Edwin Seward (1853 – 21 June 1924) was an

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 ...

based in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Biography

Born in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, Seward came to Cardiff aged 16 and studied at the School of Art. He began work as an assistant to architect G. E. Robinson. Seward was one of the individuals at the centre of Cardiff's young art scene. He was the 21st President of the

Cardiff Naturalists' Society The Cardiff Naturalists' Society is a natural history and historical society based in Cardiff, Wales. The Cardiff Naturalists' Society was founded in 1867 to promote the study of natural history, geology, and the natural sciences, taking in archae ...

(founded 1867) which was a hub of intellectual discussion. He tried unsuccessfully to establish a national institution in Cardiff for Welsh art (the Cambrian Academy of Art eventually set up in

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy ...

) and was a founding member of the South Wales Art Society in 1888. By 1875 Seward was a member of the architecture firm James, Seward and Thomas and went on to build some of Cardiff's most notable buildings in the late 19th century. Whilst in Cardiff, Seward lived in Lisvane house, a property which he remodeled himself and is now Grade II listed. He later retired to Weymouth, Dorset, where he lived until his death.

Works in Cardiff include

Cardiff Free Library Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

The Hayes The Hayes () is a commercial area in the southern city centre of the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Centred on the road of that name leading south towards the east end of the city centre, the area is mostly pedestrianised and is the location of the H ...

(1880–82) * St David's Hospital (1881) *

Cardiff Royal Infirmary Cardiff Royal Infirmary () (also known as the CRI or YBC) is a hospital in central Cardiff, Wales. It is managed by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. History The hospital has its origins in the Cardiff Dispensary, which began on Ne ...

(1883) *

Coal Exchange The Coal Exchange (also known as the Exchange Building) is a historic building in Cardiff, Wales. It is designed in Renaissance Revival style. Built in 1888 as the Coal and Shipping Exchange to be used as a market floor and office building for ...

(1884–88) in

Mount Stuart Square Mount Stuart Square is a residential and commercial square in Cardiff, Wales. It is located in the Butetown area of the city. Originally developed in the late 1800s as a residential location for nearby dock workers, it quickly became a centre ...

* David Morgan department stores building **two arcades in the city centre *

Llanishen Methodist Church Llanishen Methodist Church, also known as Century Chapel, is a listed place of worship in Llanishen, a suburb of Cardiff in Wales. History The church can trace its origins back to a Religious Society in the 18th century, the existence of which p ...

*New Trinity Church United Reformed Church (demolished in 1998) at junction of Cowbridge Road East and Theobald Rd. Canton Uniting Church rebuilt on same site.

Works elsewhere

Seward designed the

Turner House Gallery Turner House Gallery is an art gallery and multi-purpose cultural venue in Penarth, near Cardiff, Wales. Details The gallery was built in 1887/8, designed by architect Edwin Seward in a Queen Anne style architecture, Queen Anne style for the ric ...

(1887/8) in

Penarth Penarth ( , ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. Penarth is a Seaside resort#Brit ...

for businessman

James Pyke Thompson James Pyke Thompson (1846–1897) was a British corn merchant who is best known for his philanthropic work towards the people of Cardiff and Penarth in South Wales. Born into a wealthy family in Bridgwater, Somerset, Thompson joined his father ...

. He was the winning architect for the Swansea Harbour Trust Building in

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

and he worked on the widening of the

Wye Bridge The Severn Bridge () is a Controlled-access highway, motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn crossing, Severn road crossi ...

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

.Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust, Historic Landscape Characterisation, Wyesham
Accessed 4 January 2012

Notes

External links

Cardiff conservation area appraisalBorders Opens New Superstore In Cardiff 28 SeptemberBBC South West Wales: From Harbour to Hotel
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seward, Edwin 1853 births 1924 deaths Architects from Cardiff 20th-century Welsh architects 19th-century Welsh architects People educated at Yeovil School