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Pritchard redivivus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2016

John Harris
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Extract

As recently as 1954 the known works of Thomas Farnolls Pritchard (died 1775) of Shrewsbury ‘who from a mason and statuary became the principal architect of the county in which he lived’ were few indeed. All that had been ascribed to him was the rebuilding of St Julian's church, Shrewsbury, in 1749-50, and his third design in 1775 for Abraham Darby's famous Coalbrookdale cast iron bridge. His ghost must have been quite dispirited to have had even the bridge denied him in 1958, although happily this was rectified in the same year. A ‘principal architect’ in his county without a house to his credit is a paradox. Even if St Julian's church was Pritchard’s first commission - and this is unlikely - there are twenty-six empty years to account for.

Type
Research Article
Information
Architectural History , Volume 11 , 1968 , pp. 17 - 24
Copyright
Copyright © Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain 1968

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References

Notes

1 Colvin, H. M., A Biographical Dictionary of English Architects 1660-1840 (1954), pp.476–477 Google Scholar.

2 Information supplied to Mr Colvin by Sir John Summerson, taken from a manuscript of John White's.

3 Pevsner, N., Shropshire (1958), p. 157 Google Scholar.

4 R. Maguire & P. Matthews, ‘The Ironbridge at Coalbrookdale’, Arch. Assoc. Jnl., July-Aug. 1958. The relevant document proving Pritchard's responsibility had, however, already been published by Colvin, loc. cit. Pritchard's three designs were published by John White in Cementitious Architecture (1832).

5 R. Gunnis, Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851 (1953). For Nelson cf. p. 270–271 and van der Hagen, p. 406.

6 Colvin, , op. cit., pp.52–53 Google Scholar.

7 Mr Croft-Murray has been most enthusiastic in tracking down Pritchardiana with me, as has Miss Diana Uhlman.

8 Cornforth, J., ‘Hatton Grange, Shropshire’, Country Life, 29 Feb. 1968, pp.466–470.Google Scholar I am indebted to Mr Cornforth for many helpful suggestions.

9 For Shobdon cf. Wiffen, Marcus, Stuart and Georgian Churches (1947), p. 69.Google Scholar Mr Colvin has, however, examined the relevant documents and has conveyed to me what he knows of Shobdon's building history.

10 For Tong cf. Stroud, Dorothy, Capability Brown (1957), pp.94–95 Google Scholar, and Hussey, C., ‘Tong Castle, Shropshire II’, Country Life, 27 Sept. 1964, pp.578–581.Google Scholar

11 The centre of Croft was desecrated in 1914. For the most recent account of its building cf. the current National Trust guide.

12 For Tatton, a house designed by Samuel Wyatt in the 1780s, cf. Oswald, A., ‘Tatton Park, Cheshire’, Country Life, 16 July 1964, pp. 162–165 Google Scholar, with the diningroom illustrated as Figs. 3 & 4.

13 For Hagley cf. Hussey, C., English Country Houses: Early Georgian 1715-1760 (1965), pp. 197–201.Google Scholar In Country Life 16 Jan. 1926, pp. 83-86, ‘The Furnishing of Hagley', Fig. 6 is a pier glass (Fig. 3a) very similar to one of Pritchard's designs (Fig. 3b). The common source may, however, be Chippendale's Director of 1754.

14 For Hill Court cf. John Cornforth, ‘Hill Court, Herefordshire', Country Life, 27 Jan., 3 Feb., 10 Feb. 1966 & 29 Feb. 1968.