Thomas Garner
Encyclopedia
Thomas Garner was one of the leading English
Gothic revival architects
of the Victorian era
. His name is usually mentioned in relation to his almost 30-year partnership with George Frederick Bodley
. Garner never received full recognition for his remarkable abilities, scholarly knowledge and extraordinary achievements in designing and constructing ecclesiastical, private and public buildings. This is attributable, according to Edward Prioleau Warren, a fellow architect, to his singularly shy and retiring disposition and to the fact that his name was for so many years coupled with that of the distinguished Mr. Bodley, leading to frequent confusion of their individual efforts and a mistaken attribution of their designs.
, Thomas Garner grew up in a rural setting that inspired deep appreciation for the simple country life. His instinctive feeling for country crafts and construction, for "ancientry" of all sorts, was derived from his frequent archeological journeys on horseback, shared by his family and friends. These instincts were never weakened by long years spent in London
. He returned to the countryside for his final home, Fritwell Manor in Oxfordshire
, the Jacobean
house that he restored in 1893 and where he died in 1906. His interest in conservation was fostered throughout his life by his study of history, fine arts and literature. He was the author (with Stratton) of The Domestic Architecture of England during the Tudor Period (B.T. Batsford, 1911).
at the age of 17. One of his immediate predecessors at "Scott's" was George Frederick Bodley
, who was already beginning to establish his own reputation. A warm friendship developed between two. When he returned to Warwickshire
, Garner undertook various small works as a representative of Sir Gilbert Scott, including the repair of the old chapel of the Leicester Hospital at Warwick
, which he buttressed into security.
He married Rose Emily Smith on October 6, 1866. In 1868, he returned to London to assist his friend Bodley and established the long and fruitful partnership at their office at 7 Gray's Inn Square, that was dissolved in 1898. (Thomas Garner was received into the Roman Catholic Church
that year and was concerned that this might harm Bodley's business). Bodley's partnership with Thomas Garner was beneficial to him in more ways than one. Garner was a happily married man — his wife is said to have read to him while he drew his designs — but Mr. Bodley was not, so the Garner household was a haven.
At first, their collaboration was close and produced such homogeneous work that there was little external evidence of dual authorship. What is noticeable in some of the earlier buildings by the "firm" is the replacement of the French influences which previously had shown themselves in Bodley's work, by a distinctively English style. This period of close collaboration produced the church of St. John at Tuebrook
, Liverpool
, soon followed and eclipsed by the churches of the Holy Angels at Hoar Cross
, Staffordshire
, and of St. Augustine's Church, Pendlebury
, near Manchester
— the former begun in 1871, the latter in 1873. They also designed a cathedral at Hobart
, Tasmania
.
As Bodley and Garner's commissions increased, they became less exclusively ecclesiastical, and though church building remained predominant, their practice widened to collegiate buildings in Oxford
and Cambridge
, and to private houses and offices. This broadening of scope brought about a lessening of actual collaboration.
The ensuing period of dual practice under partnership left most of the secular opportunities to the control of the junior partner, Garner, while Bodley, with his penchant for Gothic forms and ecclesiastical work, devoted himself to church building and decoration. Garner was almost exclusively responsible for the design and supervision of most of the work at Oxford
, that included the alterations and tower at Christ Church
, St Swithin's Quadrangle and the High Street
Entrance Gate at Magdalen College
, and the Master's Lodgings at the University College
. He was entirely responsible for the subsequent President's Lodgings at Magdalen. Garner also designed River House in Tite Street
, Chelsea
, and the new classroom building at Marlborough College
. Hewell Grange
, Lord Windsor's Worcestershire
mansion, with all its elaborate details, terraced gardens and their architectural accessories, was also his work.
Thomas Garner continued to contribute to the firm's ecclesiastical work. He designed the well-known altar screen in St Paul's Cathedral
and several sepulchral monuments, including those of the Bishops of Ely
, Lincoln
, Winchester
and Chichester
, and that of Henry Parry Liddon
. In 1889, he designed the decorated gothic case for the organ at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-on-Avon.
Despite Bodley's distaste for business and trade, he and Thomas Garner also set up a fabric company with Gilbert Scott the younger in 1874, to provide embroidered and textile goods, wallpaper
and stained glass
. The firm became known as Watts & Co
(trading initially out of Baker Street
, and today still continuing its traditions from premises near Westminster Cathedral
). (Note: The name derives from Bodley's distaste for trade. When the founders were asked: "Who was Watts?" Bodley replied: "What's in a Name.")
The final period of the Bodley and Garner partnership is best seen in the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Oxford, built for the Cowley Fathers in 1894–96.
After dissolving his partnership with George Bodley, Garner designed and supervised the restoration of Yarnton Manor, Oxfordshire
in 1897; the Slipper Chapel
at Houghton-le-Dale; Moreton House
, Hampstead
; the Empire Hotel at Buxton
; and the crowning work of his life, the choir of Downside Abbey
, near Bath, where his body now lies.
, stricken by a fatal illness, was asked by Cardinal Vaughan which architect he would choose to carry on his work in the Cathedral at Westminster, he replied: "Garner, for he is a man of genius." His genius derived from the minutely careful finish of his work, based on his unremitting study and love of mediaeval archeology, Gothic
and Renaissance
art, particularly its English manifestations. River House, Tite Street
, Chelsea Embankment, completed in 1879, showed that he could design in a manner that was relatively little appreciated at the time: its sober early 18th-century character is singular as the design of a reputed Gothicist
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Gothic revival architects
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
of the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. His name is usually mentioned in relation to his almost 30-year partnership with George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
. Garner never received full recognition for his remarkable abilities, scholarly knowledge and extraordinary achievements in designing and constructing ecclesiastical, private and public buildings. This is attributable, according to Edward Prioleau Warren, a fellow architect, to his singularly shy and retiring disposition and to the fact that his name was for so many years coupled with that of the distinguished Mr. Bodley, leading to frequent confusion of their individual efforts and a mistaken attribution of their designs.
Early life
Born at Wasperton Hill Farm in WarwickshireWarwickshire
Warwickshire 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...
, Thomas Garner grew up in a rural setting that inspired deep appreciation for the simple country life. His instinctive feeling for country crafts and construction, for "ancientry" of all sorts, was derived from his frequent archeological journeys on horseback, shared by his family and friends. These instincts were never weakened by long years spent in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He returned to the countryside for his final home, Fritwell Manor in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, the 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:...
house that he restored in 1893 and where he died in 1906. His interest in conservation was fostered throughout his life by his study of history, fine arts and literature. He was the author (with Stratton) of The Domestic Architecture of England during the Tudor Period (B.T. Batsford, 1911).
Career
Thomas Garner was articled to the architect Sir Gilbert ScottGilbert Scott
Gilbert Scott may refer to several of a family of British architects:* Sir George Gilbert Scott , who was principally known for his architectural designs for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and St Pancras Station...
at the age of 17. One of his immediate predecessors at "Scott's" was George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
, who was already beginning to establish his own reputation. A warm friendship developed between two. When he returned to Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire 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...
, Garner undertook various small works as a representative of Sir Gilbert Scott, including the repair of the old chapel of the Leicester Hospital at Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
, which he buttressed into security.
He married Rose Emily Smith on October 6, 1866. In 1868, he returned to London to assist his friend Bodley and established the long and fruitful partnership at their office at 7 Gray's Inn Square, that was dissolved in 1898. (Thomas Garner was received into the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
that year and was concerned that this might harm Bodley's business). Bodley's partnership with Thomas Garner was beneficial to him in more ways than one. Garner was a happily married man — his wife is said to have read to him while he drew his designs — but Mr. Bodley was not, so the Garner household was a haven.
At first, their collaboration was close and produced such homogeneous work that there was little external evidence of dual authorship. What is noticeable in some of the earlier buildings by the "firm" is the replacement of the French influences which previously had shown themselves in Bodley's work, by a distinctively English style. This period of close collaboration produced the church of St. John at Tuebrook
Tuebrook
Tuebrook is an area of inner-city Liverpool, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 14,490.-Toponymy:The origin of the name may be Tew Brook, which was a tributary of the Alt...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, soon followed and eclipsed by the churches of the Holy Angels at Hoar Cross
Hoar Cross
Hoar Cross is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of East Staffordshire, situated approximately seven miles west of Burton upon Trent....
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, and of St. Augustine's Church, Pendlebury
St. Augustine's Church, Pendlebury
St. Augustine's is a High Anglican church in the Diocese of Manchester, once called "The Miners' Cathedral" due to its almost "cathedralesque" stature in the heart of a one time coal mining community. Also sometimes called "Gussie's" by locals....
, near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
— the former begun in 1871, the latter in 1873. They also designed a cathedral at Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
As Bodley and Garner's commissions increased, they became less exclusively ecclesiastical, and though church building remained predominant, their practice widened to collegiate buildings in Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and to private houses and offices. This broadening of scope brought about a lessening of actual collaboration.
The ensuing period of dual practice under partnership left most of the secular opportunities to the control of the junior partner, Garner, while Bodley, with his penchant for Gothic forms and ecclesiastical work, devoted himself to church building and decoration. Garner was almost exclusively responsible for the design and supervision of most of the work at 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...
, that included the alterations and tower at Christ Church
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also, uniquely, the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford.-History:...
, St Swithin's Quadrangle and the High Street
High Street, Oxford
The High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...
Entrance Gate at Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, and the Master's Lodgings at the University College
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
. He was entirely responsible for the subsequent President's Lodgings at Magdalen. Garner also designed River House in Tite Street
Tite Street
Tite Street is a street in Chelsea, London, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England, just north of the River Thames. It was created in 1877, giving access to the Chelsea Embankment. In the late nineteenth century the street was a favoured and fashionable location for people of an...
, Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, and the new classroom building at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
. Hewell Grange
Hewell Grange
This article is about the Hewell Grange country house and estate. For Hewell Prison, see Hewell Hewell Grange is a country house in Tardebigge, Worcestershire, England....
, Lord Windsor's Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire 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...
mansion, with all its elaborate details, terraced gardens and their architectural accessories, was also his work.
Thomas Garner continued to contribute to the firm's ecclesiastical work. He designed the well-known altar screen in St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
and several sepulchral monuments, including those of the Bishops of Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
, Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
, Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
and Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
, and that of Henry Parry Liddon
Henry Parry Liddon
Henry Parry Liddon was an English theologian.- Biography :The son of a naval captain, he was born at North Stoneham, near Eastleigh, Hampshire. He was educated at King's College School, and at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated, taking a second class, in 1850...
. In 1889, he designed the decorated gothic case for the organ at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-on-Avon.
Despite Bodley's distaste for business and trade, he and Thomas Garner also set up a fabric company with Gilbert Scott the younger in 1874, to provide embroidered and textile goods, wallpaper
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...
and stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
. The firm became known as Watts & Co
Watts & Co
Watts & Co. is a prominent architecture and interior design company. It is one of the most remarkable survivals of the Gothic Revival of the nineteenth century: a firm founded in 1874 by three leading late-Victorian church architects, George Frederick Bodley, Thomas Garner and Gilbert Scott the...
(trading initially out of Baker Street
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
, and today still continuing its traditions from premises near Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
). (Note: The name derives from Bodley's distaste for trade. When the founders were asked: "Who was Watts?" Bodley replied: "What's in a Name.")
The final period of the Bodley and Garner partnership is best seen in the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Oxford, built for the Cowley Fathers in 1894–96.
After dissolving his partnership with George Bodley, Garner designed and supervised the restoration of Yarnton Manor, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
in 1897; the Slipper Chapel
Slipper Chapel
The Slipper Chapel, or Chapel of St. Catherine of Alexandria, is a Roman Catholic chapel located in Houghton Saint Giles, Norfolk, England. Built in 1340, it was the last chapel on the pilgrims' route to Walsingham....
at Houghton-le-Dale; Moreton House
Moreton House
-The History of the Lands of Moreton House and District:Moreton House lies on the road to Abbotsham Village in rural North Devon. The house and lands were long the property of the famous Grenville family, Lords of the Manor of Bideford. Sir Hugh Stucley, Bart., inherited the property, together with...
, Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
; the Empire Hotel at Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
; and the crowning work of his life, the choir of Downside Abbey
Downside Abbey
The Basilica of St Gregory the Great at Downside, commonly known as Downside Abbey, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery and the Senior House of the English Benedictine Congregation. One of its main apostolates is a school for children aged nine to eighteen...
, near Bath, where his body now lies.
Epitaph
Thomas Garner was well respected by his contemporaries. When the architect John Francis BentleyJohn Francis Bentley
John Francis Bentley was an English ecclesiastical architect whose most famous work is the Westminster Cathedral in London, England, built in a style heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture....
, stricken by a fatal illness, was asked by Cardinal Vaughan which architect he would choose to carry on his work in the Cathedral at Westminster, he replied: "Garner, for he is a man of genius." His genius derived from the minutely careful finish of his work, based on his unremitting study and love of mediaeval archeology, Gothic
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
and Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
art, particularly its English manifestations. River House, Tite Street
Tite Street
Tite Street is a street in Chelsea, London, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England, just north of the River Thames. It was created in 1877, giving access to the Chelsea Embankment. In the late nineteenth century the street was a favoured and fashionable location for people of an...
, Chelsea Embankment, completed in 1879, showed that he could design in a manner that was relatively little appreciated at the time: its sober early 18th-century character is singular as the design of a reputed Gothicist
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
.
Sources
- Prioleau Warren, EdwardEdward Prioleau WarrenEdward Prioleau Warren was a British architect and archaeologist.-Life:He was born at Cotham in Bristol, England on 30 October 1856, as the fifth son of A. W. Warren, JP. He was educated at Clifton College in Bristol, and subsequently articled to G.F. Bodley, whose biography he later wrote...
(circa 1906). Article about Thomas Garner (in Garner family possession) - Garner Family Bible
External links
- Entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography