The Streatham Society
  • Home
  • Blogs & Posts
  • Events
  • Newsletters
  • Publications
  • Donations
  • Membership
  • Events
  • Guided Walks
  • Virtual Self Guided Walks
  • Photo Gallery
  • Research and Queries
  • Planning and Regeneration
  • Heritage and Conservation
  • WW1 Roll Of Honour
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Instagram posts
  • Archive News
  • Members' Page

"The Eton of Architects" The nationally renowned Architect, Ernest George

8/12/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
On This Day 8 December 1922 Ernest George died at 71 Palace Court, Bayswater. His funeral was conducted by his son-in-law Canon C. H. Robinson

Sir Ernest George RA (13 Jun 1839–1922) was an English architect, landscape and architectural watercolour painter, and etcher.
​

He was born at 9 Portland Place, Southwark, London, on 13 June 1839, the second of three sons of John George (1806–1886), ironmonger, and Mary Elizabeth (b. 1811), daughter of William Higgs, a wholesale ironmonger of Streatham. John George, in Ernest's words 'a man of Kent', had entered partnership with Higgs about 1840, and in 1851 moved with his family into an old house adjoining the warehouse and yard at 179 Borough High Street, Southwark. In 1854 the family moved to 36 Albert Square, Kennington

He lived at "Redroofs" in Rycroft Road, Streatham with his Sister Mary and daughters Margaret and Cecily. In 1871 and 1881 the family lived at Grecian Cottages, Crown Hill.
(Source England, Wales and Scotland census).

George lived at Redroofs (Image 2) until 1903, selling Redroofs to Edmund Frederick Tattersell. It was destroyed c1912

Braddell recalls..."I remember very well the lovely farewell party that Ernest George gave at the house before he left Streatham...I can remember with horror at his giving up living in so delightful a place of his own making.....for life in what I considered when I first saw it, a commonplace Victorian barrack fit only for a rich City Merchant..."

A nationally renowned architect, with a variety of styles, and working with a succession of partners, Thomas Vaughan, Harold Peto and finally Alfred Yeates. He served as president of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 1908 to 1910.

Ernest George's London office was nicknamed "The Eton of architects", and the 79 pupils included Herbert Baker, Guy Dawber, John Bradshaw Gass, Edwin Lutyens and Ethel Charles. Ethel Charles was the first woman to be elected a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
George's last partner (from the time of Peto's retirement in 1892) was Alfred Bowman Yeates: the firm designed several fine country houses as well as Southwark Bridge, the Royal Academy of Music (Image 4), and the Lombardic-Romanesque Golders Green Crematorium (Image 5) where, fittingly, he was taken after he died in 1922 at the age of 83.

His other work includes the interior of Claridges Hotel, and the Royal Exchange buildings.

George was also involved in designs in Streatham and SW London- Hambly mansions, Coffee Tavern at Streatham Common, the Church Hall in Guildersfield Road and Henry Tate's mausoleum at West Norwood Cemetery

He is also well known as an artist, mainly of street scenes in towns and cities across Europe. (Image 3 below - 1886 Watercolour of Fleet Street).

(Sources THE May 2011 and Hilary Joyce Grainger Ph.D thesis )
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Mark Bery, Secretary Streatham Society

    Archives

    May 2025
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020

Next Meeting





Our next  event  is  on the 2nd December 2025. A paid-up member only Christmas party. Members will receive details by email

Our first talk of 2026  is on 6th January 2026. An illustrated talk by Nicholas Reed Who Murdered Bravo, the Barrister from Balham?










​

Social media & email

Picture