Charles Harrison Townsend (1851-1928)
Arts & Crafts Architect and Designer
Photo courtesy of the
Art Workers Guild
I am researching Charles Harrison Townsend for the Arts & Crafts Movement in Surrey and compiling a Catalogue Raisonne of all his works. I am also studying his life and times, and the architectural context in which he worked and his connections with the Art Workers Guild. Townsend was a leading architect of the Arts & Crafts Movement in the UK and Europe at the turn of the nineteenth century, who has largely been forgotten with the passing of time.
Blackheath Village Archives Group have set up a new website www.blackheathvillagearchive.com which contains a selection of photos from their collection and also provides more information about their research and preservation of the history of the village.
The Victorian Web feature a couple of pages on Blackheath Village and Charles Harrison Townsend, see page 1 and page 2.
The Blackheath cricket clubhouse is being built based on the Charles Harrison Townsend sketches - for the latest progress see the Blackheath Cricket Club website.
The Opera House in Workington, Cumbria, designed by Thomas L. Banks and Charles Harrison Townsend is under threat of demolition. More information and a link to the campaign to save the theatre is on the The Arthur Lloyd Music Hall and Theatre History Site
Usually, every first Bank Holiday Monday in May the village shuts down the street and there are over 60 stalls spread along the whole length. All the proceeds go to local charities and supporting village organisations for the benefit of the whole community. Stalls include plants, books, children's games, toss the bale, candy floss, teas, beer tents, raffles, pony rides, skittles and many more with music and entertainment throughout the afternoon.
The next Fair will be on 5th May 2014.
- Compile a list of his architecture and design achievements
- Increase the knowledge of Charles Harrison Townsend
- Be a point of contact for all those that own one of his buildings or are a descendant
- Enable owners to be able to contact me for more advice about their building or work of art.
www.charlesharrisontownsend.org.uk © copyright 2009-14 owned and created by Sarah Sullivan for the Arts & Crafts Movement in Surrey