Edmund Sharpe
Encyclopedia
Edmund Sharpe was an English architect
and engineer
. He started his career as an architect, initially on his own, then in partnership with Edward Paley
, designing mainly churches but also some secular buildings. In 1851 he resigned from his architects' practice and spent the rest of his life as an engineer, being involved mainly with the building of railways.
, Cheshire
. He was the first child of Francis and Martha Sharpe. His father was a peripatetic music teacher and the organist of Knutsford parish church
. At the time of his marriage, his wife, Martha Whittaker, had been on the staff of an academy for young ladies in Bath, Somerset
. During his childhood in Knutsford, the young Edmund played with Elizabeth Stevenson, the future Mrs Gaskell
. In 1812 the Sharpe family moved to a nearby farm called Heathside. Francis Sharpe then worked as a farmer and a music teacher, including teaching at a school in Runcorn
. Edmund Sharpe's early education was carried out by his parents. By 1818 he was attending a school in Knutsford. However two years later he was being taught at a school in Runcorn, probably Hallwood Academy
. In 1821 he became a boarder at Burney's Academy in Greenwich
. His father died suddenly in November 1823, and as his mother's elder sister Esther and her husband, Benjamin Salterthwaite, were living in Lancaster
, she decided to move there with her family, arriving in the town in April 1824. They lived in Penny Street, and Martha resumed her career as a teacher.
Edmund continued his education in Greenwich, where he became head boy. In August 1827 he moved to Sedbergh School
, (then in West Yorkshire
, now in Cumbria
) and stayed for two years. In November 1829 he entered St John's College, Cambridge
as a Lupton
scholar. At the end of his course, in 1832, Sharpe was awarded a Worts Travelling Bachelorship, which enabled him to travel abroad for three years' study. He graduated B.A.
in 1833 and M.A. in 1836. During his three years abroad he travelled in Germany, and southern France. Here he studied Romanesque
and early Gothic architecture
. He had intended to spend more time in northern France, but his tour was curtailed because of "fatigue and illness". Sharpe returned home to Lancaster late in 1835, having by that time decided to become an architect.
, who joined him in 1838 and in 1845 became Sharpe's partner. The name of the firm changed from "Edmund Sharpe, Architect" to "Sharpe and Paley, Architects". In the late 1840s, Sharpe became less interested in architecture and left most of the work to his partner, eventually retiring from the practice in 1851.
Sharpe took part in civic life in Lancaster, serving as a councillor from 1841 and as mayor in 1848–49. During this time he became involved in sanitation
and played an important part in implementing the first Public Health Act in Lancaster. In 1850 he purchased the Phoenix foundry in Lancaster. He had been involved in the promotion of railways since the 1830s and in 1856 he moved to live near Betws-y-Coed
, Caernarvonshire. There he organised the building of the Conway
-Llanrwst
railway. He was appointed J.P.
for Lancashire and for Denbighshire
in 1859. From 1863 to 1866 Sharpe lived abroad, where he constructed a horse-drawn tramway in Geneva
and the Perpignan
-Prades railway in France. He acquired property and iron mines on the continent
. He moved back to Lancaster in 1866.
His other interests included music and sport. He played the organ and clarinet, was a founder member of the choral society in Lancaster, wrote hymns and built small harmonium
s. In 1848 he bought the Theatre Royal in Lancaster and re-named it The Music Hall; it was then used for concerts, lectures and meetings. He helped to establish Lancaster Rowing Club
and a cricket club in the town, and continued to play cricket into his sixties.
Sharpe published a number of works on medieval architecture and was considered to be "the greatest authority on Cistercian Abbeys in England". He had become a fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects
in 1848 and was given their gold medal in 1875. He was also a member of the Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
. While gathering material on the continent for further writings he died in Milan
and was buried at Lancaster cemetery. A memorial to his memory is in St Paul's Church, Scotforth
.
style popular in the 18th century towards the Gothic
style. The first Commissioners' church
es, dating from 1818, tended to be built to a formula, with lancet window
s between buttress
es, in a version of the Early English style; others were in a type of Perpendicular style. These features were "loosely" derived from medieval architecture but not strictly accurate in their details. This was known as a "pre-archaeological" style.
The Gothic Revival
was strongly influenced by the writings of Pugin who argued that "the only architecture for worship" was the Gothic
style; he attacked both the neoclassical style and also the "false" Gothic style which he considered was not architecturally accurate. Sharpe became involved in the study of the features of medieval Gothic architecture and in 1848 published Architectural Parallels which contained detailed drawings of medieval churches and abbeys. This work was "one of the important source-books of the Gothic Revival". He became particularly expert in the Decorated style.
Sharpe's first three church designs were in Romanesque
style, namely St Mark's, Blackburn
, St Saviour's, Cuerden, and Christ Church, Chatburn
. Next came a series of churches in "pre-archaeological" Gothic style before he moved to designs in "true" Gothic styles. Major examples of his work in Decorated style are St Mary's, Knowsley
and the spire of St Michael's, Kirkham
. Sharpe also experimented in the use of terracotta as a building material. He designed three churches using terracotta for the entire structure, or for a major part of it. These are St Stephen and All Martyrs, Lever Bridge
, Bolton
, Holy Trinity Platt Church, Rusholme, Manchester
and St Paul's Church, Scotforth
, Lancaster; they are known colloquially as "pot churches". Sharpe designed St Paul's in 1874, 23 years after retiring from his architectural practice, and for its design reverted to Romanesque style.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
. He started his career as an architect, initially on his own, then in partnership with Edward Paley
Edward Graham Paley
Edward Graham Paley, usually known as E. G. Paley, , was an English architect who practised in Lancaster, Lancashire, in the second half of the 19th century.-Education and career:...
, designing mainly churches but also some secular buildings. In 1851 he resigned from his architects' practice and spent the rest of his life as an engineer, being involved mainly with the building of railways.
Early life
Edmund Sharpe was born on 31 October 1809 at Brook Cottage in Brook Street, KnutsfordKnutsford
Knutsford is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in North West England...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. He was the first child of Francis and Martha Sharpe. His father was a peripatetic music teacher and the organist of Knutsford parish church
St John the Baptist's Church, Knutsford
St John the Baptist's Church, Knutsford is in the town of Knutsford, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of...
. At the time of his marriage, his wife, Martha Whittaker, had been on the staff of an academy for young ladies in Bath, 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...
. During his childhood in Knutsford, the young Edmund played with Elizabeth Stevenson, the future Mrs Gaskell
Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era...
. In 1812 the Sharpe family moved to a nearby farm called Heathside. Francis Sharpe then worked as a farmer and a music teacher, including teaching at a school in Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
. Edmund Sharpe's early education was carried out by his parents. By 1818 he was attending a school in Knutsford. However two years later he was being taught at a school in Runcorn, probably Hallwood Academy
Hallwood, Cheshire
Hallwood was a mansion house situated to the south of the village of Halton, Cheshire, England). One wing of it remains and is a public house called the Tricorn. Its former stables have been converted into a function room for the public house...
. In 1821 he became a boarder at Burney's Academy in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. His father died suddenly in November 1823, and as his mother's elder sister Esther and her husband, Benjamin Salterthwaite, were living in Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, she decided to move there with her family, arriving in the town in April 1824. They lived in Penny Street, and Martha resumed her career as a teacher.
Edmund continued his education in Greenwich, where he became head boy. In August 1827 he moved to Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School is a boarding school in Sedbergh, Cumbria, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. Nestled in the Howgill Fells, it is known for sporting sides, such as its Rugby Union 1st XV.-Background:...
, (then in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, now in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
) and stayed for two years. In November 1829 he entered St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
as a Lupton
Roger Lupton
Roger Lupton was born in the Parish of Sedbergh in the year 1456. In 1483, he was awarded a Bachelor of Canon Law degree from King's College, Cambridge, and Doctor of Canon law in 1504....
scholar. At the end of his course, in 1832, Sharpe was awarded a Worts Travelling Bachelorship, which enabled him to travel abroad for three years' study. He graduated B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1833 and M.A. in 1836. During his three years abroad he travelled in Germany, and southern France. Here he studied Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
and early Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
. He had intended to spend more time in northern France, but his tour was curtailed because of "fatigue and illness". Sharpe returned home to Lancaster late in 1835, having by that time decided to become an architect.
Career and interests
He started his practice in his mother's house in 1835, and moved into premises in Sun Street in 1838. By 1841 he had been joined by a number of pupils and had moved the practice to St Leonardgate. One of his pupils was E. G. PaleyEdward Graham Paley
Edward Graham Paley, usually known as E. G. Paley, , was an English architect who practised in Lancaster, Lancashire, in the second half of the 19th century.-Education and career:...
, who joined him in 1838 and in 1845 became Sharpe's partner. The name of the firm changed from "Edmund Sharpe, Architect" to "Sharpe and Paley, Architects". In the late 1840s, Sharpe became less interested in architecture and left most of the work to his partner, eventually retiring from the practice in 1851.
Sharpe took part in civic life in Lancaster, serving as a councillor from 1841 and as mayor in 1848–49. During this time he became involved in sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
and played an important part in implementing the first Public Health Act in Lancaster. In 1850 he purchased the Phoenix foundry in Lancaster. He had been involved in the promotion of railways since the 1830s and in 1856 he moved to live near Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-Coed is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It has a population of 534. The name Betws or Bettws is generally thought to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon Old English 'bed-hus' - i.e. a bead-house - a house of prayer, or oratory...
, Caernarvonshire. There he organised the building of the Conway
Conwy
Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
-Llanrwst
Llanrwst
Llanrwst is a small town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It takes its name from the 5th century to 6th century Saint Grwst, and the original parish church in Cae Llan was replaced by the 12th-century church....
railway. He was appointed J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Lancashire and for Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
in 1859. From 1863 to 1866 Sharpe lived abroad, where he constructed a horse-drawn tramway in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and the Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
-Prades railway in France. He acquired property and iron mines on the continent
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
. He moved back to Lancaster in 1866.
His other interests included music and sport. He played the organ and clarinet, was a founder member of the choral society in Lancaster, wrote hymns and built small harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
s. In 1848 he bought the Theatre Royal in Lancaster and re-named it The Music Hall; it was then used for concerts, lectures and meetings. He helped to establish Lancaster Rowing Club
Lancaster John O' Gaunt Rowing Club
Lancaster John O'Gaunt Rowing Club is an English rowing club based at Lancaster on the River Lune. Its origins date back to 1842 making it the fifth oldest surviving rowing club in the United Kingdom outside the universities.-History:...
and a cricket club in the town, and continued to play cricket into his sixties.
Sharpe published a number of works on medieval architecture and was considered to be "the greatest authority on Cistercian Abbeys in England". He had become a fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
in 1848 and was given their gold medal in 1875. He was also a member of the Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
Royal Archaeological Institute
The Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is a learned society, established in 1844, primarily devoted to the publication of the Archaeological Journal, a production of archaeological news that has been in print since 1844....
. While gathering material on the continent for further writings he died in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and was buried at Lancaster cemetery. A memorial to his memory is in St Paul's Church, Scotforth
St Paul's Church, Scotforth
St Paul's Church, Scotforth, is in Scotforth, a suburb of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Lancaster, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and Morecambe, and the diocese...
.
Architectural styles
Most of Sharpe's work was in designing new churches. During his career changes were taking place in church architecture. This had moved away from the neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style popular in the 18th century towards the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. The first Commissioners' church
Commissioners' church
A Commissioners' church is an Anglican church in the United Kingdom built with money voted by Parliament as a result of the Church Building Act of 1818 and 1824. They have been given a number of titles, including Commissioners' churches, Waterloo churches and Million Act churches...
es, dating from 1818, tended to be built to a formula, with lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s between buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, in a version of the Early English style; others were in a type of Perpendicular style. These features were "loosely" derived from medieval architecture but not strictly accurate in their details. This was known as a "pre-archaeological" style.
The Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
was strongly influenced by the writings of Pugin who argued that "the only architecture for worship" was the Gothic
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
style; he attacked both the neoclassical style and also the "false" Gothic style which he considered was not architecturally accurate. Sharpe became involved in the study of the features of medieval Gothic architecture and in 1848 published Architectural Parallels which contained detailed drawings of medieval churches and abbeys. This work was "one of the important source-books of the Gothic Revival". He became particularly expert in the Decorated style.
Sharpe's first three church designs were in Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
style, namely St Mark's, Blackburn
St Mark's Church, Blackburn
St Mark's Church, Blackburn, is located in Buncer Lane, in the former parish of Witton, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican church in the deanery of Blackburn with Darwen, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the diocese of Blackburn...
, St Saviour's, Cuerden, and Christ Church, Chatburn
Christ Church, Chatburn
Christ Church, Chatburn, is in the village of Chatburn, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Whalley, the archdeaconry of Blackburn and the diocese of Blackburn...
. Next came a series of churches in "pre-archaeological" Gothic style before he moved to designs in "true" Gothic styles. Major examples of his work in Decorated style are St Mary's, Knowsley
St Mary's Church, Knowsley
St Mary's Church, Knowsley is in Knowsley Lane, Knowsley Village, Merseyside, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Liverpool, the archdeaconry of Liverpool and the deanery of Huyton...
and the spire of St Michael's, Kirkham
St Michael's Church, Kirkham
St Michael's Church, Kirkham is in the town of Kirkham in the Fylde district of Lancashire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Blackburn, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the...
. Sharpe also experimented in the use of terracotta as a building material. He designed three churches using terracotta for the entire structure, or for a major part of it. These are St Stephen and All Martyrs, Lever Bridge
St Stephen and All Martyrs' Church, Lever Bridge
St Stephen and All Martyrs' Church, Lever Bridge, is in Little Lever, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Walmsley, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the diocese of Manchester...
, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Holy Trinity Platt Church, Rusholme, Manchester
Holy Trinity Platt Church
Holy Trinity Platt Church , is in Platt Lane, Rusholme, Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Hulme, the archdeaconry of Manchester, and the diocese of Manchester. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
and St Paul's Church, Scotforth
St Paul's Church, Scotforth
St Paul's Church, Scotforth, is in Scotforth, a suburb of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Lancaster, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and Morecambe, and the diocese...
, Lancaster; they are known colloquially as "pot churches". Sharpe designed St Paul's in 1874, 23 years after retiring from his architectural practice, and for its design reverted to Romanesque style.
Publications
- Architectural Parallels (1848)
- Decorated Windows (1849)
- Seven Periods of Church Architecture (1851)
See also
- List of architectural works by Edmund Sharpe
- List of works by Sharpe and Paley
- Sharpe, Paley and AustinSharpe, Paley and AustinSharpe, Paley and Austin were the surnames of five architects who worked either alone or in partnerships in one practice in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. They were Edmund Sharpe , Edward Paley , Hubert Austin , Henry Paley and Geoffrey L...