Ernest Willmot Sloper (1871 – 12 June 1916) was an architect active in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, South Africa and in the United Kingdom. He designed Bishopskop for

Michael Furse Michael Bolton Furse, KCMG (born Bolton Michael Furse;''London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538–1812'England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837–1915'' 12 October 1870 – 18 June 1955) was an emin ...

bishop of Pretoria The Diocese of Pretoria is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It is divided into seven archdeaconries and has 61 parishes. History The diocese originally covered the whole of the South African Republic, which later became the T ...

. He also designed his own house in Parktown, Endstead

Early life

At birth, Sloper was named Ernest Willmott but changed his name to Ernest Sloper before he left Britain for in South Africa in 1902. He was born in Britain and received his schooling at

Queen's College, Taunton Queen's College is a co-educational independent school located in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England. It is a day/boarding school for children aged 0–18. The school incorporates nursery, pre-prep, Prep, and senior schools. The curre ...

, Somerset. He studied art part time at the Taunton Art School while working for an architect named Roberts in Taunton. At around about this time he worked on the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

as a resident engineer responsible for the

Kingsbridge branch line Kingsbridge branch line was a single track branch line railway in Devon, England. The railway, which became known as the Primrose Line, opened in 1893 and, despite local opposition, closed in 1963. It left the Exeter to Plymouth line at Brent ...

in Devon. While working in Devon he met with GF Bodley, an architect. Willmott then began working in the London offices of the architectural practice of Bodley &

Garner Garner may refer to: Places United States * Garner, Arkansas * Garner, Iowa * Garner, Missouri * Garner, North Carolina Other uses * Garner (surname), a surname * Granary, a grain store * ''Tennessee v. Garner'', a United States Supreme Court cas ...

. With Garner he designed the Empire Hotel,

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.

South Africa

In 1902 Sloper moved to South Africa where he joined

Herbert Baker Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 – 4 February 1946) was an English architect remembered as the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, and a major designer of some of New Delhi's most notable government structures. He wa ...

's office in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. Later in 1902 Baker and Sloper relocated to Johannesburg. In 1903 Sloper joined the practice of Baker & Massey as a partner and the firm was named Baker, Masey & Sloper. Baker valued Sloper's contribution to the firm noting ' lopershowed great gifts in educating builders and craftsmen to better methods of building and the use of local materials. The excellence of the walling built of koppie stone was largely due to his perseverance and encouragement to the masons'. Sloper paid great attention to the setting of the house in the garden; this is best seen in Howard Pim's house ''Timewell'' where terraces were created using koppie-stone retaining walls. These terraces were planted with indigenous shrubs. Joane Pim, the daughter of Howard Pim, who became a well-known gardener designer in Johannesburg, would have been influenced by growing up in the garden designed by Sloper. Sloper was credited by Professor Geoffrey Eastcott Pearse with starting architectural education in the Transvaal. In 1903 Sloper began giving classes at the School of Mines and Technology in Johannesburg in architectural design. Pearse was one of the first six pupils in those classes.

Works

Buildings

His works include: *St George's Church, Parktown *House at Kensington for J. Brown, Esq. *House at Riviera for Douglas Pennant, Esq. * Bishopskop for

, the

*House at Parktown for

Richard Feetham Richard Feetham CMG (1874–1965) was a lawyer, politician and judge in South Africa. He was also the chairman of a number of high-profile international and domestic commissions. Early life Feetham was born on 22 November 1874 in Penrho ...

town clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a To ...

Johannesburg *''Timewell'' at Parktown for Howard Pim, deputy

mayor of Johannesburg The Mayor of Johannesburg is the chief executive of the City Council and the highest elected position in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. List of mayors * Johan Zulch de Villiers (1897–1900) Appointed by South African Republic Executi ...

*Government House,

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

*Government Buildings,

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

*Westminster Estate,

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

for the

Duke of Westminster Duke of Westminster is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the ...

*St John The Divine Anglican Church, 5 Benson Street, West Porges, Randfontein. *A church at Krugersdorp *Houses at Pretoria for **Sir Arthur Weir Mason, Judge of the Transvaal Supreme Court **Sir William Henry Solomon, Judge of the Transvaal Supreme Court **Sir

James Rose Innes Sir James Rose Innes (8 January 1855 – 16 January 1942) was the Chief Justice of South Africa from 1914 to 1927 and, in the view of many, its greatest ever judge. Before becoming a judge he was a member of the Cape Parliament, the Cape Colo ...

, Judge of the Transvaal Supreme Court **G. F. C. Dent, Esq. *

Roedean School Roedean School is an independent day and boarding school founded in 1885 in Roedean Village on the outskirts of Brighton, East Sussex, England, and governed by Royal Charter. It is for girls aged 11 to 18. The campus is situated near the Sus ...

, Parktown *House at Inanda for W. Wyberg, Esq. *His own house, Endstead, at Parktown.

Books

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Joane Pim
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sloper, Ernest Willmott 1871 births 1916 deaths 19th-century English architects 19th-century South African architects