Edmund Sharpe was an English architect, architectural historian, railway engineer, and sanitary reformer. His main focus was on churches, and he was a pioneer in the use of terracotta as a structural material in church building. He also designed secular buildings, including residential buildings and schools, and worked on the development of railways in north-west England. Towards the end of his career Sharpe organised expeditions to study and draw buildings in England and France.
About Edmund Sharpe in brief
Edmund Sharpe was an English architect, architectural historian, railway engineer, and sanitary reformer. Born in Knutsford, Cheshire, he was educated first by his parents and then at schools locally and in Runcorn, Greenwich and Sedbergh. Following his graduation from Cambridge University he was awarded a travelling scholarship, enabling him to study architecture in Germany and southern France. In 1835 he established an architectural practice in Lancaster, initially working on his own. Sharpe’s main focus was on churches, and he was a pioneer in the use of terracotta as a structural material in church building. He also designed secular buildings, including residential buildings and schools, and worked on the development of railways in north-west England. Towards the end of his career Sharpe organised expeditions to study and draw buildings in England and France. His legacy consists of about 40 extant churches; railway features, including the Conwy Valley Line and bridges on what is now the Lancashire section of the West Coast Main Line; and his archive of architectural books, articles and drawings. He was awarded the Royal Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1875, and died in Lancaster in 1877. His body was taken to Lancaster, where he was buried, and his body was then taken to Bath, Somerset, to be buried with his wife, Martha Whittaker, who was at Belvedere House, Bath, at the time of his death in 1866.
He is buried in St John’s Cemetery, Scotforth, near his home in Scotforth near Lancaster, in what is today known as the Sharpe family grave. He had a son, Edward, who went on to become a prominent architect and civil rights activist. He died in his 80s, and is survived by his wife Martha and their son, Edward Sharpe, who is now a member of the House of Lords, and a daughter, Julian Sharpe. The couple had two children, Edmund and Martha, who were married in 1881. The family later moved to Lancaster where Edmund became a councillor and served as mayor in 1848–49. He championed the construction of new sewers and a waterworks, and was a talented musician, and took part in the artistic, literary, and scientific activities in the town. Edmund continued his education at Burney’s Academy, and became head boy. In November 1829 he entered St John’s College, Cambridge, where he remained for two years. He won a scholarship to study at Cambridge, which enabled him to travel abroad for three years. During his time abroad he travelled into northern Germany and France, studying Romanesque architecture and early Gothic architecture. He intended to travel further, but his friend at Trinity College, Lancaster, Professor of Mineralogy, William Whewell, was influential in gaining this award for him. He then moved to North Wales, and in 1856 he moved from Lancaster, spending the remainder of his Career as a railway engineer.
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