J. A. Chatwin

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J. A. Chatwin (Julius Alfred Chatwin) FRIBA, RBS, FSAScot (24 April 1830 - 6 June 1907) was a designer of buildings and the most prolific architect involved with the building and modification of churches in Birmingham, England, building or altering almost all of the parish churches in the city. He used the Gothic style. His designs always included all the carvings and internal fittings.

Contents 1 Career 2 Works 3 References 4 Sources 5 External sites

[edit] Career

Born the son of John (a button manufacturer in Great Charles Street, Birmingham) and Harriet Chatwin, and educated at King Edward's School on New Street and London University, he was known by the name Alfred. He worked from 1846 as an architect for the largest builders in the country, Branson and Gwyther of Birmingham. He was articled to Charles Barry in 1851 and worked with Barry and Augustus Pugin on the Victoria Tower of the Houses of Parliament. He worked again for Gwyther personally on his enterprises in Llandudno, North Wales. In 1855 he opened an office on Bennett's Hill in Birmingham. He was, from 1866, architect to the Governors of King Edward's School and designed the first King Edward VI High School for Girls on New Street. From 1864 he became architect to Lloyds Bank for over thirty years.

From 1866 he worked with his son, Philip Boughton Chatwin (P. B. Chatwin) (1873 - 1964) who became his partner in 1897.

He was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) on 30 November 1863 and member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (RBS), Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and Fellow of the Royal Antiquary Society of Scotland.

He married at St James, Handsworth on 26 October 1869. He is buried with his wife Edith Isabella Chatwin and daughter Isabella Gertrude Chatwin in St Bartholomew (Old Church), Edgbaston. His gravestone also mentions his daughter Grace Constance Chatwin (cremated).

[edit] Works

He designed:

• Bingley Hall, 1850, now demolished^[1]
• Most of the north side of Colmore Row after 1866
• Birmingham Greek Orthodox Cathedral - Dormition of the Mother of God and St Andrew (built as a CoE church) ^{Grade II}
• St Clement, Nechells Park Road, 1857-9 (his first church)
• Holy Trinity Church, Birchfield, 1860-3 ^{Grade II*}
• The Joint Stock Bank (later Lloyds Bank, now a pub), Temple Row West, 1862-4 ^{Grade II}
• Knutsford Lodge, 25 Somerset Road ^{Grade II*}
• St Augustine's Church, Edgbaston, 1868, with 185 foot spire added later ^{Grade II*}
• St John, Bewdley Road, Kidderminster new nave 1890-94^[2]
• Lloyds Bank, Queen Square, Wolverhampton ^{Grade II listed} where he is commemorated by a blue plaque
• St Martin in the Bull Ring, (except tower and spire) ^{Grade II*}
• St Mary, Oldswinford, chancel 1898^[3]
• St Mary, Bearwood Road, Bearwood, 1888^[4]
• St Mary, Moseley (rebuilt) ^{Grade II}
• St Mary and St Ambrose, Pershore Road, Edgbaston, (a red brick and terracotta church, 1897-8) ^{Grade II}
• Saints Peter and Paul - Aston Parish Church, 1879, (except tower and spire) ^{Grade II*}
• St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham (enlarged, with new chancel) ^{Grade I}
• Solihull School (School House), 1882 ^{Grade II}
• School and church, Catherine-de-Barnes, Solihull, 1880
• Work on Uppingham School, 1870
• Wolverhampton Art Gallery, 1882 ^{Grade II}
• New Berry Hall,1880 & Berry Hall Lodge, Marsh Lane, Solihull, 1884 ^{Grade II}

[edit] References

1. ^ Birmingham Buildings, The Architectural Story of a Midland City, Bryan Little, 1971, ISBN 0-7153-5295-4
2. ^ The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, Nikolaus Pevsner, 1968 p206
3. ^ The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, Nikolaus Pevsner, 1968 p228
4. ^ The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, Nikolaus Pevsner, 1968 p88

[edit] Sources

• Pevsner Architectural Guides - Birmingham, Andy Foster, 2005, ISBN 0-300-10731-5
• Blue plaque in Wolverhampton
• St. Martin's in the Bull Ring, Church Guide, 1991, ISBN 0-85101-282-5
• Incorporated Church Building Society - Church Plans Online
• King Edward High School Birmingham 1883-1983, Rachel Waterhouse, 1983
• Public Sculpture of Birmingham including Sutton Coldfield, George T. Noszlopy, edited Jeremy Beach, 1998, ISBN 0-85323-692-5
• The Life Story of J. A. Chatwin FRIBA, FSA.Scot 1830-1907, P. B. Chatwin, Oxford University Press, 1952

[edit] External sites

• Digital Ladywood (photographs of Birmingham) - autographed portrait - when in website, search for Julius Alfred Chatwin