Black-and-white Revival architecture

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Lockwood's black-and-white building at Chester Cross The Cross.jpg
Lockwood's black-and-white building at Chester Cross

The Black-and-white Revival was a mid-19th-century architectural movement that revived historical vernacular elements with timber framing. The wooden framing is painted black and the panels between the frames are painted white. The style was part of a wider Tudor Revival in 19th-century architecture.

Nikolaus Pevsner describes the movement as a "Cheshire speciality", [1] but states that it was not created in Cheshire and is not confined to the county. The earliest example noted by Pevsner is the Henry VII Lodge in Woburn Sands, Bedfordshire, built in 1811. [1] [2] The other example he gives is the Court House in Worsley, which was built in 1849. [1] [3] The first Cheshire architect to be involved in the movement was T. M. Penson, [1] who restored the house at No. 22 Eastgate Street, Chester, in 1852 in the black-and-white style. [4] This was followed by his further restorations in Eastgate Street, at Nos. 34–36 in 1856, [5] and No. 26 in 1858. [6] However, Pevsner considers that Penson's works were "moderate in size and not very knowledgeable in detail". [7]

The movement was improved when John Douglas and T. M. Lockwood "discovered the medium". [7] They were the principal architects of the movement, [8] and they "transformed the street frontages of the city with their black and white buildings". [9] Major examples of their work are Lockwood's building opposite Chester Cross at No. 1 Bridge Street of 1888 [10] and the terrace of buildings on the east side of St Werburgh Street of 1895–99 by Douglas. [11] The black-and-white tradition in Chester continued into the 20th century. [7]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Meakin Lockwood</span>

Thomas Meakin Lockwood was an English architect whose main works are in and around Chester, Cheshire. He was born in London, and brought up in East Anglia. From 1851 he was articled to Philip Causton Lockwood, the Borough Surveyor of Brighton. He then worked in offices including that of George Woodhouse, and of T. M. Penson in Chester. In 1862 he established an independent practice in Chester. His works are located mainly in Cheshire, Shropshire, and North Wales, his designs being influenced by John Douglas and Norman Shaw. These are frequently either timber-framed, or in brick and stone incorporating Tudor, Elizabethan and Renaissance features. In Cheshire and North Wales, his most important patron was the First Duke of Westminster. Lockwood's most prominent buildings, which stand at Chester Cross, were commissioned by the Duke. They stand on opposite corners at the north end of Bridge Street, and are in contrasting styles. Number 1 Bridge Street, built in 1888, is timber-framed in Black-and-white Revival style. Number 2–8 Bridge Street, built in 1894, is in stone and diapered brick, and incorporates Tudor, Jacobean and Baroque features. Lockwood also designed the Grosvenor Museum, also in Chester, and built in 1885–86. It is constructed in red brick, and is in Renaissance style with Dutch gables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II listed buildings in Chester (central)</span>

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References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pevsner & Hubbard (2003), p. 38
  2. Historic England, "Henry VII Lodge, Aspley Guise (1138057)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 4 July 2013
  3. Historic England, "Worsley Court House, Greater Manchester (1067484)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 July 2013
  4. Historic England, "No.22 Street and Nos.24, 26 & 28 Row, Eastgate Street, Chester (1376221)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 July 2013
  5. Pevsner & Hubbard (2003), p. 162
  6. Historic England, "No.26 Street and No.32 Row, Eastgate Street, Chester (1376230)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 July 2013
  7. 1 2 3 Pevsner & Hubbard (2003), p. 39
  8. Morriss (1993), pp. 34, 38
  9. Ward (2009), p. 87
  10. Historic England, "No.1 Street and No.1 Row, Bridge Street, Chester (1376055)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 July 2013
  11. Historic England, "Nos. 2–18 St Werburgh Street, Chester (1376389)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 July 2013

Sources