John Craig

Reverend John Craig (1805–1877) was a Church of England priest, known for construction of All Saints Church, Leamington Spa and Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa, and funding of the Craig telescope.

Life

Early life in Ireland

Craig was born in 1805 in Blackrock, Dublin, where his father Robert, a Scot, was managing a boys' school in Frescati House. He later attended Trinity College, Dublin, taking a BA degree in 1826, and in 1829 was ordained a deacon.

In Dublin he married Anne Jane Alley, and in 1831 they had a son named Robert, who would later die of consumption.

At that time, All Saints was a small medieval church, which had had some enlargement but was greatly inadequate to the needs of the growing population. In 1842, Craig began to plan to replace the church, to his own plan and largely from his own pocket. Local tradition states that he dismissed 11 architects during the church's construction, and eventually appointed himself Clerk of Works.

Telescope

In 1852, Craig set about on a project to construct a huge new telescope, the Craig telescope, on Wandsworth Common. The telescope was constructed, on land donated by Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer. However, the telescope was not successful, and with Helena's death in March 1854, he returned to Leamington.

Return to Leamington Spa

In the 1850s, Craig was involved in monetary disputes, and was jailed for a short period in Warwick.

In 1867 he recommenced building of the church, this time engaging architect T C Barry to design the South transept.

Craig's third wife, Jane, died in 1870. In his old age he had his right foot amputated, and had to be carried to church each Sunday.

Death

He died in 1877, aged 71, and his funeral is said to have been the largest ever seen in Leamington.

All Saints Church was completed after Craig's death by Sir Arthur Blomfield; Nikolaus Pevsner says the later work "is of course far more knowledgable, but it lacks Craig's improvident zest".