NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Edward William Godwin

Edward William Godwin (Bristol, May 26, 1833 - October 6, 1886) was a progressive British architect-designer, who began working in the strongly polychromatic "Ruskinian Gothic" style of mid-Victorian Britain, inspired by The Stones of Venice, then moved on to provide designs in the "Anglo-Japanese taste" of the Aesthetic Movement and Whistler's circle in the 1870s. Godwin's influence can be detected in the Arts and Crafts Movement. Download high resolution version (700x865, 203 KB)The Guildhall in Northampton. ... Download high resolution version (700x865, 203 KB)The Guildhall in Northampton. ... Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin The Gothic revival was a European architectural movement with origins in mid-18th century England. ... Bristol is a unitary authority with city and ceremonial county status in South West England. ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in Leap years). ... 1886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... The Stones of Venice is John Ruskins original three-volume masterpiece on Venetian art and architecture, first published from 1851-53. ... The Aesthetic movement is a loosely defined movement in art and literature in later nineteenth century Britain. ... Artichoke wallpaper, by John Henry Dearle for William Morris & Co. ...

His best known early works include The Guild Hall, Northampton (illustration, right), which was his first notable public commission and Town Hall, Congleton as well as restorations and neo-Gothic additions to Dromore Castle and Castle Ashby. Map sources for Congleton at grid reference SJ854628 Congleton is a town in the county of Cheshire in the north west of England, on the banks of the River Dane, and to the west of the Macclesfield Canal. ... Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin The Gothic revival was a European architectural movement with origins in mid-18th century England. ... Castle Ashby House - Northamptonshire Castle Ashby is the name of an estate village in rural Northamptonshire and also the country house of the same name in the village; historically the village was set up to service the needs of Castle Ashby houseâ€”the home of the Marquess of Northampton. ...

Apprenticed to an engineer in Bristol, where his architectural training was largely self-taught, Godwin moved to London about 1862, and made the acquaintance of the reform Gothic designer William Burges. William Burges William Burges (1827-1881) was an English architect and designer with influences which continue today. ...

As an antiquary, he had a particular interest in medieval costume and furniture and architecture. Godwin was widowed in 1865; his affair with the renowned actress Ellen Terry between 1868 and 1874, incurred her retirement with him to Hertfordshire, and produced two children, one of them Edward Gordon Craig (1872-1966), who became an important actor, designer, director, and theoretical writer of the early 20th century European stage. The affair inspired Godwin to spend much time designing theatrical costumes and scenery. After she returned to the theater and their connection cooled, Godwin married a young designer in his office, Beatrice/Beatrix Birnie Philip (1857-1896), who bore him a son. After Godwin's death, she and Whistler married, in 1888. Godwin was a frequent contributor to the periodical British Architect and published a number of books on architecture, costume and theatre. Ellen Alice Terry (February 27, 1847 â€“ July 21, 1928) was an English stage actress. ... Edward Gordon Craig (16 January 1872-29 July 1966) was a British actor, producer, director and scenic designer. ...

To judge from his sketchbooks at the Victoria and Albert Museum one might have expected an eclectic historicist, but Godwin, by no means a tame reproducer of antiquarian Gothic designs, was among the first to extend the European design repertory to include the arts of Japan, which had been opened to the Western world in 1853. The style of furniture, mostly executed with an ebonized finish, which he designed for Dromore Castle and his own use from 1867. Similar designs were produced later by the firms of William Watt and Collinson & Lock which also emphasised the stripped-down "Anglo-Japanese taste" pared of merely decorative touches. The spirit of Japan, rather than mere details, is strong in a black cabinet Godwin designed for Collinson & Lock, now at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Cromwell Road entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum viewed from Thurloe Square The main interior courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2004. ... Eclecticism is an approach to thought that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions or conclusions, but instead draws upon multiple theories to gain complementary insights into phenomena, or applies only certain theories in particular cases. ... General Electric GE90-115B fanblade, on display at MoMA. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. ...

In the 1870s and 80s Godwin's designs could be found at Liberty and Co., his wallpapers, printed textiles, tiles, "art furniture" or metalwork set the tone in houses of those with an artistic and progressive bent. Oscar Wilde was among his clients, and Princess Louise, for whom he designed a studio at Kensington Palace. Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 â€“ November 30, 1900) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer. ... Her Royal Highness The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, (Louise Caroline Alberta), (18 March 1848 - 3 December 1939) was a member of the British Royal Family and Canadian Vice Regal Consort, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. ... The south facade of the main block of Kensington Palace, seen through Jean Tijous wrought iron gates. ...

In 1877 the painter James Whistler, himself a connoisseur of Japanese prints, commissioned Godwin to build him a house in Tite Street, Chelsea, which Godwin completed the following year, in spite of its being objected to by The Metropolitan Board of Works at first. Unfortunately Whistler's bankruptcy in 1879 forced the sale of the house along with the rest of the painter's effects. The buyer of the house, an art critic, made alterations that Whistler and Godwin deplored. (The White House was demolished in the 1960s.) Whistler and Godwin shared an interest in Chinese and Japanese art and collaborated over The Whjite House and in a number of projects involving furniture and interior design, notably "Harmony in Yellow and Gold: The Butterfly Cabinet". When Whistler exhibited his radical Impressionist paintings of Venice, Godwin entirely redecorated the exhibition galleries to complement them. James Abbott McNeill Whistler (July 14, 1834 - July 17, 1903) was an American painter and etcher. ... Impressionism was a 19th century art movement, that began as a loose association of Paris-based artists who began publicly exhibiting their art in the 1860s. ...

In 1881 he designed a new entrance for the premises in Bond Street of the Fine Art Society, a progressive venue for exhibitions of new art, where one of the first exhibitions of Japanese woodblock prints was held. Bond Street is a major shopping street in London, seen as more upmarket than nearby Regent Street or Oxford Street. ...

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Edward William Godwin
Victorian Web: Edward William Godwin; bibliography

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