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Thomas Mainwaring Penson (1818–1864) was an English surveyor and architect. His father and grandfather, who were both named Thomas Penson, were also surveyors and architects. His grandfather Thomas Penson (c. 1760–1824) worked from an office in
. He is credited with pioneering the Black-and-white Revival (vernacular or
Thomas Mainwaring Penson (1818–1864) was an English surveyor and architect. His father and grandfather, who were both named Thomas Penson, were also surveyors and architects. His grandfather Thomas Penson (c. 1760–1824) worked from an office in Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
, North Wales, and was responsible for the design of bridges, roads, gaols and buildings in North Wales. His son Thomas Penson (1790–1859) was county surveyor to a number of Welsh counties and also designed bridges. He later moved to Oswestry
Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
, Shropshire
Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
where he established an architectural practice. Thomas Mainwaring Penson was born in Oswestry, and was educated at Oswestry School
Oswestry School is an ancient public school (English independent boarding and day school), located in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. It was founded in 1407 as a 'free' school, being independent of the church. This gives it the distinction of b ...
. His elder brother was Richard Kyrke Penson who became a partner in the Oswestry practice in 1854, before developing an extensive architectural practice of his own, mainly in South Wales. Thomas Mainwaring Penson trained in his father's practice. Thomas Mainwaring initially designed buildings in the area of the practice, including stations for the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway
The North Wales Mineral Railway was formed to carry coal and ironstone from the mineral-bearing area around Wrexham to the River Dee, Wales, River Dee wharves. It was extended to run from Shrewsbury and formed part of a main line trunk route, ...
.
He was then appointed as County Surveyor of Cheshire and moved to Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
, Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
. Here he laid out Overleigh Cemetery in 1848–50. This has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
at Grade II in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
{{R from move ...
{{R from move ...half-timbered
Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...
) style in the city during the 1850s. His first building in this style was constructed in Eastgate Street in 1852, but it has since been demolished. His other notable buildings in Chester were designed both in Black-and-white Revival and in other styles. They include Crypt Chambers (1858) in Eastgate Street, which is in Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
style, Queen Hotel (1860–61) opposite Chester railway station, which is Italianate
The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...
, and Grosvenor Hotel (1863–86) in Eastgate Street, which is constructed in a mixture of timber-framing, brick and stone. These three buildings have all been designated by English Heritage as listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
s, Crypt Chambers at Grade I, and the other two at Grade II.
See also
* List of works by Thomas Mainwaring PensonReferences
Bibliography * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Penson, Thomas Mainwaring 1818 births 1864 deaths 19th-century English architects People from Oswestry People from Chester People educated at Oswestry School Architects from Shropshire