George Porter ( 1795/96 – 1856) was an English architect, based in

Bermondsey Bermondsey ( ) is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, ...

, then part of

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, in the early- to mid-nineteenth-century.

Life and career

Porter was appointed district surveyor to the parishes of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, and St. Mary,

Rotherhithe Rotherhithe ( ) is a district of South London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, with the Isle of Dogs to the ea ...

, Surrey, in 1824. He still held the posts in 1832, when he gave his address as Fort Place, Bermondsey. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1815 and between 1834 and 1837. Works he showed there included "Design for a Museum" (1815), "Villa in Surrey" (1834), "Villa on Brighton road" (1835) and "London Leather warehouse" (1837). He died in 1856. At the time of his death he was described as district surveyor of Newington and the central division of Lambeth.

Works

*Porter was responsible for the alterations to the west end and tower of the parish church of

St Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey is an Church of England, Anglican church dedicated to St Mary Magdalen in Bermondsey in the London Borough of Southwark. The majority of the present building is late 17th century and is Listed building#Categories o ...

, carried out in 1830, which gave them their present "Gothick" appearance. He also restored the medieval west window. *The Free Watermen and Lightermen's Almshouses (generally known as the "Royal Watermen's Almshouses") on Beckenham Road,

Penge Penge () is a suburb of South East Greater London, London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross. Etymology The name ''Penge'' is first attested in charter of ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, were built in "Tudor" style to Porter's designs in 1840-1 by the

Company of Watermen and Lightermen The Company of Watermen and Lightermen (CWL) is a historic City guild in the City of London. However, unlike the city's 111 livery companies, CWL does not have a grant of livery. Its meeting rooms are at Waterman's Hall on St Mary at Hill, Londo ...

of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

for retired company Freemen and their widows. It is the most prominent and oldest of the Victorian

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

s in Penge. In 1973, the almspeople were moved to a new site in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

, and the original buildings converted into private homes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, George (Architect) 1856 deaths 19th-century English architects People from Bermondsey Architects from Surrey Year of birth uncertain