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Arthur Marshall – A Nottingham Architect
By Pauline F Heathcote, originally published in May/June 1977
I first became interested in the life and work of Arthur Marshall as a result of my research into the history of the development of photography in the Nottingham area. Marshall was a gifted amateur photographer, and President of the Nottingham Camera Club; his work received high awards not only at local exhibitions but also at international events where he quickly established a reputation as a leading exhibitor. During this detailed study of his photographic activities, it was inevitable that I should also become aware of the milestones in his career. It is hoped therefore, that this article may help to draw attention to some of the professional achievements of a man who was in his heyday one of the leading architects in the Nottingham area, but whose name has been erased by the time over the past 60 years.
Marshall was born in Nottingham in 1858; the family background was middle-class and non-conformist. His father was a master painter carver and gilder and head of a local firm which had been established since 1793. After attending school at Hammersmith, Arthur Marshall returned to Nottingham where he became articled to Samuel Dutton Walker, Architect and Surveyor. (This firm later became known as S.D. Walker and Howitt, and subsequently John Howitt and Son.) Dutton Walker's office had at one time been situated in Toll Street, adjacent to the Marshall family business, and was probably well acquainted with his pupil from an early age. His relationship was a particularly fortunate one, as Dutton Walker, in addition to being a successful architect, was also widely respected as a specialist in antiquarian and historical matters, and undoubtedly he had a strong influence on his pupil.
By 1882, Marshall had set up a business on his own, and gradually widened his experience by undertaking a variety of commissions including private dwellings, shop premises and Nonconformist Chapels, two of the latter being at Lenton and Basford. One design in particular, completed in 1885 – a house and studio for Mr Samuel Bourne in the prestige area of the Nottingham Park Estate – was especially mentioned and illustrated in "The Architect" and came as an early public indication of his abilities. The year 1888 was also a significant one for him; in the early spring, he published a book "Specimens of Antique Carved Furniture and Woodwork" which contained illustrations of woodwork dating from the 15th to the 18th century, most of the examples being drawn from items in the possession of private collectors. It is perhaps surprising that such an authoritative work should have been written by a young man who was barely 30 years of age, and it is reasonable to assume that Samuel Dutton Walker had actively kindled his interest in the subject some years previously. This encouragement, coupled with an appreciation of the fine arts which he had inherited from his father, who had been responsible for the internal decoration of many ecclesiastical and public buildings, can be regarded as being the stimulus for the publication.
In his introduction to the syllabus, he said: "The subject is one which I feel has been somewhat inadequately treated in English art literature, and hope to illustrated in such a manner as to be equally acceptable to the general public and to the professional and artistic communities." He also gave another reason for publishing the book, namely: "as many fine specimens of antique furniture etc. Annually leave this country, probably never to be returned, and many others lose their character and interest by being taken to pieces and remodelled, it is important, if we are to retain the collection of the splendid relics of the honest work of our forefathers, that some reliable record of them should be preserved." Bearing in mind that this was written almost 90 years ago, it has a curiously prophetic ring about it, the extent to which it is doubtful if he could have envisaged at the time of writing. A great deal of labour was involved not only in the actual preparation of the illustrations, which were measured and drawn by him but also in finding a sufficient number of subscribers to make the publication a viable proposition. The fact that he undertook the production of such a reference work at the early stage of his career also tells us a great deal about his boundless energy and ambition.
Some three years later, he took one of his pupils, George Turner, into partnership with him, although this was to be a comparatively short-lived Association of eight- or nine-years duration. In 1896 he transferred his officers from Cauldron Place to Russell Chambers, at the corner of King Street and Long Row, Nottingham; this was a block of shops and offices which had recently been designed by the firm, and it remains in the centre of the city revealing many interesting details to an observant eye. Another event in 1896 proved to be a significant turning point in Arthur Marshall's career: the Nottingham Poor Law Guardians announced their intentions to hold a competition for designs for a new workhouse. The Nottingham Union was one of the largest in the country and the site chosen for the new complex of buildings at Hucknall Road covered an area of over 60 acres. Nine sets of plans were submitted for the competition, and following the practice of the day, the Guardians appointed an independent assessor to evaluate them, and following up on his recommendations the Guardians announced that Marshall and Turner had been awarded first place in the competition. A great deal of interest was focused on new development, no doubt because of the unprecedented scale of the operation, and all the competition plans were put on special display so that they might be inspected by members of the public.
A few weeks later, it appears that rumours began to circulate which intimated that the complication had not been conducted on a firm basis and that there had been some collusion between the Assessor and the successful firm of architects. Judging by newspaper accounts of the period, the foundations for the rumours appear to be trivial in the extreme, but there was a certain amount of disquiet, and the matter was brought to a head by being publicly discussed at a meeting of the Board of Guardians, after such a long time-lapse, it is not an easy task to analyse such a controversial affair. However, the contemporary evidence indicates that the "cowardly slanders," as they were so-called, originated as a result of professional jealousy amongst the small handful of architects because such a young and comparatively unknown firm should have gained first place in the competition.
Fortunately for everyone concerned, the affair subsided fairly quickly and was soon forgotten; in retrospect, it is quite easy to understand why this should have been initial feelings of jealousy and disappointment. The Nottingham workout project was an ambitious undertaking, the major achievement by an important Poor Law Union; the total cost was over £200,000 which was considered to be a very large sum in those days. Apart from the actual workouts itself, other buildings on the 60-acre site included the infirmary, children's wards dining hall, nurses home, a chapel, workshops, administration blocks and an underground reservoir designed to contain 40,000 gallons of rainwater collected from the roofs. (One 1896 description of a certain part of the site sounds strange indeed to a 1970s reader…. While on the left are to be situated the casual or vagrant wards together with cells for oakum pickling and yards for stone-breaking, the indispensable conditions of a casual's admission.)
A comment which appeared in the local press at the time of the laying of the foundation stone of the workhouse certainly arouses one's curiosity: Mr Marshall has had the distinguished honour of having a copy of his plans sent to the Empress of Russia. Presumably, the plans had been forwarded by the Local Government Board in London, and it is fascinating to reflect upon why they should have been sent to such an eminent person, and one can only assume that it was the Empress’s specific request. It is possible that they were to be considered as a prototype for a similar institution building in Russia?
Following closely upon his success at Nottingham, Marshall's plans were accepted in competition, for another large Poor Law Union at Wolverhampton. Over the next few years, similar work followed at Dudley, Newark and Stourbridge. Although this type of large-scale operation was one of his major preoccupations, he did from time to time undertake other commissions. Among the private houses for which he became particularly noted were Lentonhurst for Mr W.G. Player (now within the Nottingham University campus) and his residence "Woodside" at Chilwell. Other examples of his work ranged from a gymnasium and boathouse for the Nottingham Boat Club to a Factory Building in Palmerston Street, Nottingham. But Perhaps the Design that attracted the Most Attention and Comment Was the One for the Darlington Street New Wesleyan Church at Wolverhampton, Which Was Opened in 1901. A veritable "Temple of Methodism" accommodating over 1,400 persons, and designed in the late Georgian Renaissance style – a style which was at that time considered by most Methodist Trustees eminently suitable for their places of worship. Two years later, he designed the South African War Memorial at Beeston: this was a symbolic figure of "Hope" 17 feet in height, and carved in Portland stone.
Marshall possessed a great vitality and enthusiasm for living and combined an exacting professional career with an equally successful and active creative life. A brief mention has already been made of his outstanding ability as an amateur photographer. He was also well-known and respected as an artist. He was an above-average watercolourist, and his pen and pencil sketches received much praise. From an early age, he was always a keen traveller, both in England and on the Continent, and had made much use of his sketchbooks as a means of recording not only topographical scenes but also as an aide-memoir for architectural and woodwork details. Occasionally, he exhibited and discussed his pencil drawings and etchings at Smoking Concerts and Social Evenings organised by the Nottingham Architectural Society. His lantern slide lectures were also a highlight in the society’s calendar, being delivered in an easy, fluent style interlaced with flashes of humour. He had had a long association with the Nottingham Architectural Society, having presented numerous papers at formal meetings, served as a member of the Council for many years, and in 1901-03 occupied the Presidential Chair.
The last major public building which she completed before his death in 1915 was the Nottingham and Midland Eye Infirmary. His name is still discernible on the foundation stone and reminds us of a versatile and talented person, both professionally and privately. Perhaps there is much to be gained if we "look behind" the foundation stone once in a while, and take a glimpse at the lives of those who have made their contribution to our local heritage.
Arthur Marshall