Christopher Hatton Turnor (23 November 1873 Toronto – 19 August 1940) was an English author, architect, and social reformer. He is known for having designed the

Watts Gallery Watts Gallery – Artists' Village is an art gallery in the village of Compton, near Guildford in Surrey. It is dedicated to the work of the Victorian-era painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts. The gallery has been Grade II* listed on t ...

, Surrey and the Stoneham War Shrine, Hampshire. Turnor was the son of Christopher Hatton Turnor (1840 - 1914) and Alicia Killaly (watercolorist). His father was the second son of Christopher Turnor (MP) and Lady Caroline Finch-Hatton, daughter of 10th Earl of Winchilsea, and herself was a descendants of

Sir Christopher Hatton Sir Christopher Hatton (12 December 1540 – 20 November 1591) was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England. He was one of the judges who found Mary, Queen of Scots guilty of treason. Early ...

. His mother was the daughter of a Canadian engineer. Turnor was educated at the

Royal Agricultural College The Royal Agricultural University (RAU), formerly the Royal Agricultural College, is a public university in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world. ...

Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...

and at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

. He initially trained as an architect under

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...

and

Robert Weir Schultz Robert Weir Schultz (26 July 1860 – 29 April 1951), later Robert Weir Schultz Weir and known as R. W. S. Weir, was a Scottish Arts and Crafts architect, artist, landscape designer and furniture designer. He did much work on the Isle of Bute ...

. In addition to his architectural work, Turnor became a campaigner for agricultural reform. He co-founded the Central Landowners' Association. He was mayor of Grantham from 1928-30, where he developed the Turnor Crescent housing scheme, in the east of the town off Hill Avenue, in May 1929. Bernard Samuel Gilbert (12 May 1882 - 5 May 1927) a writer lived at the Hall for last four years of life. He wrote 'Bly Market'. Turnor married Sarah Marie Talbot Carpenter, daughter of Hon. Walter Talbot Carpenter (son of 18th Earl of Shrewsbury) and Sarah Carpenter, widow of 1st Earl of Tyrconnell. The newly wed settled at

Stoke Rochford Hall Stoke Rochford Hall is a large house built in scenic grounds, with a nearby golf course, next to the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 in south Lincolnshire, England. The parkland and gardens of Stoke Rochford Hall are listed Grade II* on the Registe ...

, they were welcomed by his uncle Edmund Turnor. Turnor eventually inherited the Stoke Rochford property, he died in 1940 and was succeeded to the property by his first cousin Major Herbert Turnor. He died in Torquay. The funeral was on Friday 23 August 1940 at Stoke Rochford.

Succession

Herbert Turnor lived at Little Ponton Hall. He also owned 1,914 acres around

Kirmond le Mire Kirmond le Mire is a small village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the B1203 road, east from Market Rasen and south-west from Grimsby. It is in the civil parish of Thoresway. Kirmo ...

. The Turnor family had owned much of this village, for many generations. Herbert's wife (24 April 1894 - 9 September 1969), married on 1 September 1922. Herbert (22 August 1885 - 21 February 1979), died aged 93. Herbert's daughter (9 September 1924 - 21 September 2015) married on Saturday 26 July 1947. She developed a

National Garden Scheme The National Garden Scheme opens privately owned gardens in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Channel Islands on selected dates for charity. It was founded in 1927 with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to th ...

at Little Ponton Hall, now run by her grandson. Herbert had another daughter Pamela (born 22 May 1926), who is still alive.''Grantham Journal'' Friday 1 August 1947, page 1

Published works

* ''Land Problems and National Welfare'' (1911) * ''Land settlement after the war'' (1915) * ''Food Supply'' (1916) * ''The Land and the Empire'' (1917) * ''Land settlement for ex-service men in the overseas dominions'' (1920) * ''The Land and its Problems'' (1921) * ''Land settlement in Germany'' (1935) * ''Yeoman calling'' (1939)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turnor, Christopher Hatton 1873 births 1940 deaths Architects from Gloucestershire English social reformers Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates