Edward William Mountford (22 September 1855 – 7 February 1908) was an English

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, noted for his Edwardian Baroque style, who designed a number of town halls – Sheffield, Battersea and Lancaster – as well as the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

in London. He served as President of the Architectural Association, and as a council-member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, but died young at the age of 52, "removing from the front rank of the profession a very able and distinguished architect."

Life

Mountford was born in

Shipston-on-Stour Shipston-on-Stour is a town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in southern Warwickshire, England. It is located on the banks of the River Stour, Warwickshire, River Stour, points of the compass, south-southeast of Stratford-up ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, on 22 September 1855, the son of Edward Mountford, a draper, and his Northamptonshire-born wife Eliza Devonshire. The family lived in the Cotswolds in his youth, and he was educated privately in Clevedon, Somerset. In 1872 he was articled to Messrs. Habershon & Pite of

Bloomsbury Square Bloomsbury Square is a garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, London. Developed in the late 17th century, it was initially known as Southampton Square and was one of the earliest London squares. By the early 19th century, Be ...

, where his contemporaries included William Howard Seth-Smith and A. R. G. Fenning, later acting as the practice's Clerk of Works. He was later for a time part of the practice of George Elkington, and afterwards employed by Messrs. Giles, Gough & Trollope. He entered into practice on his own account in 1881, engaged in the design, chiefly, of churches and schools, often carried out in conjunction with H. D. Searles-Wood. He developed his practice by entering public competitions for public libraries, hospitals, and convalescent homes. Early commissions include the New Baptist Chapel on Northcote Road, Battersea (1884–5); a cottage hospital at Whitchurch, Shropshire (1885); and the Ellen Badger Hospital in

, Warwickshire (1886). His profile was raised immeasurably by winning the competition for the design of

Sheffield Town Hall Sheffield Town Hall is a municipal building on Pinstone Street in the Sheffield, City of Sheffield, England. The building is used by Sheffield City Council, and also contains a publicly displayed collection of silverware. It is a Grade I liste ...

(1890–1897), a grand palatial structure reflecting and serving as a symbol of the civic pride of the newly autonomous northern metropolitan council. In much the same period he was successful on three occasions in competitions run by the Battersea Vestry, being commissioned to design the Battersea Central Library (1889–1890); the Battersea Polytechnic Institute (1891); and the Battersea Town Hall (1891–1893). Further commissions via competition followed, including the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales (1900–1907) and Lancaster Town Hall (1906–1909). Although he saw the former to completion, he predeceased the construction of the latter, which was completed by his partner F. Dale Clapham. Mountford is seen as one of the initiators of the Wrenaissance style of

Baroque Revival architecture The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term is used to describe architecture and architectu ...

which characterises many British and Empire public buildings during the

Edwardian era In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

;

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 ...

was a fellow exponent of the style – and Mountford and Lutyens had a form of connection via their work in Munstead Heath, where Lutyens designed Munstead Wood for

Gertrude Jekyll Gertrude Jekyll ( ; 29 November 1843 – 8 December 1932) was a British Horticulture, horticulturist, garden designer, craftswoman, photographer, writer and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United Sta ...

and Mountford build Munstead Grange – Jekyll advising on his garden design – as his country house. Mountford was awarded a silver medal at the

Exposition Universelle (1900) The Exposition Universelle of 1900 (), better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate develop ...

for his Edwardian baroque designs. His domestic architecture, however, appears to have been influenced by the architecture of his Gloucestershire, Somerset and Warwickshire youth. He was also noted for championing the blending of sculpture and art with architecture, working with sculptors such as Paul Montford (on Battersea Town Hall),

F. W. Pomeroy Frederick William Pomeroy (9 October 1856 – 26 May 1924) was a prolific British sculptor of architectural and monumental works. He became a leading sculptor in the New Sculpture movement, a group distinguished by a stylistic turn towards na ...

, and Gilbert Seale, and with muralist Gerald Moira and the

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

exponent William Richmond. Mountford was very active in developing the architectural profession throughout his later career, holding for many years committee positions in the Architectural Association, including serving as its president from 1893–94 and acting as an advisor of its school of architecture. He was made a fellow of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

in 1890, and in later years served on its council until his death in 1908. He was described as genial, and “a bluff, kindly, humorous, thoroughly English President” of the Architectural Association; and although plagued by

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

in later years, was known as an enthusiast for all kinds of sport, notably fishing, rowing, football, and as a well-known member of the Surrey Cricket Club. Mountford married twice, to Jessie Smith (18 June 1888) and, following her death, Dorothy Hounsham (11 July 1903). He had a son (who became an architect) from his first marriage, and a daughter from his second. He resided in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

, where he was active in the local community; he furnished the south chapel of St Anne's Church, Wandsworth, in memory of his first wife. He died in London on 7 February 1908.

Legacy

Mountford’s contributions to British architecture extend beyond his buildings. His influence is acknowledged in the legal profession through Mountford Chambers, a barristers’ chambers in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

named in his honour. This naming reflects recognition of his architectural legacy, including his design of significant public buildings like the

, which remains a key component of the UK’s legal heritage.

Notable buildings: chronological order

* Ellen Badger Hospital 1886 * Battersea Central Library 1889–1890 *

1890–1897 * St Andrew's, Earlsfield 1890/1902 * Hitchin Town Hall 1900–01 * Battersea Town Hall 1891–1893 * St Olave's Grammar School (Southwark site) 1893 * Northampton Institute 1896 *

1900–1907 *St Michael and All Angels, Southfields, 1901Wandworth Deanery: St Michael and All Angels
, ''Diocese of Southwark''; online resource, accessed 12 July 2017. website *Munstead Grange and Munstead Lodge, Godalming, Surrey, 1902. * Lancaster Town Hall 1906–1909 * College of Technology and Museum Extension 1896–1909

With Herbert Appleton

*St Paul's Church, Forest Hill 1882 (destroyed by bombing 1943) *Beckenham Baptist Church (Elm Road Chapel),

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965, it was part of Kent. It is situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west ...

1883–84

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mountford, Edward William Architects from Warwickshire 1855 births 1908 deaths People from Shipston-on-Stour