Part 4
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Part 4. You will hear part of a term project presentation about a British architect named
George Dodds in the 19th century. First you have some time to look at questions 31 to
40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
My project is on the 19th century British architect George Dodds who used to be famous
not just in the North East of the UK but throughout the country. At first I chose him for
my term project because in my early teens I had always admired Mitten Hall, a mansion
he built near my home. Later I wanted to learn more about the man responsible for it.
I thought I'd use the project as an excuse and managed to unearth a wealth of
information about architecture and fascinating life. I thought I'd start today by telling you
a little about Dodds himself before looking at a selection of his more substantial
buildings. He was the son of a landscape gardener and had a brief but successful career
in his father's business.
But the young Dodds started to resent what he saw as his father's old-fashioned
approach to landscape. Dodds began to spend a lot of time thinking about how he could
break with convention, creating buildings in a new relationship with their surroundings.
In 1810, Dodds, aged 23 at the time, decided to go to London to study art under the
eminent watercolourist Jack Vermoss.
His friends strongly encouraged him to stay and work in London as architects were
highly regarded there. But by 1811 he decided to move back to North East England
because he discovered that more clients would hire him for his fashionable ideas from
London. Having a large customer base, the City Council included, Dodds was able to set
up an architectural firm of his own.
Dodds distanced himself from other builder architects and gradually established himself
as one of the new breed of professional architects. And one of his signature designs was
the Royal Arcade, which was commissioned by the City Council. Although never
practised in London, Dodds gained a national reputation when he joined the newly
formed Northern Architectural Association and was elected to be its first chairman.
He retired from active work in his seventies after suffering a stroke from which he never
fully recovered. Dodds died at the age of 77 at his home. Dodds was versatile and could
build houses of many different styles that his clients desired.
His country houses are too little known, mainly because they are not so large that they
are open to the public and are often still in private hands, hidden behind parkland and
trees. One was Mitten Hall, built in 1824 and finished two years later. The outstanding
characteristics of Mitten Hall are Dodds' use of beautiful golden sandstone, Grecian-style
entrance porticos, elegant staircases leading to an upper gallery.
The building has a domed ceiling with a glass centrepiece. Even though the quality of the
stonework was superb, some of the windows seemed to leak on rainy days. The building
was renovated in 1987 and is now served as a conference centre.
In 1830, the Town Council decided to build Royal Arcade on a site that used to be a corn
exchange market and entrusted George Dodds with the design, and the shopping arcade
was completed by 1832. The whole design was intended as an elegant shopping
experience and was renowned for its grand balcony. Unfortunately, the Royal Arcade
was not a commercial success, as it was positioned too far from the town centre, causing
great difficulty in delivery.
The arcade was demolished as early as the 1880s and is now used as a car park for
neighbouring shops today. The final building I want to show you is Morton Jail, which
Dodds completed in 1839. It is a sturdy building with impressive towers based on
medieval castles.
However, although beautiful, the jail wasn't 100% functional. More striking was the
absence of any space for exercise for the prisoners. An extra courtyard had to be added
for this at a later date.
Morton ceased to be a penal institution in the 1940s when it was scheduled for
demolition, but was purchased for use as a hotel. That never came to pass, and as many
of you will know, it is now run as a transport museum with a whole collection of vehicles
but tell the city's story through transport. That is the end of part four.
You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.
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