Alfred Hoare Powell
Encyclopedia
Alfred Hoare Powell was an English Arts and Crafts architect, and designer and painter of pottery.
, Berkshire
, on 14 April 1865 (the day Abraham Lincoln got shot), the son of Thomas Edward Powell by Emma Corrie.
He was the architectural pupil of John Dando Sedding, working in the 'crafted Gothic' tradition inspired by John Ruskin
. His wife, Louise Powell, née Lessore, was the daughter of an artist, and studied embroidery, calligraphy and illuminating. Together Alfred and Louise Powell became celebrated as pottery designers for Wedgwood
s. They hand-painted many thousands of pieces themselves and trained "paintresses" for Wedgwood. They collaborated on the revitalisation of the arts and crafts, rejecting industrialisation and designing furniture decoration, embroidery and ceramics, and encouraging a communitarian spirit in the South Cotswolds
.
Alfred Powell with the younger architect Norman Jewson
was the most significant associate of Ernest Gimson
and the brothers Ernest and Sidney Barnsley at Sapperton
, in Gloucestershire
, in the Cotswold Arts and Crafts revival. He settled nearby at Gurners Farm, Oakridge Lynch in 1902, but sold the house in 1916, and moved to The Thatched House, Tunley near Oakridge
, in the 1920s, and later lived at Tarlton near Rodmarton. He worked with Detmar Blow
and F.W. Troup for both the National Trust
and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
.
, for Hugh Fairfax-Cholmeley; repairs at Barrington Court
, Somerset
and Queens' College
, Cambridge
; and projects with other members of the Gimson school at Pinbury Park and Rodmarton Manor
, near Sapperton
, and Bedales School
in Hampshire
. Long Copse (1897), at Ewhurst
, was much praised by contemporaries; it was described by the painter G.F. Watts as the most beautiful house in Surrey
.
He built a wonderful summer house in Tarlton with a thatched bothy in the grounds - now called Studio Cottage. It has recently been listed (2010), but unfortunately, is in a poor state of repair. This is a tragedy as it has some wonderful features, including some Gimson works and a wonderful ha-ha.
Alfred Powell edited the memorial volume to his friend Ernest Gimson, Ernest Gimson: his life and work (1924), with contributions by William Richard Lethaby and F.L. Griggs.
Career
Alfred Powell was born in ReadingReading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, on 14 April 1865 (the day Abraham Lincoln got shot), the son of Thomas Edward Powell by Emma Corrie.
He was the architectural pupil of John Dando Sedding, working in the 'crafted Gothic' tradition inspired by John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
. His wife, Louise Powell, née Lessore, was the daughter of an artist, and studied embroidery, calligraphy and illuminating. Together Alfred and Louise Powell became celebrated as pottery designers for Wedgwood
Wedgwood
Wedgwood, strictly speaking Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, is a pottery firm owned by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity company based in New York City, USA. Wedgwood was founded on May 1, 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood and in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood, an...
s. They hand-painted many thousands of pieces themselves and trained "paintresses" for Wedgwood. They collaborated on the revitalisation of the arts and crafts, rejecting industrialisation and designing furniture decoration, embroidery and ceramics, and encouraging a communitarian spirit in the South Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
.
Alfred Powell with the younger architect Norman Jewson
Norman Jewson
Norman Jewson was an English architect-craftsman of the Arts and Crafts movement, who practiced in the Cotswolds. He was a distinguished, younger member of the group which had settled in Sapperton, Gloucestershire, a feudal village in rural southwest England, under the influence of Ernest Gimson...
was the most significant associate of Ernest Gimson
Ernest Gimson
Ernest William Gimson was an English furniture designer and architect. Gimson was described by the art critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers"...
and the brothers Ernest and Sidney Barnsley at Sapperton
Sapperton
Sapperton may refer to:*Sapperton, Derbyshire, England*Sapperton, Gloucestershire, England**Sapperton Tunnel **Sapperton Canal Tunnel*Sapperton, Lincolnshire, England*Sapperton, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada...
, in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, in the Cotswold Arts and Crafts revival. He settled nearby at Gurners Farm, Oakridge Lynch in 1902, but sold the house in 1916, and moved to The Thatched House, Tunley near Oakridge
Oakridge, Gloucestershire
Oakridge is a village in Gloucestershire, England. The parish church is St. Bartholomew's Church. It is just on the outskirts of Stroud, Gloucestershire....
, in the 1920s, and later lived at Tarlton near Rodmarton. He worked with Detmar Blow
Detmar Blow
Detmar Jellings Blow was a British architect of the early 20th century, who designed principally in the arts and crafts style. His clients belonged chiefly to the British aristocracy, and later he became estates manager to the Duke of Westminster...
and F.W. Troup for both the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris, Philip Webb and J.J.Stevenson, and other notable members of the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood, in 1877, to oppose what they saw as the insensitive renovation of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian...
.
Architectural works
Powell's architectural works include a house at Brandsby Hall, YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, for Hugh Fairfax-Cholmeley; repairs at Barrington Court
Barrington Court
Barrington Court is a Tudor manor house begun c. 1538 and completed in the late 1550s, with a vernacular 17th-century stable court , situated in Barrington, near Ilminster, Somerset, England...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Queens' College
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
; and projects with other members of the Gimson school at Pinbury Park and Rodmarton Manor
Rodmarton Manor
Rodmarton Manor is a large country house, in Rodmarton, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, built for the Biddulph family. It is a Grade I listed building. It was constructed in 1909-1929 in an Arts and Crafts style, to a design by Ernest Barnsley. After Barnsley's death in 1925, it was completed by...
, near Sapperton
Sapperton
Sapperton may refer to:*Sapperton, Derbyshire, England*Sapperton, Gloucestershire, England**Sapperton Tunnel **Sapperton Canal Tunnel*Sapperton, Lincolnshire, England*Sapperton, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada...
, and Bedales School
Bedales School
Bedales School is a co-educational independent school situated in Hampshire, in the south east of England. Founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley in reaction to the limitations of conventional Victorian schools, today the school is one of the most expensive in the UK, charging £9,985 per term for a...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. Long Copse (1897), at Ewhurst
Ewhurst, Surrey
Ewhurst is a small village in the English county of Surrey.Ewhurst is located between Cranleigh and Shere which is around five miles to the north. Ewhurst has many well-known legends as members of the village, such as Eric Clapton, who is known to play at the Church of England church in Ewhurst...
, was much praised by contemporaries; it was described by the painter G.F. Watts as the most beautiful house in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
He built a wonderful summer house in Tarlton with a thatched bothy in the grounds - now called Studio Cottage. It has recently been listed (2010), but unfortunately, is in a poor state of repair. This is a tragedy as it has some wonderful features, including some Gimson works and a wonderful ha-ha.
Alfred Powell edited the memorial volume to his friend Ernest Gimson, Ernest Gimson: his life and work (1924), with contributions by William Richard Lethaby and F.L. Griggs.
Literature and Sources
- Good Workmanship with Happy Thought: The Work of Alfred and Louise Powell, Exhibition Catalogue, 1992
- Jacqueline Sarsby, 'Alfred Powell: Idealism and Realism in the Cotswolds', Journal of Design History, vol. 10, No. 4, Craft, Culture and Identity (1997), pp. 375–397