William Owen (architect)

William Owen (27 August 1846 – 5 April 1910) was an English architect who practised in Warrington, which was at that time in Lancashire, England. His works were confined to Northwest England. Owen is best known for his collaboration with William Lever in the creation of the soap-making factory and associated model village at Port Sunlight in the Wirral Peninsula (then in Cheshire, now in Merseyside). Here he designed the factory, many of the workers' houses, public buildings and the church. Later Owen was joined by his son, Segar, as a partner. On his own, or in partnership, Owen designed houses, churches, banks, public houses, an infirmary, a school, and a concert hall.

Christ Church, Port Sunlight (1902–04)

Biography and career

William Owen was born in Latchford, Warrington. He trained as an architect under John Lowe in Manchester, becoming his assistant, and later was assistant to James Radford. He then travelled in Europe before establishing a practice in Warrington in 1869. He was joined in partnership by his eldest son, Segar, in 1898.[1] The partnership also had an office in Manchester.[2] Owen's work was confined to Northwest England. His more notable designs include churches in Altrincham, Greater Manchester,[3] and Warrington,[4] buildings for Parr's Bank in Southport, Merseyside,[5] and Wigan, Greater Manchester,[6] and the Parr Hall, a concert hall in Warrington.[7] The partnership were architects to the Greenall Whitley Brewery Company,[8] and built public houses for them in Warrington,[8][9][10] and Stockton Heath, Cheshire.[11]

Port Sunlight

In 1886 William Lever established a soap factory in Warrington.[12] The site proved to be too small for his plans and the rent was too high. Lever and Owen together travelled around the area looking for a larger and more suitable site. They settled on a marshy area near Bromborough Pool in the Wirral Peninsula. Here they planned to build a larger factory and the model village that was to become Port Sunlight.[13] Building the factory began in 1888, followed by the first houses in the next year, the first 28 of which were designed by Owen.[12] Owen then went on to design more houses and other buildings in the village, initially on his own, and later with Segar.[14] In the village, on his own or with his son, Owen also designed public buildings. These include Gladstone Hall (1891), originally a men's dining and recreation room and later the Gladstone Theatre,[15] Hulme Hall (1901), a women's dining hall,[15] and Christ Church (1902–04), a Congregational church.[16]

Works elsewhere

Single-handed

• Baptist Church, Altrincham, Greater Manchester (1878–79)[3]
• St Barnabas' Church, Bank Quay, Warrington, Cheshire (1879)[4]
• School of Art, Warrington, Cheshire (1883)[17]
• Extensions to All Saints Church, Thelwall, Cheshire (1890)[18][19]
• National Westminster Bank, Southport, Merseyside (1892) (originally Parr's Bank)[5][20]
• Ticketford, Thornton Hough, Merseyside (1892) [21]
• 5–11 The Folds, Thornton Hough, Merseyside (1892)[22]
• Eversley, Frodsham, Cheshire (c. 1892)[23]
• 1–6 Manor Road, Thornton Hough, Merseyside (1893)[21][24]
• Parr Hall, Warrington (1895)[7][25]
• Albion public house, Warrington, Cheshire (1896)[9]
• St Clement's Chapel, Warrington, Cheshire (1897) (demolished)[2]
• National Westminster Bank, Wigan, Greater Manchester (1898) (originally Parr's Bank)[6][26]
• Normanshurst Hotel, Manchester (1898)[2][27]
• Cemetery Chapel, Hale Barns, Greater Manchester (date unknown)[28]
• Windsor Court (originally a Post Office), Knutsford, Cheshire (date unknown)[29]

In partnership

• Workhouse Infirmary, Warrington, Cheshire (now Kendrick Wing, Warrington General Hospital) (1899)[30]
• Royal Oak public house, Warrington, Cheshire (c. 1900)[10][31]
• Wheatsheaf public house, Warrington, Cheshire (c. 1900)[8]
• Technical School, Warrington (1900–01)[32][33]
• Mulberry Tree public house, Stockton Heath, Cheshire (1907)[11][34]
• Organ screen, St Elphin's Church, Warrington, Cheshire (1908)[35]

References

Citations

1. Brodie (2001), p. 299
2. William and Segar Owen, Victorian Web, retrieved 25 August 2014
3. Hartwell et al. (2011), p. 99
4. Pollard & Pevsner (2006), p. 631
5. Hartwell & Pevsner (2009), pp. 630–631
6. Pollard & Pevsner (2006), p. 670
7. Pollard & Pevsner (2006), p. 614
8. Historic England, "Wheatsheaf public house, Warrington (1323683)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
9. Historic England, "The Albion public house, Warrington (1323682)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
10. Pollard & Pevsner (2006), p. 618
11. Pollard & Pevsner (2006), p. 627
12. Hartwell et al. (2011), p. 530
13. Lewis (2008), p. 110
14. Hartwell et al. (2011), p. 532
15. Hartwell et al. (2011), p. 535
16. Hartwell et al. (2011), pp. 534–535
17. Pollard & Pevsner (2006), p. 615
18. Pollard & Pevsner (2006), p. 628
19. Historic England, "Church of All Saints, Thelwall (1139326)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
20. Historic England, "National Westminster Bank, Southport (1379611)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
21. Hartwell et al. (2011), p. 633
22. Historic England, "5–11 The Folds, Thornton Hough (1300299)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
23. Hartwell et al. (2011), p. 365
24. Historic England, "1–6 Manor Road, Thornton Hough (1075416)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
25. Historic England, "Parr Hall, Warrington (1310063)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
26. Historic England, "National Westminster Bank, Wigan (1384514)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
27. Brooklands Road Conservation Area, Manchester City Council, retrieved 25 August 2014
28. Hartwell et al. (2011), p. 385
29. Hartwell et al. (2011), p. 424
30. Pollard & Pevsner (2006), p. 632
31. Historic England, "Royal Oak public house, Warrington (1161277)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
32. Pollard & Pevsner (2006), pp. 614–615
33. Historic England, "Technical School, Warrington (1329722)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
34. Historic England, "Mulbewrry Tree Hotel, Stockton Heath (1261144)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014
35. Historic England, "Church of St Elphin, Warrington (1329734)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 August 2014

Sources

• Brodie, Antonia, ed. (2001), Directory of British Architects, 1834–1914, 2 (L–Z), A & C Black, ISBN 978-0-826-45514-7
• Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
• Hartwell, Clare; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2009) [1969], Lancashire: North, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-12667-9
• Lewis, Brian (2008), 'So Clean': Lord Leverhulme, soap and civilization, Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-0-7190-8913-8
• Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-10910-5