George Webster (architect)
Encyclopedia
George Webster was born in Kendal
, Westmorland
, England in 1797, son to Francis Webster, a prominent local stonemason turned architect. In his architectural role, George was responsible for a diverse range of building projects, and often worked with his father and his brother Francis.
He was Mayor of Kendal from 1829 to 1830, following in his father’s footsteps of being a prominent name in Kendal’s politics of the time.
Francis and George Webster are linked with buildings in Kendal and the surrounding Cumbrian towns and villages, as well as buildings in Lancashire
and North Yorkshire
. George, his father Francis and brother Francis, were responsible for the building, renovation and remodelling of churches, houses, market halls, mansions, bridges and factories throughout the county, and a lot of their work survives to the present day.
It is not known where George Webster trained but his first recorded work was at Read Hall
near Whalley
in Lancashire in 1818. Webster initially adopted a classical
style but in the mid 1820s pioneered a Jacobean
revival.
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
, Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
, England in 1797, son to Francis Webster, a prominent local stonemason turned architect. In his architectural role, George was responsible for a diverse range of building projects, and often worked with his father and his brother Francis.
He was Mayor of Kendal from 1829 to 1830, following in his father’s footsteps of being a prominent name in Kendal’s politics of the time.
Francis and George Webster are linked with buildings in Kendal and the surrounding Cumbrian towns and villages, as well as buildings in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
. George, his father Francis and brother Francis, were responsible for the building, renovation and remodelling of churches, houses, market halls, mansions, bridges and factories throughout the county, and a lot of their work survives to the present day.
It is not known where George Webster trained but his first recorded work was at Read Hall
Read Hall and Park
Read Hall and Park is a Manor House and ornamental grounds of about in Read, Lancashire, England. The Hall dates from the early 18th century and is a grade II* listed building. Neither are open to the public.-Location:...
near Whalley
Whalley, Lancashire
Whalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village....
in Lancashire in 1818. Webster initially adopted a classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
style but in the mid 1820s pioneered a Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
revival.
Churches
- Rydal Church (1824-1825)
- Lindale Church (1828-1829)
- St Thomas Church, KendalKendalKendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
(1835-1837) - St Georges Church, KendalKendalKendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
(1839-1841) - Cleator Church, CumberlandCumberlandCumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
(1841-1842) - Bardsea Church, LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
(1843-1853)
Mansions
- Read Hall and ParkRead Hall and ParkRead Hall and Park is a Manor House and ornamental grounds of about in Read, Lancashire, England. The Hall dates from the early 18th century and is a grade II* listed building. Neither are open to the public.-Location:...
(1800-1810) - (Built for John FortJohn Fort (MP)John Fort was a Whig politician in England who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1841.He was elected at the 1832 general election as the Member of Parliament for the borough of Clitheroe in Lancashire, and held the seat until he stood down from Parliament at the 1841 general election.-...
) - Eshton Hall, YorkshireYorkshireYorkshire 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...
(1825-1827) - Underley Hall, Westmorland (1825-1828) - (Built for Alexander Nowell of Read HallRead Hall and ParkRead Hall and Park is a Manor House and ornamental grounds of about in Read, Lancashire, England. The Hall dates from the early 18th century and is a grade II* listed building. Neither are open to the public.-Location:...
) - Moreton HallMoreton HallMoreton Hall is a Grade Two listed Georgian styled Edwardian house, built in the early 1900s and located in Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, England...
, WhalleyWhalley, LancashireWhalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village....
(1829) - Whittington HallWhittington HallWhittington Hall, near Whittington, Lancashire, was built ca. 1831-1836 on the site of an earlier house, in the "Jacobethan" style for Thomas Greene, M.P. for Lancaster 1824-1856, by George Webster...
, KirkbyKirkbyKirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...
(1831) - (remodeling and additions for Thomas Greene MP for LancasterLancaster (UK Parliament constituency)Lancaster was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1867, centred on the historic city of Lancaster in north-west England...
) - Penwortham PrioryPenwortham PrioryPenwortham Priory was a first a Benedictine priory and after the Dissolution a country house the village of Penwortham, near Preston. The house was demolished as the village expanded into a town and a housing estate has replaced the mansion house and its grounds of which no trace...
, Preston (1832) - (major remodelling) - Bank HallBank HallBank Hall is a Jacobean mansion south of the village of Bretherton in Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* Listed Building. The hall was built on the site of a previous building in 1608 during the reign of James I by the Banastre family who were Lords of the Manor. It was extended during the 18th...
, BrethertonBrethertonBretherton is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England situated to the south west of Leyland and east of Tarleton. Its name suggests pre-conquest origins and its early history was closely involved with the manor house Bank Hall and the families who lived there...
(1832-1833) - (major remodelling for George Anthony Legh KeckGeorge Anthony Legh KeckLt.Col. George Anthony Legh Keck was born in 1784 at Stoughton, Leicestershire and was the son of Anthony James Keck and his wife Elizabeth . George Anthony Legh Keck was a member of the Legh family that lived at Lyme Hall at Lyme Park, Cheshire. His wife Elizabeth from Atherton Hall in Atherton...
) - Ormerod House, BurnleyBurnleyBurnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
(1833) - (major remodelling) - Conishead PrioryConishead PrioryConishead Priory is a large Gothic Revival building on the Furness peninsula near Ulverston in Cumbria. The priory's name translates literally as 'King's Hill Priory'.-History of the site:...
(1835-1855) (Built as a residence for Thomas Richmond-Gale-Braddyll) - Broughton Hall, SkiptonSkiptonSkipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
(1838-1841) - (major remodelling) - Holker HallHolker HallHolker Hall is a country house with a celebrated garden situated on the Cartmel Peninsula, which was historically part of the county of Lancashire, but is now part of the county of Cumbria....
, CartmelCartmelCartmel is a village in Cumbria, England, situated north-west of Grange-over-Sands and close to the River Eea. Historically it was in Lancashire; boundary changes brought it into the newly created county of Cumbria in 1974, yet keeping it within the boundaries of the traditional County Palatine...
(1840) - (major remodelling) - Levens HallLevens HallLevens Hall is a manor house in the county of Cumbria in northern England. The first house on the site was a pele tower built by the Redman family in around 1350. Much of the present building dates from the Elizabethan era, when the Bellingham family extended the house...
, Cumbria - Hutton-in-the-Forest (1830 & 1870) (additions to previous house)
- Ingmire HallIngmire HallIngmire Hall is a 16th century house built around the remains of a pele tower near Sedbergh, Cumbria, England.The house was first constructed for the Upton Family in the 16th century. The house was enlarged in the early 19th century by architect George Webster and extended around 1900...
Other Buildings
- Assembly Rooms (now Town Hall), KendalKendalKendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
(1825-1827) - Public Rooms (now Town Hall), SettleSettleSettle is a small market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is served by the Settle railway station, which is located near the town centre, and Giggleswick railway station which is a mile away. It is from Leeds Bradford Airport...
, Yorkshire (1832) - Dowkers Hospital (1833)
- Market Hall (now public library), KendalKendalKendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
(1855)