John Rowland Fothergill (1876–1957) was an English innkeeper and entrepreneur, described as a "pioneer amateur innkeeper" in '' Who's Who''.

Biography

John Rowland Fothergill was born in Kent in 1876, his family originating from

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

and

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

. He studied at St John's College, Oxford, the

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

and the London School of Architecture. His contemporaries at the Slade included

Augustus John Augustus Edwin John (4 January 1878 – 31 October 1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a time he was considered the most important artist at work in Britain: Virginia Woolf remarked that by 1908 the era of John Singer Sarge ...

and

William Rothenstein Sir William Rothenstein (29 January 1872 – 14 February 1945) was an English painter, printmaker, draughtsman, lecturer, and writer on art. Emerging during the early 1890s, Rothenstein continued to make art right up until his death. Though he c ...

. In 1898, Fothergill and Rothenstein opened the Carfax Gallery on 24

Bury Street Bury Street is a one-way street in St James's, London SW1. It runs roughly north-to-south from Jermyn Street to King Street, and crosses Ryder Street. Street history Probably taking its name from Bury St Edmunds, Rushbrooke, the country seat ...

St James's St James's is a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End. In the 17th century the area developed as a residential location for the British aristocracy, and around the 19th century was the focus of the d ...

with managerial assistance from Arthur Clifton and Robert Sickert (brother of

Walter Sickert Walter Richard Sickert (31 May 1860 – 22 January 1942) was a German-born British painter and printmaker who was a member of the Camden Town Group of Post-Impressionist artists in early 20th-century London. He was an important influence on d ...

) and financial support from

Edward Perry Warren Edward Perry Warren (January 8, 1860 – December 28, 1928), known as Ned Warren, was an American art collector and the author of works proposing an idealized view of homosexual relationships. He is now best known as the former owner of the Warr ...

. The gallery became Walter Sickert's chief dealer in England.

William Bruce Ellis Ranken William Bruce Ellis Ranken (11 April 1881 – 31 March 1941) was a British artist and Edwardian aesthete. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Robert Ranken, Robert Burt Ranken, a wealthy and successful lawyer, and his wife Mary. He attend ...

held his first exhibition at the gallery. Fothergill subsequently became one of Warren's biographers. Lewes House, 2017

Fothergill bought a large Tudor oak table for £25 that was installed in the dining room at Warren's home, Lewes House. Upon Warren's death, it sold for £2,100 (£ in ). Fothergill was left £20,000 (£ in ) by Warren. His book, ''Confessions of an Innkeeper'' was dedicated to Warren's partner and main beneficiary. The Spread Eagle Hotel, Thame - geograph

The Spread Eagle Hotel, Thame - geograph

In 1922, Fothergill bought the Spread Eagle Hotel in

Thame Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border wi ...

and turned it into a success through the decade before it closed in 1931. The pub was regularly visited by

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires '' Decl ...

and associates, and is mentioned in ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

''. Waugh gave Fothergill a copy of his first novel, ''

Decline and Fall ''Decline and Fall'' is a novel by the English author Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1928. It was Waugh's first published novel; an earlier attempt, titled '' The Temple at Thatch'', was destroyed by Waugh while still in manuscript form. '' ...

'', in which he wrote, "John Fothergill, Oxford's only civilizing influence." Fothergill hid the copy in the inn's toilet to avoid theft.

Harold Acton Sir Harold Mario Mitchell Acton (5 July 1904 – 27 February 1994) was a British writer, scholar, and aesthete who was a prominent member of the Bright Young Things. He wrote fiction, biography, history and autobiography. During his stay in C ...

also visited the inn and namechecked Fothergill in his memoirs, ''Memoirs of an Aesthete''. Fothergill praised Acton's novel, ''Humdrum'', saying that it "might have been written by the young

Wilde Wilde is a surname. Notable people with the name include: In arts and entertainment In film, television, and theatre * '' Wilde'' a 1997 biographical film about Oscar Wilde * Andrew Wilde (actor), English actor * Barbie Wilde (born 1960), Canad ...

." Fothergill's book, ''My Three Inns'' recommends Acton's autobiography at the end. Following the Spread Eagle, Fothergill managed the Royal Ascot Hotel and the Three Swans at

Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the adm ...

. He gravitated around the

Bright Young Things __NOTOC__ The Bright Young Things, or Bright Young People, was a nickname given by the tabloid press to a group of Bohemianism, Bohemian young Aristocracy (class), aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London. They threw flamboyant costume party, f ...

group, in the meaning that this crowd attended the venues managed by Fothergill. He was praised for his cooking and innkeeping skills that helped to improve overall dining standards in Britain. Fothergill was a close friend of

Robbie Ross Robert Baldwin Ross (25 May 18695 October 1918) was a Canadian-British journalist, art critic and art dealer, best known for his relationship with Oscar Wilde, to whom he was a devoted friend and literary executor. A grandson of the Canadian ...

and

Reginald Turner Reginald Turner (2 June 1869 – 7 December 1938) was an English author, an aesthete and a member of the circle of Oscar Wilde. He worked as a journalist, wrote twelve novels, and his correspondence has been published, but he is best known as o ...

, and met Oscar Wilde aged 19. Wilde grew fond of him, and presented Fothergill with an inscribed copy of ''The Ballad of Reading Gaol'', following Wilde's release from prison in 1897.

Publications

* ''An Innkeeper's Diary'' (1931) * ''Confessions of an Innkeeper'' (1938) * ''My Three Inns'' (1949) John Fothergills Cookery Book (1943)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fothergill, John 1876 births 1957 deaths English writers