Clapton Crabbe Rolfe
Encyclopedia
Clapton Crabb Rolfe was an English Gothic Revival architect
whose practice was based in Oxford
.
from 1838 until his death. His mother Ellen was a sister of the architect William Wilkinson
. C.C. Rolfe's elder brother George Wilkinson Rolfe (1843–1912) followed their father into the clergy and a younger brother William Andrew Rolfe (b. 1850) became an architect. In 1873 C.C. Rolfe became married to Annie de Pré, who bore him one son, Benedict Hugh Rolfe (b. 1874). B.H. Rolfe trained as an architect and assisted with some of his father's later works, but settled in London as a consulting engineer. C.C. Rolfe died in 1907. Both he and Annie are buried in the parish churchyard of St. Mary's, Wheatley, Oxfordshire
.
Note: the Buildings of England
series of architectural guides spells C.C. Rolfe's middle name "Crabbe" but other authorities use "Crabb", and the latter spelling is used in this article. A memorial plaque in Hailey parish church to his father Rev. G.C. Rolfe also says "Crabb".
. His first major commission was to design a new parish church at Hailey for his father. His design was in a freely reinterpreted French Gothic style, and the Oxford Diocesan
Architect G.E. Street
condemned Rolfe's first draft as "needlessly eccentric". Despite Street's objections Rolfe completed the church with some unusual details, including a strangely-shaped bell-turret.
Rolfe's work is notable for its quality and detail. In Rolfe's reconstruction of part of the nave of Nuneaton Abbey and his restoration of All Saints parish church, Thorpe Malsor
, the craftsman Harry Hems (1842–1916) undertook the carving. Hems was a craftsman who originated from Yorkshire
but from 1866 worked in Exeter
. He carved for Rolfe again on the restorations of St. Giles' parish church, Standlake
in 1880–91, St. Martin's parish church, Chipping Ongar
in 1884, and St. Michael's parish church, Inkpen
in 1896–97, and also on Rolfe's new chapel for the Sisterhood of Saint Thomas, Oxford
in 1888.
C.C. Rolfe was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects
in 1869. In 1881 G.E. Street died and Rolfe was one of the applicants to succeed him as Oxford diocesan architect. John Oldrid Scott
was the successful applicant, but Rolfe was later appointed Oxford Diocesan Surveyor.
Rolfe was a devout Anglo-Catholic
who sought to translate his faith into his building work. In 1871 he wrote in The Builder
:
Rolfe wrote a number of publications on aspects of church architecture and furnishing, but has he got older the style and content of his writing became increasingly obscure.
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
whose practice was based in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
Family
C.C. Rolfe was the second of nine children. His father was Rev. George Crabb Rolfe (1811–93) who was perpetual curate of Hailey, OxfordshireHailey, Oxfordshire
Hailey is a village and civil parish about north of Witney, Oxfordshire. The village comprises three neighbourhoods: Middletown on the main road between Witney and Charlbury, Poffley End on the minor road to Ramsden and Delly End on Whiting's Lane.-Manors:...
from 1838 until his death. His mother Ellen was a sister of the architect William Wilkinson
William Wilkinson (architect)
William Wilkinson was a British Gothic Revival architect who practised in Oxford, England.-Family:Wilkinson's father was a builder in Witney in Oxfordshire. William's elder brother George Wilkinson was also an architect, as were William's nephews C.C. Rolfe and H.W. Moore .-Career:Wilkinson...
. C.C. Rolfe's elder brother George Wilkinson Rolfe (1843–1912) followed their father into the clergy and a younger brother William Andrew Rolfe (b. 1850) became an architect. In 1873 C.C. Rolfe became married to Annie de Pré, who bore him one son, Benedict Hugh Rolfe (b. 1874). B.H. Rolfe trained as an architect and assisted with some of his father's later works, but settled in London as a consulting engineer. C.C. Rolfe died in 1907. Both he and Annie are buried in the parish churchyard of St. Mary's, Wheatley, Oxfordshire
Wheatley, Oxfordshire
Wheatley is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of Oxford.-Archaeology:There was a Roman villa on Castle Hill, about southeast of the parish church. It was excavated in 1845, when Roman coins dating from AD 260 to 378 and fragments of Roman pottery and Roman tiles were...
.
Note: the Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
series of architectural guides spells C.C. Rolfe's middle name "Crabbe" but other authorities use "Crabb", and the latter spelling is used in this article. A memorial plaque in Hailey parish church to his father Rev. G.C. Rolfe also says "Crabb".
Career
Much of Rolfe's work was for parish churches and other institutions of the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. His first major commission was to design a new parish church at Hailey for his father. His design was in a freely reinterpreted French Gothic style, and the Oxford Diocesan
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
Architect G.E. Street
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
condemned Rolfe's first draft as "needlessly eccentric". Despite Street's objections Rolfe completed the church with some unusual details, including a strangely-shaped bell-turret.
Rolfe's work is notable for its quality and detail. In Rolfe's reconstruction of part of the nave of Nuneaton Abbey and his restoration of All Saints parish church, Thorpe Malsor
Thorpe Malsor
Thorpe Malsor is a village and civil parish west of Kettering.The Church of England parish church of All Saints was built late in the 13th and early in the 14th centuries. In 1877 the Gothic Revival architect C.C. Rolfe restored the church, with Harry Hems of Exeter undertaking the carving...
, the craftsman Harry Hems (1842–1916) undertook the carving. Hems was a craftsman who originated from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
but from 1866 worked in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
. He carved for Rolfe again on the restorations of St. Giles' parish church, Standlake
St Giles' Church, Standlake
The Parish Church of Saint Giles, Standlake is the Church of England parish church of Standlake, a village about southeast of Witney in Oxfordshire. Since 1976 St...
in 1880–91, St. Martin's parish church, Chipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar is a small market town, and a civil parish called Ongar, in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. It is located East of Epping, South-East of Harlow and North-West of Brentwood.-Geography:...
in 1884, and St. Michael's parish church, Inkpen
Inkpen
Inkpen is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire about southeast of Hungerford, close to the county boundaries with Wiltshire and Hampshire.-Amenities and landmarks:...
in 1896–97, and also on Rolfe's new chapel for the Sisterhood of Saint Thomas, Oxford
St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford
St Thomas the Martyr's is a Church of England church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition, in Oxford, England, near Oxford railway station in Osney. The church was founded in the 12th century, dedicated to St Thomas Becket...
in 1888.
C.C. Rolfe was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
in 1869. In 1881 G.E. Street died and Rolfe was one of the applicants to succeed him as Oxford diocesan architect. John Oldrid Scott
John Oldrid Scott
John Oldrid Scott was an English architect.He was the son of Sir George Gilbert Scott and Caroline née Oldrid. His brother George Gilbert Scott Junior and nephew Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, were also prominent architects. He married Mary Ann Stevens in 1868, eldest daughter of the Reverend Thomas...
was the successful applicant, but Rolfe was later appointed Oxford Diocesan Surveyor.
Rolfe was a devout Anglo-Catholic
Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
who sought to translate his faith into his building work. In 1871 he wrote in The Builder
Building (magazine)
Building is one of the United Kingdom’s oldest business-to-business magazines, launched as The Builder in 1843 by Joseph Aloysius Hansom – architect of Birmingham Town Hall and designer of the Hansom Cab. The journal was renamed Building in 1966 as it is still known today. Building is the only UK...
:
Those professional men nowadays who despise and ridicule that pure symbolic spirit which actuated our forefathers in their church-work, and probably substitute for it that £sd money-grubbing spirit of the age, are alike unfit and unworthy of being engaged on any modern church-work whatever.
Rolfe wrote a number of publications on aspects of church architecture and furnishing, but has he got older the style and content of his writing became increasingly obscure.
Buildings
- Saint John the Evangelist, Hailey, Oxfordshire: new church, 1868–69
- Old Church, Churchill, OxfordshireChurchill, OxfordshireChurchill is a village and civil parish about southwest of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...
: east window, 1869 - 114-138, 149-156 and 159-164 Kingston Road, OxfordKingston Road, OxfordKingston Road is a road in Oxford, England. It continues north from Walton Street, at the junction with Walton Well Road to the west and St Bernard's Road to the east, running parallel with and to the west of Woodstock Road. Kingston Road is the main road in Walton Manor. At the northern end, there...
: terraces of artisan houses, 1870–75 - Ascott-under-WychwoodAscott-under-WychwoodAscott-under-Wychwood is a village and civil parish in the Evenlode valley about south of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.-History:The village is one of several named after the historic forest of Wychwood; the others being Shipton-under-Wychwood and Milton-under-Wychwood.Ascot d'Oilly Castle was...
: village school, 1871 - LeafieldLeafieldLeafield is a village and civil parish about northwest of Witney in West Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Langley, west of Leafield village....
, Oxfordshire: extension to village school, 1871 - All Saints, Nuneham CourtenayNuneham CourtenayNuneham Courtenay is a village and civil parish about southeast of Oxford.-Manor:The toponym evolved from Newenham. In the 14th century the village belonged to the Courtenay family and in 1764 "Newenham" was changed to "Nuneham"....
: new church, 1872–74 - Holy Trinity, Rayleigh, EssexRayleigh, EssexRayleigh is a market town and civil parish in the District of Rochford in Essex, England, located between Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea. It lies to the east of central London. It has a population of 30,196, having expanded rapidly in the 1960s.-Toponymy:...
: restoration of chancel, 1873 - Saint John the Baptist, Curbridge, Oxfordshire: added apse to chapel, 1874 (demolished 1906)
- Saint James's College, South LeighSouth LeighSouth Leigh is a village and civil parish on Limb Brook, a small tributary of the River Thames, about east of Witney in Oxfordshire.-Manor:South Leigh was not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, but was recorded in 1190 as Stanton Lega....
: 1875 (later part of Holyrood Hospital) - Saint Peter, MancetterMancetterMancetter is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Atherstone in North Warwickshire, at the crossing of Watling Street over the River Anker.-History:...
, WarwickshireWarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
: restoration, 1875 - Nuneaton Abbey, Warwickshire: new vicarage and reconstruction of part of nave, 1877
- All Saints, Thorpe MalsorThorpe MalsorThorpe Malsor is a village and civil parish west of Kettering.The Church of England parish church of All Saints was built late in the 13th and early in the 14th centuries. In 1877 the Gothic Revival architect C.C. Rolfe restored the church, with Harry Hems of Exeter undertaking the carving...
, NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
: restoration, 1877 - Saint Margaret, EglwyscumminEglwyscumminEglwyscummin is a Community Ward about southeast of Whitland in Carmarthenshire. It incorporates Marros, Cyfig and the village of Red Roses. It consists mostly of farmland and is crossed by a main road route to the once popular holiday resort of Pendine Sands and the main route to south...
, CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
: restoration, 1878 - King Edward VI Grammar School, NuneatonKing Edward VI College, NuneatonKing Edward VI College is a sixth form college located in Nuneaton, England, in Warwickshire. Currently, it teaches subjects in preparation for AS and A-level Examinations, for students generally aged sixteen to eighteen.-Grammar school:...
, Warwickshire: new buildings, 1879–80 - Saint Giles, Standlake, Oxfordshire: restored church, 1880–91
- Saint Lawrence, AppletonAppleton, OxfordshireAppleton is a village in the civil parish of Appleton-with-Eaton, about northwest of Abingdon. Appleton was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Manor:...
, Berkshire (now in Oxfordshire): restored nave, 1882–84 - Saint Martin, Chipping OngarChipping OngarChipping Ongar is a small market town, and a civil parish called Ongar, in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. It is located East of Epping, South-East of Harlow and North-West of Brentwood.-Geography:...
, EssexEssexEssex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
: south aisle, 1884 - Holy Rood, Shilton, OxfordshireShilton, OxfordshireShilton is a village and civil parish about northwest of Carterton, Oxfordshire.-History:Shilton was historically part of the manor of Faringdon, and most of the parish was an exclave of Berkshire until the Counties Act 1844 joined it to Oxfordshire.The earliest parts of the Church of England...
: restored church, 1884–88 - Sisterhood of Saint Thomas, OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
: new buildings, 1886 (demolished 1969) - 29 Abbey Road, Oxford: house, 1886–87
- Saint Denis, Northmoor, OxfordshireNorthmoor, OxfordshireNorthmoor is a village and civil parish in West Oxfordshire, west of Oxford and almost southeast of Witney. Northmoor is in the valley of the River Thames, which bounds the parish to the east and south, and is close to the River Windrush which forms part of the parish's western...
: partial restoration, 1886 or 1887 - Holywell Ford, Mill Lane, Oxford: house, 1888
- Saint Thomas, OxfordSt Thomas the Martyr's Church, OxfordSt Thomas the Martyr's is a Church of England church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition, in Oxford, England, near Oxford railway station in Osney. The church was founded in the 12th century, dedicated to St Thomas Becket...
: vicarage, 1893 - Barnett House, Turl StreetTurl StreetTurl Street is an historic street in central Oxford, England.- Location :The street is located in the city centre, linking Broad Street at the north and High Street at the south. It is colloquially known as The Turl and runs past three of Oxford's historic colleges: Exeter, Jesus and Lincoln...
, Oxford: house on corner of Broad StreetBroad StreetBroad Street may refer to:In the United Kingdom:*Broad Street , in London*Broad Street, Birmingham*Broad Street, Bristol*Broad Street, Oxford*Broad Street, Reading*Broad Street, Suffolk, hamlet near Groton...
, 1889 (demolished 1960's) - Holy Rood, CuxhamCuxhamCuxham is a small village in the civil parish of Cuxham with Easington in South Oxfordshire. It is about north of Wallingford and about south of Thame.-Parish church:The Church of England parish church of the Holy Rood has a Norman bell tower...
, Oxfordshire: rebuilt chancel, 1895 - Saint Michael, Inkpen, BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
: restored and remodelled church, 1896 - Saint Nicholas, DormstonDormstonDormston is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire about south of Redditch.-History:Dormston's toponym has evolved from Deormodesealdtune in the 10th century via Dormestun in the 11th Century and Dormyston in the 15th century before reaching its present form...
, WorcestershireWorcestershireWorcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
: restoration, 1899