Land, but is today called Tasmania. There he had mixed fortunes, but is today remembered for a series of well-executed and early lithographs showing views of this remote penal colony. He also worked on one of the wonders of Tasmania, namely the Ross Bridge, with its wonderful stone carvings.

Sadly, Charles Atkinson died aged only 32 following a tragic accident involving a carriage – but rather than hear the story from me, read it here: Charles Atkinson-SH-April2017.