Charles Mawer

Charles Mawer (1839–1903) (fl. 1860–1881) was an architectural sculptor, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. He was the son of sculptors Robert and Catherine Mawer and the cousin of William Ingle. He was apprenticed to his father, and worked within the partnership Mawer and Ingle alongside his cousin William and his own mother between 1860 and 1871, and then ran the stone yard himself until he formed a partnership with his fellow-apprentice Benjamin Payler in 1881. Following that date, his whereabouts and death are unknown. His last major work for Mawer and Ingle was Trent Bridge, where he carved alone, following the death of William Ingle. He is noted for his work on the rebuilding of the mediaeval Church of St Michael and All Angels, Barton-le-Street, completed in 1871, where he repaired and recreated damaged and missing Romanesque carvings, and for his carving on William Swinden Barber's 1875 Church of St Matthew, Lightcliffe. Charles' last known work ornaments another Barber church: the 1880 Church of St Thomas the Apostle, Killinghall. Charles was a member of the Mawer Group of Leeds architectural sculptors, which included those mentioned above, plus Matthew Taylor.

Background

Charles Mawer, son of Robert Mawer and Catherine Scriven, was born in Leeds around 1839. with his parents and his maternal grandmother Elizabeth Scriven. In the 1851 Census, Charles is described as a scholar of twelve years old and living with his parents at 6 Oxford Place, Leeds. No evidence has been found that he married. His name does not appear in the Leeds Electoral Roll from 1882.

Charles died of apoplexy on 8 December 1903 in the infirmary of the Union Workhouse, Skipton. He had lately been a monumental mason at Barnoldswick, and his age was incorrectly given as 70 years. His age was around 64 years.

Career By 1861 he was a stone carver aged 22, living with his widowed mother at 7 Oxford Place, Leeds. By 1871 they had moved to 9a Oxford Place and Charles was describing himself as a stone carver and mason. He was a partner in Catherine Mawer & Son, and was active as a sculptor between at least 1861 and 1882. Charles was also a landlord in 1877-1881, renting out offices in the Britannia Buildings in Oxford Place, Leeds. By 1882,Benjamin Payler had joined him at 50a George's Street (now Great George Street), and they are described as sculptors in Leeds Directory (Post Office) in that year. In the 1881 census he is 44 years old and still unmarried, described as a sculptor employing nine men and one boy. He is living alone at house no.17 in Aldborough, North Yorkshire, now part of Boroughbridge, two doors away from the Aldeburgh Arms (now Penrose House). He remained there until at least 1884.

Works for Mawer and Ingle

The company Mawer & Ingle was started in 1860 when Charles came of age at 21 years and completed his apprenticeship. William Ingle died in 1870 when Catherine was aged 67 years; thereafter Charles Mawer was probably carving alone when the work involved travelling, after 1870.

Former Barnsley Cemetery chapels, lodges and gateway, 1860–1861 Warehouses, Bradford, 1862 Church of St Mary, Aldborough, North Yorkshire, Boroughbridge, 1861 Former St Bartholomew's, Armley, Leeds, 1861 Church of St Ricarius, Aberford, 1862 Former St Matthews, Chapel Allerton, 1861-1863 Reredos at Christ Church, High Harrogate, 1861–1862 Albert Memorial, Queensbury, 1863 Church of St Peter, Bramley, 1861-1863 Hepper & Sons auctioneers sales rooms and offices, East Parade, Leeds 1863 Warehouses, 30 Park Place, Leeds, 1865 Endcliffe Hall, Sheffield, 1863–1865 Former St John the Evangelist, Wortley, Leeds, 1864–1865 Former Holy Trinity, Louth 1866 Memorial tablet at Holy Trinity, Low Moor, Bradford, 1866 Wool Exchange, Bradford, 1864-1867 Statues of Sweep and Shoeblack, originally in Peel Park, Bradford, 1867 Former Church of St Peter, Dewsbury Road, Hunslet Moor, 1866-1868 Commercial Bank, Bradford, 1867-1868 Former Church of St Clement, Chapeltown Road, Leeds, 1867–1868 St John the Evangelist, Lepton, 1866–1868 Former Unitarian Chapel, Chapel Lane, Bradford, 1869 Scottish Widows insurance building, Park Row, Leeds, 1869 United Free Methodists day and infant schools, Farsley, 1869 Christ Church, Windhill, Shipley, 1868–1869 Former Church of St Silas, Hunslet, 1868–1869 Church of St John the Evangelist, Dewsbury, 1869 Former Church of All Saints, Woodlesford, 1869-1870 Trent Bridge, 1868-1871 Former Congregational Church, Lightcliffe, 1870-1871

Independent works by Charles Mawer St Michael and All Angels, Barton-le-Street, 1869-1871

St Michael & All Angels' church, Barton-le-Street, Ryedale, North Yorkshire, first constructed in the 1160s, is a Grade I listed building.

It was constructed between 1869 and 1871 in collaboration with architect William Perkin (1808-1874), and reopened quietly on Sunday 18 June 1871. "The font at the west end is of Caen stone, on alabaster shafts and capitals. It is the work of Mr C. Mawer, of Leeds," and carved "in a rather elaborate Norman style."

Inside the church: "with some elements, such as the continuous running scroll frieze forming a high dado, it is difficult to separate the original C12 work from Victorian repair." St Michael's was primarily listed for its 12th century carvings, but with respect to the Victorian craftsmanship: "particularly for the high quality C12 style stone sculpture by Charles Mawer."

Former Archibald Ramsden premises, 12 Park Row, 1872

The former Archibald Ramsden premises at 12 Park Row, Leeds, was designed by George Corson for the music publisher, and opened for business on Tuesday 26 March 1872. Ramsden's was on the east side of Park Row, next to the former Royal Insurance offices which was on its south side, and backing on to Basinghall Street. It stood just north of the site of the present modern Natwest bank, which is on the corner of Park Row and Bond Street. (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 10 March 1872)

Edward Archibald Ramsden's Park Row shop was passed to his son Archibald, and the firm continued into the 1950s. The building was demolished before 1960.

Former Kirkgate Market, Bradford, 1872

Kirkgate Market Bradford was designed by Lockwood and Mawson for Bradford Corporation, and formally opened on Thursday 31 October 1872. It was demolished in 1973. In 1872 the Leeds Mercury reported: "It may be stated that Messrs. Mawer, of Leeds, are intrusted with the execution of the carved heads, Corinthian capitals and other work of this character at the New Market pile, and are doing their work in first-class style." The whole 180 foot frontage on Kirkgate contained carved decoration, to a height of 50 feet. The contracts for carving were given to "Mr. Keyworth, of London," for the spandrels over the main door representing Flora and Pomona, and to "Mr. Mawer, of Leeds" for the rest of the carving.

In 1872, the Leeds Times reported: (Leeds Times 19 October 1872)

As of 2017, Bradford City Council retains possession of the carved stones from this building. In 2014 a number of the original carvings by Mawer and Keyworth were rediscovered in a compound in Bradford, and six of them were placed on display in front of Merchant's House, Peckover Street. The pieces include an "ornate apple tree" by William Day Keyworth junior. The rest, by Mawer, are a cherub, two voussoirs from the main entrance arch, a capital, and a garland.

Former St Bartholomew, Ripleyville, Bradford, 1871–1872

St Bartholomew's, in Hall Lane, Ripleyville, Bradford, West Yorkshire, was designed by TH and F Healey of Bradford. and the church was consecrated on 10 December 1872, It was not completed until 1874. Henry William Ripley, who created Ripleyville, contributed the site. The Leeds Times reported that the pulpit was of "neat design." (The current St Mary the Virgin Luddenden does not appear to have any items from the previous church. ) "The font is in Caen stone, and has a single shaft with carved capital and an octagonal bowl. This font is supplied with water from a spring in the steep bank that rises a few yards from the west end, and can be turned on any time. The pulpit is richly treated. It stands on a base of marble and is in Caen stone - six sides of the octagon being shown, and being richly diapered. In the centre is the crowned head of St Mary within a circle. The arcading is in dwarf shafts of black marble. Messrs Mawer of Leeds have worked the Caen stone."

The same newspaper adds that: "The corbel on either side [of the chancel arch] is the figure of an angel with an open book. The inner side of the arch rests on shafts of red sandstone, with richly carved capitals." Four of the faces of the octagonal stage of the tower were "finished in dressed stone with moulded shafts and carved capitals at the angles." No attribution is given for this stone carving work, which could possibly have been carried out by Charles Mawer. In 1874 the south transept was restored in order to fit a memorial window dedicated to Edward Walker. During the restoration, a Georgian addition was removed, exposing an Early English doorway, described by the Derbyshire Courier thus: "(The doorway was) ... so mutilated as to render the design almost beyond recognition ... Particular care has been taken to retain any original portion that happened to be sound and intact ... these portions were but few ... The doorway ... being composed of a richly-moulded arch upon two columns of Mansfield red stone; on either side and between the columns there is a filling of dog-tooth ornament similar to that upon the Early English portions of the interior of the church. The door is simply an old friend with a new face, being the old door recased, and upon which are a set of artistically-worked plate bands ... the carving by Mr. Mawer of Leeds; from the designs and under the superintendence of Mr. S. Rollinson, architect, of this town.(Derbyshire Courier, 15 August 1874) Between 1874 and 1875, in collaboration with architect William Swinden Barber, Charles produced the capitals and other carvings, but not the pulpit and reredos. (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 22 September 1875)

Pearson Brothers shop in New Briggate, Leeds, 1875 No image of this building has been found, but there is a description in the Leeds Mercury, 1875:

Church of St Thomas the Apostle, Killinghall, 1879-1880

St Thomas Killinghall is an unlisted building, designed by William Swinden Barber. The foundation stone was laid on Saturday 26 May 1879, and the church was consecrated on Thursday 29 July 1880. Its architectural sculpture, pulpit and font are the last known works of Charles Mawer.

Works for Mawer and Payler Bradford Old Bank Company, Harrogate, 1885 This former Bradford Old Bank Company building probably no longer exists. It was originally occupied by a bank, and the address was at the junction of James Street and Princes street in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. It was designed by architects H.E. and A Bown of Harrogate. In 1885 the Knaresborough Post described the building as follows: The front, which is executed in cleansed fine grit sandstone of a uniform light yellow tint, from Messrs. King & Co.'s Moorhouse Quarries at Pateley Bridge, is in the Italian Renaissance or Free Classic, the lower order being Roman Ionic, and the upper one which runs through two stories Roman composite, the bank part is emphasized by composite fluted and reeded pilasters, a central tower finished with ornamental ironwork, and attic pediment, with boldly carved tympanum ... carvers, Messrs. Mawer and Paylor, Leeds.