The Architect and Explorer

Thomas Witlam Atkinson was an English architect, artist, and traveller. Born in Cawthorne, near Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, he began his career as a mason and stone carver. He later served as a clerk of works for prominent Victorian architects and established himself as an architect in London. His architectural portfolio included the design of St. Nicholas, at Lower Tooting, and the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank in Spring Gardens. He also designed and built Italianate mansions for wealthy families in Manchester and was known for his work on churches in Barnsley and Ashton-Under-Lyne.

Following financial difficulties and bankruptcy, Atkinson embarked on extensive travels. Between 1847 and 1853, he traveled 29,000 miles through Siberia, Central Asia, and present-day Kazakhstan by carriage, horseback, and boat. Accompanied by his wife Lucy and their son Alatau, he explored regions such as the Altai Mountains, Lake Baikal, and the Sayan Mountains. During these expeditions, he produced 560 watercolors and drawings, documenting landscapes and people in areas that were largely unknown to Europeans at the time.

Legacy and Documentation

Atkinson’s travels were documented in two books: Oriental and Western Siberia: a Narrative of Seven Years' Explorations and Adventures in Siberia, Mongolia, the Kirghis Steppes, Chinese Tartary, and part of Central Asia and Travels in the Regions of the Upper and Lower Amoor and the Russian Acquisitions on the Confines of India and China. His contributions to geography earned him memberships in several scholarly organizations, including the Royal Geographical Society, the Geological Society, and the Ethnographic Society. He was also a member of the Geographical Club and was granted a private audience with Queen Victoria.

His artistic works are held in various collections, including:

• The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg
• The Royal Geographical Society
• The Victoria and Albert Museum
• The Preston Museum in Preston, Lancashire

Atkinson died in Lower Walmer, Kent, following an accident involving an horsebus.