Philip Charles Hardwick was born in
Westminster in London, the son of the architect
Philip Hardwick (1792–1870) and grandson of architect
Thomas Hardwick (junior) (1752–1825). His mother was also from an eminent architectural family, the Shaws. Philip Charles Hardwick's maternal grandfather was
John Shaw Senior (1776–1832) and his uncle was
John Shaw Jr (1803–1870). Hardwick trained under his father and also
Edward Blore. He exhibited regularly at the
Royal Academy between 1848 and 1854. by
Edward Hodges Baily. Hardwick worked in the
City of London, where he became the leading architect of grandiose banking offices, mainly in an
Italianate manner. He designed five City banks, including Drummond's in
Trafalgar Square (1879–81), and was architect to the
Bank of England from 1855 to 1883. He was employed outside London designing branch offices at Hull (1856) and Leeds (1862–65). Hardwick, like his grandfather Thomas Hardwick, was the Surveyor to
St Bartholomew's Hospital in London and also a major benefactor. He was also an adviser in the new
War Office and
Admiralty competition of 1884. While he had been a favourite architect of
Queen Victoria to design the
Albert Memorial in
Kensington Gardens but his design fell short with the advisory committee. ==Family history==