Arthur Marshman
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Arthur Albert John Marshman FRIBA FRSA (19 February 1929 – 15 July 1997), was a British architect.
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[edit] Biography
Arthur Marshman was born in Northampton, the only son of Arthur and Evelyn Marshman, both of Northampton. He was educated at Northampton Grammar School. He married twice - and had four children. Marshman was founder of Marshman Warren Taylor (MWT) architects. He died in Northampton.
Before beginning his professional life he completed his National Service in the Royal Air Force.
[edit] His work
Marshman Warren Taylor architects were at one time in the 1970s the largest architectural practice in the United Kingdom. The practice was founded in Bedford in 1960 and rapidly spread to other locations throughout the country – growing on the back of the 1960s housing boom. MWT were well known for their Cheese Houses – an angular design looking like an upended slice of cheese.
The Northampton office of Marshman Warren Taylor was in Hazlerig House, Marefair, Northampton – a fine stone building dating back to the Civil War.
An eccentric and flamboyant architect, he lived in and practised from Northamptonshire (England). Marshman designed the sympathetic and award-winning vestry extension to the Church at Weston Favell, Northampton, which was described by Pevsner as "Excellent" where he (and one of his sons) were married and where his parents are buried. Marshman also designed the new Belfry screen in the church and undertook some celebrated work on Truro Cathedral.
[edit] Examples of Marshman's work
 Horton Rounds |
 Cheese house, Horton, Northamptonshire |
 St Peter's vestry – Weston Favell |
[edit] Horton Rounds: The famous house on a circle
He is probably best known for the design of Horton Rounds, an unusual curved house on stilts incorporating the shapes of a comma and a full stop in the village of Horton, Northamptonshire. The house was built as a family home, and the family lived there until 1982.
The house is mentioned by Pevsner in his "Buildings of Northamptonshire" and has an unusual canitilevered balcony and cedar roof shingles. The house has more recently been the home of Roy Clarke the writer of "Last of the Summer Wine".
Of the house, Pevsner says, "A striking house. The dominant features are the broad curving eaves of the shingled roofs and the taller circular service cores and chimney of local yellow stone. In plan the house is a comma, with a full stop linked by a bridge. The tail of the comma, open on the ground floor with bedrooms above, shelters a paved garden. The broad end has service rooms and entrances below and a circular living area above which has views in all directions."
Horton Rounds was built in the grounds of Horton House, one time home of Lord Halifax. Horton is coincidentally the next village to Hackleton where William Carey and Joshua Marshman – a relative – started their preaching house in the 18th century. His ashes are buried at Collingtree in Northamptonshire, where he lived for many years.
[edit] The Marshman family
The Marshman family originated in Wiltshire and moved to Northamptonshire in the 18th century. Arthur Marshman is related to:
[edit] Sources
- Pevsner, Nikolaus, The Buildings of England – Northamptonshire. ISBN 0-300-09632-1
- Marshman family records
