William Mawson
| William Mawson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Mawson May 17, 1828 Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | April 25, 1889 (aged 60) Bradford, Yorkshire, England |
William Mawson (17 May 1828 – 25 April 1889) was an English architect best known for his work in and around Bradford.
Mawson was born in Leeds on 17 May 1828 to parents William and Mary Mawson. His father was a prominent paper manufacturer and councilor in Leeds.
William Mawson moved from Leeds to Bradford, after he finished his articles in late 1840s. At that time he was aged 21 and in 1849 he became a partner of the older Henry Francis Lockwood. Initially Mawson lived with his eldest brother Henry and his family at 27 Hanover Square, Bradford. Henry Mawson was a bookseller and printer with a business in Kirkgate Bradford. Also living in this house was their sister, Mary Ann Mawson, whose son Francis Mawson Rattenbury was articled to Mawson and who was to become a famous architect in Canada and who was subsequently murdered by his wife and young chauffeur in the famous case of 1935.
Mawson died in 1889 and spent the last twenty years of his life living at 3 Clifton Villas, Bradford with his mother - until she died in 1881 - and his brother Richard. William and Richard never married.
William Mawson, along with his brother Richard and his mother Mary Mawson, is buried in Undercliffe Cemetery where the imposing Egyptian obelisk with a bronze portrait of William is situated on the main terrace. It is a Grade II listed monument.
The foundation of Mawson’s success as an architect was his partnership with Francis Lockwood in the firm of ‘Lockwood and Mawson’. Lockwood and Mawson transformed Bradford in period 1850 -1875 as this period saw Bradford grow at an unprecedented rate. This mercurial growth demanded new industrial, residential and civic buildings and the firm was instrumental in helping to drive this building boom in the years between 1850 and 1875.
Lockwood and Mawson's success was due to three factors. Firstly, the three main architects - Lockwood and the Mawson brothers - were all from Yorkshire which appealed to local businessmen. Secondly, they were situated in Bradford when architects were most needed as the town boomed. Thirdly, they worked well together: Lockwood was the most architecturally talented; William Mawson was known for his practical ability; Richard Mawson was a social asset and a fine sportsman who made the important friends and contacts.
With the death of Lockwood in 1878 the firm was renamed W & R Mawson with William’s brother, Richard Mawson (1834-1904), becoming the second partner. With the death of Lockwood the partnership lost its creativity. A young Francis Mawson Rattenbury joined the firm in 1886 as a student but during the six years he was with them the company made little impact or designed buildings of importance. The business address of the partnership was The Exchange Buildings, Bradford, West Yorkshire.
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