Edward Ashworth (1814 – 1896) was an English artist and architect from Devon, England, considered to be the

West Country The West Country is a loosely defined area within southwest England, usually taken to include the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Bristol, with some considering it to extend to all or parts of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and ...

's leading ecclesiastical architect. He was elected a member of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural Society in 1847.Bury

Origins

ColletonBartonDevon ByEdwardAshworth 1892

He was born in 1814 at Colleton Barton, in the parish of

Chulmleigh Chulmleigh ( ) is a small Saxon hilltop market town and civil parish in North Devon, in the heart of the English county of Devon. It lies north west of Exeter, just north of the Mid Devon boundary, linked by the A377 and B3096 roads. Hist ...

in Devon.

Career

He left Colleton in 1822 and later moved to London where he became a pupil of the architect

Charles Fowler Charles Fowler (17 May 1792 – 26 September 1867) was an English architect, born and baptised at Cullompton, Cullompton, Devon. He is especially noted for his design of market buildings, including Covent Garden Market in London. Life Educati ...

(1792-1867), born in

Cullompton Cullompton () is a town and civil parish in the district of Mid Devon and the county of Devon, England. It is north-east of Exeter and lies on the River Culm. In 2021, the parish as a whole had a population of 10,071, while the built-up area o ...

, Devon. During 1842-46 Ashworth travelled in New Zealand, Australia, Timor, Macau and Hong Kong during which time he kept diaries and sketchbooks. Following his return to England in 1846 he set up an architectural practice in Exeter, Devon. In later life he lived at Dix's Field in Exeter. He rebuilt or restored many churches in Devon, including:

Rebuilding works

*Cullompton, Devon (1849) *Dulverton, Somerset (1852–55) *Bideford, Devon (1859) *Lympstone, Devon (1862) * St Mary's, Bideford, Devon (1862–65) *Withycombe Raleigh, Exmouth, Devon (1863–64) *St Mary Major, Exeter, Devon (1865), now demolished * St Margaret's Church, Topsham (1874) *Milton Combe (1878) *St Nicholas Church, Exeter (opposite St Nicholas Priory) (design of)

Restoration works

St Michael and All Angels Church, Bude St Michael and All Angels Church is a Grade II listed church in Bude, Cornwall. History It was originally built in 1834 by George Wightwick for Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet as a Chapel of Ease to Stratton Parish Church. The church was ...

, Cornwall *

St Peter's Church, Tiverton St Peter's Church, Tiverton is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Tiverton, Devon. History The church dates from 1073. Several restorations have been undertaken, in 1825–1829 by G.A. Boyce, and in 1853–1856 by Edwar ...

, Devon *Silverton *Lapford *Widecombe *Axminster *Doddiscombsleigh *North Molton * Wynards Almshouses, Exeter (1863)

Literary works

*''Chinese Architecture'' (1851), with his illustrations

Paintings and drawings

Many of his drawings and paintings are held in the collection of the Westcountry Studies Library, Exeter, at the

Devon and Exeter Institution The Devon and Exeter Institution is a subscription library in the City of Exeter, in Devon, United Kingdom, founded in 1813 for "The general diffusion of science, literature and the arts". It is situated at 7, Cathedral Close, Exeter, in a build ...

and Devon Record Office.

Death and burial

He died on 8 March 1896 and left a substantial estate valued at £26,814, mainly invested in Railway stocks. He was buried in the newly created Higher Cemetery, Exeter, for which he had designed two lodges and one chapel. His ornate stone cross, made of pink stone, survives and was restored ''circa'' 2010.

Notes

References

*Bury, Richard M.B., ''History of Colleton Barton'', 1993 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashworth, Edward 1814 births 1896 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English architects English ecclesiastical architects Artists from Exeter 19th-century English male artists Architects from Exeter