Charles Mitchell (22 May 1820 – 22 August 1895) was a Scottish engineer from

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

who founded major shipbuilding yards on the Tyne. He became a public benefactor who funded notable buildings that still survive today.

Career

He attended Aberdeen University. After an

engineering apprentice An engineering apprenticeship in the United Kingdom is an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering or electrical engineering or aeronautical engineering to train craftsmen, technicians, senior technicians, Incorporated Engineers and Chartered Eng ...

ship in London, he became a ship designer working for John Coutts'

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

yard in 1842. He became a shipbuilder in his own right at the Low Walker yard on the Tyne in 1852. The cable ship ''Hooper'', second in size only to SS ''Great Eastern'' and the first ship designed specifically to lay trans-Atlantic cable, was launched for

Hooper's Telegraph Works The Hooper's Telegraph Works Ltd was established by William Hooper in 1870 to manufacture and lay submarine communications cable using his patented vulcanized rubber core. Before the company was formed to produce finished submarine cable Hooper ...

at the yard on 29 March 1873 after four and a half months construction. That shipyard joined in partnership with the Armstrong yard to form Armstrong Mitchell in 1882. He was decorated with the Imperial Order of St Stanislaus, 2nd class (normal for foreign nationals), which may be seen in the coat of arms over the door of Jesmond Towers. Jesmond Towers, until 2008 the La Sagesse School, is a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

building that was built in several stages in the nineteenth century. The main work is by the Newcastle architect John Dobson. In 1871, Mitchell was among those greeting the High Admiral, Grand Duke Konstantin at Newcastle Central station, after which the party drove on to Jesmond Towers. The Russian guests had come to visit the Low Walker yard and have a quick tour of the river. In 1887 Mitchell commissioned the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

church of St George,

Jesmond Jesmond ( ) is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, situated north of the city centre and to the east of the Town Moor. Jesmond is considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, with higher aver ...

from Thomas Ralph Spence (1845–1918), secretary of the Newcastle Arts Association. The building is tall and dramatic inside and of excellent workmanship throughout (commented upon by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

on his visit in the 1890s). The stained glass is especially fine, and the mosaic figures were designed by Mitchell's own son, C.W. Mitchell. The Lewis organ was originally provided with air by two powerful hydraulic engines supplied by Mitchell's neighbour in Jesmond Dene,

Baron Armstrong Baron Armstrong is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came on 6 July 1887 when the industrialist Sir William Armstrong was made Baron Armstrong, of Cragside in the County of Northumber ...

. In

he gave the land from the Jesmond Towers estate and £30,000 for the construction of the ''art nouveau'' St George's church (1888). Until his death at the age of 75 he directed the shipbuilding activities of Sir W.G. Armstrong, Mitchell and Co. In 1897, after he died, the firm became

Armstrong Whitworth Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick, Tyne and Wear, Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth built armaments, ships, locomot ...

which is now part of

Rolls-Royce plc Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a British multinational aerospace and defence company incorporated in February 2011. The company owns Rolls-Royce, a business established in 1904 which today designs, manufactures and distributes power systems for ...

and

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...

References

Sources

*Obituary in ''The Times'', Monday, 26 Aug 1895; pg. 7
Swan Hunter History

External links

{{Authority control 1820 births 1895 deaths People from Aberdeen Scottish shipbuilders Scottish company founders Alumni of the University of Aberdeen 19th-century Scottish businesspeople 19th-century Scottish engineers