Edmund Harold Sedding (1863 – 21 February 1921), often referred to as E. H. Sedding, was an English architect who practised in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Pinwill_sisters_work_in_the_Chancel_of_SS_Morwenna_&_John_Baptist_(geograph_4318020)

Life

Sedding was born in 1863 in

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...

, London, the son of

Edmund Sedding Edmund Sedding (20 June 1836 – 1868) was an English architect and musician. Biography Sedding, son of Richard and Peninnah Sedding of Summerstown, near Okehampton, Devon, was born on 20 June 1836: John Dando Sedding was his younger brother. He ...

and the nephew of

J. D. Sedding John Dando Sedding (13 April 1838 – 7 April 1891) was an English church architect, working on new buildings and repair work, with an interest in a "crafted Gothic" style. He was an influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, many of wh ...

. He was articled to his uncle, and initially employed by him, later setting up his own independent practice in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

in 1891. His awards included the RA medal in 1884, the

RIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

medal the following year, the RA Travelling Fellowship in 1886, and the Pugin medal in 1887. His published work includes ''Norman architecture in Cornwall'' (1909). Sedding supported the

Pinwill sisters The Pinwill sisters (consisting of Mary (1871–1962), Ethel (1872–1951) and Violet (1874–1957)) were British professional woodcarvers in Devon from 1890 onwards. Although in their era there were women who produced stained glass, sculpture, ...

to become important church woodcarvers in Devon and Cornwall. He came to know them during the restoration of the church of St Peter and St Paul in Ermington in Devon, where they carved the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

. He later commissioned the three sisters Mary, Ethel and Violet for a range of work in the two counties and through these commissions creating his designs they established a good reputation and were employed by other church architects as well. Edmund Harold Sedding died in London on 21 February 1921 and is buried in the graveyard of St Carantoc Church,

Crantock Crantock ( kw, Lanngorrow) is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is approximately two miles (3 km) southwest of Newquay. Crantock dates back to 460 AD when a group of Irish hermits founded an o ...

, Cornwall.

Work

As the nephew and pupil of John Dando Sedding, Edmund undoubtedly benefited from the cachet of the Sedding name but went on to earn his place as a celebrated restorer of ancient churches in Devon and Cornwall. The commissions he received for restoration work far outnumbered those for new ecclesiastical buildings. The dozen or so buildings he designed consisted of a few churches, several chapels, a couple of church schools and the odd rectory and vicarage, together with the extraordinary commission for Dunedin Cathedral in New Zealand. The two Devon churches designed by Sedding are within a few miles of each other at Shaldon and Newton Abbot.

Bibliography

* ''Norman Architecture In Cornwall'' – ''A Handbook To Old Cornish Ecclesiastical Architecture (1909)''

References

1863 births 1921 deaths Architects from London Burials in Cornwall Gothic Revival architects English ecclesiastical architects Date of birth missing {{UK-architect-stub