British architect (1867–1949)
Sir Charles Nicholson, 2nd Baronet
Born (1867-04-27 ) 27 April 1867London
Died 4 March 1949(1949-03-04) (aged 81)
Nationality British Occupation Architect Spouses
Evelyn Louise Olivier
(
m. 1895; died 1927)
Catherine Maud Warren
(
m. 1931)
Children 3, including
John Parent
Sir Charles Archibald Nicholson, 2nd Baronet (27 April 1867 – 4 March 1949), was an English architect and designer who specialised in ecclesiastical buildings and war memorials. He carried out the refurbishments of several cathedrals, the design and build of over a dozen new churches, and the restoration of many existing, medieval parish churches.
Nicholson was born in
Hadleigh, Essex to
Sir Charles Nicholson, 1st Baronet , and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Nicholson
née Keightley. His younger brothers were the stained-glass artist
Archibald Keightley Nicholson and
Sir Sydney Hugo Nicholson , the founder of the Royal School of Church Music.
[1]
Nicholson was married first to Evelyn Louise Nicholson
née Olivier (1866–1927) and they had three children, a son,
John , and two daughters. His second wife was Catherine Maud Warren, who survived him upon his death in 1949.
Early life
Nicholson was born in
Hadleigh ,
Essex ,
[2] to
Sir Charles Nicholson, 1st Baronet , and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Nicholson
née Keightley. His younger brothers were the stained-glass artist
Archibald Keightley Nicholson and
Sir Sydney Hugo Nicholson , organist at
Westminster Abbey and the founder of the Royal School of Church Music.
[1] Nicholson attended
Rugby School and
New College, Oxford , obtaining a third class in modern history in 1889. He took an interest in architecture and was apprenticed to the architect
J. D. Sedding , under whom he learnt the
Victorian Gothic style. He worked for a short time for
Henry Wilson before founding his own practice in 1893. He won the Tite Prize in 1893 and was elected a fellow of the
Royal Institute of British Architects in 1905.
[1] Hubert Corlette later partnered him until 1916. From 1920 Nicholson worked with Theodore Rushton.
[1]
Career
In addition to designing churches, Nicholson conducted the refurbishments of many medieval churches. In addition to his ecclesiastical commissions, he was also a prolific designer of public war memorials, including one at his former school in
Rugby . Nicholson's
Anglican cathedral work included a new east chapel in
Norwich , the west front of
St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast (where he was the cathedral's architect between 1924–48)
[3] various additions to
Chelmsford Cathedral , and the reconstruction of
Portsmouth Cathedral . His internal restorations were carried out at
Brecon ,
Carlisle ,
Exeter ,
Leicester ,
Lichfield ,
Lincoln ,
Llandaff ,
Manchester ,
Salisbury ,
Wakefield ,
Wells , and
Winchester . His works abroad include the ministerial buildings for the Jamaican Government in
Kingston .
[1]
Nicholson's works include 42 new churches, nine new chapels, and work on nine cathedrals. Nicholson took on the alterations and restorations of many medieval churches, together with the designs of a large amount of church furnishings. The majority of his work was in England, but he also worked in Wales, Northern Ireland, Jamaica and South Africa. He was also an accomplished watercolourist who exhibited at the
Royal Academy on 32 occasions.
[1]
From 1890, Nicholson carried out a lot of restoration work to his local parish church,
St Mary the Virgin in
South Benfleet . He designed the
reredos between 1890–91, completely restored the south aisle between 1924-5, and designed much of the building's furnishings and fittings. His gilded border, which he completed in 1935, incorporated previous paintings by his mother, Sarah. These were repainted in 1958. Barbara Nicholson, one of his daughters, painted the
ciborium .
Personal life
Nicholson succeeded to the baronetcy in 1903. He largely avoided publicity and preferred to conduct a quiet life with his family.
Nicholson was married twice: firstly, on 1 October 1895, to the
diarist and
watercolour painter Evelyn Louise Nicholson
née Olivier (1867–1927), daughter of the Reverend Henry Arnold Olivier, sister of
Sydney Haldane Olivier (1859–1943), and aunt of
Laurence Olivier .
[1] The Nicholsons had a son,
John Nicholson, 3rd Baronet and two daughters, including the medical artist, Barbara Nicholson.
On 10 June 1931, four years after Evelyn's death, Nicholson married Catherine Maud Warren (1883–1962)
[1] at the Church of All Saints,
Southend-on-sea ,
Essex .
[5]
Nicholson died on 4 March 1949 in
Oxford and is buried in the
Church of St Mary the Virgin, South Benfleet .
[1] He is buried, alongside his first wife, in a stone memorial he designed for her, on the south side of the west tower. His second wife was buried there upon her death in 1962. The tomb was designated as a Grade II
listed building on 9 November 2021 by
Historic England .
[6]
Partial list of works
Nicholson's architectural works include:
St Andrew's Vicarage (now renamed Church End House),
Totteridge ,
Hertfordshire (1892, Nicholson's first work)
Enlargement of St Matthew's Church,
Yiewsley ,
Middlesex (1897-1898)
[8]
St Alban the Martyr,
Westcliff-on-Sea , Essex (1898-1908)
[9]
Chancel fittings for
Christ Church, Chester (1900–10)
Remodelling of
Burton Manor ,
Cheshire (1902)
Enlargement of
Clifton College Chapel,
Bristol (1909–10)
Major alterations to St Oswald's Church,
Guiseley ,
West Yorkshire (1910 etc.)
Chernockehouse,
Winchester ,
Hampshire (1910–12)
St Luke's Church,
Grimsby ,
Lincolnshire (1912)
St Paul's Church,
Halifax, West Yorkshire (1912)
Restoration of All Saints' Church,
Cadney , Lincolnshire (1912–14)
New nave and chancel of St Lawrence's Church,
Scunthorpe , Lincolnshire (1913)
St John the Divine,
Rastrick , West Yorkshire (1913)
[19]
St Clement's Church, Leigh-on-Sea , Essex (1913 and 1919)
[20]
St Alban's church,
Copnor , Hampshire (1914)
St Michael's Church,
Sutton Ings ,
East Riding of Yorkshire (1915)
War memorial for St John's Church,
Coleford, Gloucestershire (1918)
Sotterley War Memorial,
Suffolk (1920)
[24]
North chapel of
St Michael's Church, Basingstoke , Hampshire (1920)
Chapel of the Resurrection and vestries for St James' Church, Grimsby, Lincolnshire (1920)
Restoration of
St Giles' Church, Oxford (1920)
Enlargement of
SS Philip and James' Church, Oxford (1920–21)
Hornchurch war memorial, Essex (1921)
Memorial Chapel of
Rugby School ,
Warwickshire (1920)
Church of St John the Evangelist,
Long Eaton ,
Derbyshire (started 1922)
Screen in the Church of St Mary the Virgin,
Saffron Walden , Essex (1924)
Church of the Ascension,
Bitterne Park , Hampshire (1924–26)
Our Lady of Lourdes and St Joseph,
Leigh-on-Sea , Essex (1924-1929), based on original designs for St Alban's Westcliff-on-Sea
[34]
St Dunstan's Church, Bellingham Estate,
Lewisham (1925)
Completion of Christ Church,
Gosport ,
Hampshire (1925)
Restoration of
Shrewsbury Castle ,
Shropshire (1926)
Completion of St Matthew's Church,
Southsea , Hampshire (1926, now the Church of the Holy Spirit)
Chelmsford Cathedral : new east end (1926) and bishop's throne
Chancel screen of the
Church of St Margaret, Bowers Gifford , Essex (1926)
St Mary's church,
Bournemouth (1926–34)
St Michael and All Angels,
Leigh-on-Sea , Essex (started 1926, completed after his death 1957)
Chapel and library for
St Boniface College, Warminster , Wiltshire (1927)
[43]
Bishop's throne and stalls for
Leicester Cathedral (1927)
St Michael's Church,
Castleford , West Yorkshire (1927–29)
Altar and reredos of the Church of
St Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street ,
County Durham (1928)
St John's Church,
Stafford (started 1928, uncompleted)
Enlargement of
Church of St Laurence, Upminster , Essex (1928)
New St Mary's Church,
Frinton-on-Sea , Essex (1928–29)
Restoration of St Mary's Church,
Hamstead Marshall , Berkshire (1929)
St Andrew's Church,
Bromley (1929)
West doors of
St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast (1929)
[3]
Stained glass east window for the Horner Chapel of
St Andrew's Church, Mells ,
Somerset (1930)
Seamen's home at
Alton, Hampshire (1929–36)
Restoration of Christ Church,
Gosport , Hampshire (1930s)
Lady Chapel of
Norwich Cathedral (1930–32)
St George's Church,
Barkingside , Essex (1931)
Rebuilding parts of SS Peter and Paul's Church,
Fareham , Hampshire (1931–32)
St John's Church,
Dudley Wood, Staffordshire (now West Midlands, 1931)
St Margaret's Church, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (1931)
St Peter's Church,
St Helier, London (1932)
Reredos and choir stalls of
St Petroc's Church, Bodmin ,
Cornwall (1932)
St Elizabeth's Church,
Becontree , Essex (1932)
Refurbishment of
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate , London, 1932[
citation needed ]
Residential block at
Malling Abbey , Kent (1935)
Screen of the north chapel of St Mary's Church,
Droxford , Hampshire (1935)
Sheffield Cathedral enlargement (1936) and bishop's throne (1937)
St Thomas of Canterbury's Church, Camelford , Cornwall (1938)
Enlargement of
Portsmouth Cathedral (1938–39), Hampshire
Restoration of
Wakefield Cathedral (1939)
Reredos in
Lady Chapel of the
Church of St Saviour-on-the-Cliff, Shanklin (1948)
Monument to FH Lindley Meynell in
Holy Angels Church ,
Hoar Cross , Staffordshire (1941)
Roof decoration for
St Mary's Church ,
Ketton ,
Rutland (completed in 1950 after his death)
The roof of
Alton Abbey , Hampshire
Nave altar and railings for
Lincoln Cathedral
Altar, reredos and communion rails for
St Michael's Church, Macclesfield , Cheshire
Font cover for
St Chad's Church, Stafford
Pulpit for St Michael's Church,
Stone, Staffordshire
Grange Mansions, Totteridge, Hertfordshire
Furnishings for the Essex Regiment Chapel at
Warley Barracks , Little Warley, Essex
The pulpit of St Andrew's Church,
West Chelborough , Dorset
Southend War Memorial, Essex
Mosaic design for the Church of SS Mary and Nicholas,
Wilton, Wiltshire
Reredos for All Saints' Church,
Wolverhampton
Burwash War Memorial, East Sussex
[82]
Havant War Memorial, Hampshire (jointly with Alfred Edwin Stallard)
[83]
Stained glass window of St Michael and St George First World War memorial, St Mary Magdalene, Sparkford, Somerset
[84]
Citations
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i Godfrey, W. H.
Nicholson, Charles Archibald, second baronet ,
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press, 2004, 23 September 2004, retrieved 12 July 2018.
^
"Four Wont Way (Victoria House Corner)" , Benfleet Community Archive, retrieved 12 July 2018.
^
a
b
"Architects" . Belfast Cathedral. Archived from
the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2007 .
^ "Mr Charles Nicholson married: My bride from Hampshire", Hampshire Telegraph and Post , 19 June 1931, p. 4.
^
Historic England ,
" "Tombstone of Sir Charles Nicholson and family" (1472162)" ,
National Heritage List for England , retrieved 7 January 2021
^
"St Matthew's Yiewsley" . www.stmatthewsyiewsley.org.uk . Retrieved 26 November 2021 .
^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1954). Essex . Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 325.
^
Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer , Monday 07 April 1913 p.8 col.6: "New church at Rastrick"
^
Historic England .
"St Clement Church, Leigh-on-Sea (Grade II*) (1322326)" .
National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 1 June 2020 .
^
Historic England .
"Sotterley War Memorial (Grade II) (1391196)" .
National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 16 January 2021 .
^ Williams, Judith. (2011).
Leigh-on-Sea : a history . Chichester: Phillimore. p. 93.
ISBN
978-1-86077-659-5 .
OCLC
751861334 .
^
Historic England .
"St Boniface College at Warminster School (1036188)" .
National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 11 October 2020 .
^ Historic England.
"Burwash War Memorial (1376156)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 15 January 2020 .
^ Historic England.
"Havant War Memorial (1416419)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 11 October 2020 .
^ Church History
References and further reading
Brodie, Antonia; Felstead, Alison; Franklin, Jonathan; Pinfield, Leslie, eds. (2001). Directory of British Architects 1834–1914 . Vol. L–Z. London & New York:
Continuum .
ISBN
082645514X . [
page needed ]
Bundock, Edwin (2013).
Sir Charles Nicholson (1867–1949) Architect of Noble Simplicity . Jewel Tree Publications.
Lloyd, David W.;
Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006). The Isle of Wight .
The Buildings of England . London:
Yale University Press .
ISBN
978-0-300-10733-3 .
Nairn, Ian ;
Pevsner, Nikolaus ;
Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1971) [1962]. Surrey .
The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071021-3 .
Newman, John (1969). North East and East Kent .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071039-6 .
Newman, John;
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1972). Dorset .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071044-2 .
O'Brien, Charles; Bailey, Bruce;
Pevsner, Nikolaus ; Lloyd, David W. (2018). Hampshire: South .
The Buildings of England . London:
Yale University Press .
ISBN
978-0-300-22503-7 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1952). London .
The Buildings of England . Vol. 2 Except the Cities of London and Westminster. Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071006-X .
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1958a). Shropshire .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1958b). North Somerset and Bristol .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1960). Leicestershire and Rutland . Penguin Books.
ISBN
978-0-14-071018-2 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1962). North-East Norfolk and Norwich .
The Buildings of England . Vol. 1. Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). Berkshire .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1972). Yorkshire: York & the East Riding .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-0710-43-4 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). Staffordshire .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071046-9 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ;
Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire .
The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-0710-26-4 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ;
Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1977) [1953]. Hertfordshire .
The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071007-8 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ;
Harris, John (1964). Lincolnshire .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ;
Hubbard, Edward (1971). Cheshire .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071042-6 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ; Lloyd, David (1967). Hampshire and the Isle of Wight .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ; Radcliffe, Enid (revision) (1965) [1954].
Essex .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-0710-11-6 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ; Radcliffe, Enid (revision) (1967) [1959]. Yorkshire the West Riding .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071017-5 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ; Radcliffe, Enid (revision) (1970) [1951]. Cornwall .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071001-9 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ; Wedgwood, Alexandra (1966). Warwickshire .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ; Williamson, Elizabeth (revision) (1978) [1953]. Derbyshire .
The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071008-6 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ; Williamson, Elizabeth (revision) (1983) [1953]. County Durham .
The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071009-4 .
Pevsner, Nikolaus ; Cherry, Bridget; O'Brien, Charles (2005). London 5: East .
The Buildings of England . Vol. 5. London:
Yale University Press .
Sherwood, Jennifer;
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). Oxfordshire .
The Buildings of England . Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
ISBN
0-14-071045-0 .
Verey, David (1970). Gloucestershire: The Vale and the Forest of Dean .
The Buildings of England . Vol. 2. Harmondsworth:
Penguin Books .
Evelyn Nicholson’s trip to Australia, 1897 ,
University of Sydney Library
External links
Media related to
Sir Charles Nicholson, 2nd Baronet at Wikimedia Commons
International National Artists