Charles Barry - Personal Life and The Next Generation

Personal Life and The Next Generation

Barry disliked being away from London not liking life in the country, he preferred the bustle and society of the city. He was an early riser, usually between four and six o'clock in the morning, he only needed four or five hours sleep. Preferring to do his thinking and designing in the morning, but was happy to have company while at work, liking to be read to or join in conversation. He had a dislike of public display, considering it hollow and lacking in conviction. His general disposition was sanguine, though he had a quick temper. He preferred science to literature, he frequently attended the Friday night lectures held at the Royal Institution.

Barry was engaged to Sarah Roswell (1798–1882) in 1817, they married on 7 December 1822 and had seven children together.

Four of Sir Charles Barry's five sons followed in his career footsteps. Eldest son Charles Barry (junior) (1823–1900) designed Dulwich College and park in south London and rebuilt Burlington House (home of the Royal Academy) in central London's Piccadilly; Edward Middleton Barry (1830–1880) completed the Parliament buildings and designed the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden; Godfrey Walter Barry (1834–1868) became a surveyor; Sir John Wolfe-Barry (1836–1918) was the engineer for Tower Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge. Edward and Charles also collaborated on the design of the Great Eastern Hotel at London's Liverpool Street station.

His second son, Rev. Alfred Barry (1826–1910), became a noted clergyman. He was headmaster of Leeds Grammar School from 1854 to 1862 and of Cheltenham College from 1862 to 1868. He later became the third Bishop of Sydney, Australia. He wrote a 400 page biography of his father, The Life and Times of Sir Charles Barry, R.A., F.R.S., that was published in 1867.

Barry's daughters were Emily Barry (1828–1886) and Adelaide Sarah Barry (1841–1907).

Sir Charles’ relative John Hayward designed several buildings including, The Hall, Chapel Quad Pembroke College, Oxford.

His grandson was Lt Col Arthur John Barry CBE, TD, MICE (1859–1943), civil engineer and architect, son of Charles Barry, Jr. and pupil and later partner of Sir John Wolfe-Barry. He was the author of Railway Expansion in China and the Influence of Foreign Powers in its Development (London, 1910) and is noted for significant infrastructure projects in India, China, Thailand and Egypt. He was the final generation of the Barry architectural and engineering dynasty.