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The Webster name is almost synonymous with Kendal’s 19th century architecture. The names of Robert, Thomas, Francis and George Webster are linked with a multitude of buildings in Kendal and the surrounding towns and villages of Cumbria, as well as a number of buildings in Lancashire and North Yorkshire. George, his father Francis and brother Francis, were responsible for the building, renovation and remodelling of churches, houses, market halls, mansions, bridges and factories throughout the county, and most of their handy work survives to this day.
Francis Webster (1767 – 1827), founder of Websters, father to Francis Webster (1795 – 1882) and George Webster (1797 – 1864).
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George Webster was born in Kendal in 1797, son to Francis Webster, a prominent local stone mason turned architect. In his architectural role, George was responsible for a diverse range of building projects, and often worked with his father and his brother Francis.
George Webster was Mayor of Kendal from 1829 to 1830, following in his father’s footsteps of being a prominent name in Kendal’s politics of the time.
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The right hand section is the old Assembly rooms by Webster (1825), though the rest is by S. Shaw (1893). |
The list of local buildings attributed to George, and sometimes jointly with his Father and brother, is long:
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The old gasworks building by Francis Webster inscribed 'Kendal Undertaking, 1825' and 'Ex fumo dare lucem' (from smoke let light break out), with its classical frontage, two pillars, two Tuscam columns and a pediment. Originally in Parkside road, it was preserved when the gasworks was demolished in 1969 and moved in 1984 to the Abbott Hall site.
There are also a large number of buildings that are attributed to George Webster outside of Cumbria, namely in Lancashire and North Yorkshire - for example in Settle, North Yorkshire:
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Most of George Webster’s buildings were classical in design, with pillars, ornate cornices and stone piers, for example the HSBC bank building on High Street in Kendal, and Sand Aire House in Kendal. Some of his other buildings had a subtle gothic leaning to them, for example Settle Town Hall with its steepled rather than flattened classical arches, long thin windows thin spire like towers splitting each bay of the building. There are many surviving examples of his work, along with the work of his brother Francis and his father.
Article and photos by Matthew Emmott.
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Page created 27 March 2006. Last changed 10 Oct 2006.
