George Godwin FRS (28 January 1813 – 27 January 1888) was an influential British architect, journalist, and editor of ''

The Builder ''Building'' is one of the United Kingdom's oldest business-to-business magazines, launched as ''The Builder'' in 1843 by Joseph Aloysius Hansom – architect of Birmingham Town Hall and designer of the Hansom Cab. The journal was renamed ''Bu ...

'' magazine.

Life

He was one of nine children of the architect George Godwin senior (1780–1863) and trained at his father's architectural practice in Kensington, where he set up in business with his brother Henry (1831–1917). Encouraged by his friend the antiquary John Britton, he pursued an interest in architectural history and wrote several volumes on ''The Churches of London'' (1839),

mason's mark A mason's mark is an engraved symbol often found on dressed stone in buildings and other public structures. In stonemasonry Regulations issued in Scotland in 1598 by James VI's Master of Works, William Schaw, stated that on admission to the guil ...

s and

gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths ** Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken ...

. He was also interested in new materials, and wrote on the use of

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

(1836). He soon joined the Institute of British Architects and the Society of Antiquaries, and became a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

. He was a co-founder of the Royal Architectural Museum in 1851.

''The Builder''

'' was first published as a weekly magazine in 1842 by Joseph Hansom, inventor of the

Hansom cab The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. The vehicle was developed and tested by Hansom in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. Originally called the Hansom safety ca ...

. In 1844 Godwin became its third editor and immediately expanded its scope and coverage beyond new works and architectural issues to include history, archaeology, arts, sanitation and social issues. It described itself as 'An illustrated weekly magazine for the architect, engineer, constructor, sanitary reformer, and art lover'. This broadened its appeal beyond the construction trade, and he took a campaigning stance to improve the circumstances of the working classes. Godwin wrote on

slums A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily in ...

and republished edited collections of his articles as reforming books. In addition to self-improvement, he promoted the use of

public baths Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

, wash-houses, charitable housing trusts, and pavilion-styled hospitals. In 1881, he set up the Godwin Bursary which was administered by the

Royal Institute of British Architects 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 supp ...

. This yearly competitive prize was to enable young British architects to study modern techniques of construction outside of Great Britain. Winners were encouraged to spend at least five weeks within a country of their choice, and then to submit reports on what they learnt. The first five winners all went to the United States. He edited the magazine until 1883. It was renamed ''Building'' in 1966, and is still published.

Other works

Throughout his editorship he worked in the family architectural practice. His works included churches, housing and public buildings, amongst them Redcliffe Square, Kensington;

The Boltons The Boltons is a street and garden square of lens shape in the Brompton district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England (postcode SW10). The opposing sides of the street face the communal gardens (as two non-semicircul ...

, Kensington; St Mary's, The Boltons; Elm Park Gardens,

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

; St Luke's, Kensington; and the restorations of St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, and St Mary's, Ware. He was largely responsible for the design of large areas of

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

and

Earl's Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

, including five public houses—among them the Finborough Arms, now the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world pr ...

. Godwin was retained as district surveyor for south Islington between 1853 and 1874. In 1884, he reported to the Royal Commission that was producing recommendations for improving working-class housing. He also wrote plays, and co-founded the Art Union of London.

Death

Godwin died on 27 January 1888 at Kensington, and is buried in

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Establ ...

. He lies to the east side of the main path, between the north entrance and the colonnades. Although set back behind other monuments, his memorial is easily spotted due to its unique design; containing a portrait medallion, and being topped by the mourning figures of Faith and Charity, it is Grade II listed. His extensive art collection was sold at Christie's, London, on 12 April 1888; it numbered 98 lots.

References

Sources

G. B. Smith ''Godwin, George (1813–1888)''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

City of London Information Leaflet No 22
''George Godwin & The Builder''

External links

''The Churches of London'', Vols. 1-2
George Godwin, John Britton, 1839, (C. Tilt, London)
''History in Ruins''
George Godwin, 1853, (Chapman & Hall, London) {{DEFAULTSORT:Godwin, George 1815 births 1888 deaths 19th-century English architects Gothic Revival architects English ecclesiastical architects Burials at Brompton Cemetery British humanitarians Fellows of the Royal Society British magazine editors Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal Architects from London 19th-century British journalists British male journalists 19th-century British male writers