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Watson Fothergill (12 July 1841 – 6 March 1928) was an English architect who designed over 100 unique buildings in Nottingham in the East Midlands of England, his influences were mainly from the Gothic Revival and Old Englishvernacular architecture styles.
His work dates from 1864 (when he set himself up in practice) to around 1912. His earliest surviving known building dates from 1866.
Early life
Born Fothergill Watson in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in 1841, he was the son of a wealthy Nottingham Lacemerchant, Robert Watson and Mary Ann Fothergill. He changed his name to Watson Fothergill in 1892 to continue his maternal family name.
Family
He married Anne Hage in 1867 at St. John's Church, Mansfield. His father-in-law was Samuel Hage, one of the founding partners of Mansfield Brewery.
His half-brother was Robert Mackie Watson, chairman of the Mansfield Improvement Commission and the Brunts' Charity.
Career
In 1856, he entered the St Peter’s Gate office of Frederick Jackson, an architect and surveyor in Nottingham. In mid 1860 he moved as assistant to Isaac Charles Gilbert who was based in Clinton Street, Nottingham. After spending around 18 months with Gilbert, he moved in early 1862 to join the office of Arthur William Blomfield in London. In 1864 he was working with John Middleton in Cheltenham, but in the same year, left to set up his own office at 6 Clinton Street, Nottingham. He remained at Clinton Street until it was demolished by the works in connection with the arrival of the Great Central Railway in 1894. He moved to a new temporary office at 18 George Street, and arranged to rebuild 15 George Street opposite which he completed the next year and moved in on 12 December 1895.
He is credited as having had a great impact on the architecture of the major British industrial city of Nottingham, and designed over a hundred buildings in the city, from offices, banks and warehouses, to churches and private dwelling houses. His easily recognisable style includes the use of contrasting horizontal bands of red and blue brick, dark timber eaves and balconies, and elaborate turrets and stone carving.
On his death in 1928, he left an estate valued at £73,908 5s 11d (equivalent to £4,020,000 in 2015).
List of major works
All Nottinghamshire unless otherwise stated.
1860s
Cemetery Chapels, High Street, Ongar (joint architect with Isaac Charles Gilbert) – 1866
1870s
Dwelling House, Mapperley Road, Nottingham (Fothergill's own house) – 1870
Two Villas, 5 & 7 Lenton Road, The Park, Nottingham – 1873
Temperance Hall (later Albert Hall), North Circus Street, Nottingham – 1873–1876
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Bank, Church Street, Mansfield – 1874–1875
Nottingham Daily Express Offices, Printing Works and Shops, Parliament Street, Nottingham – 1875
King's Arms, Ratcliffe Gate and Newgate Lane, Mansfield – 1875–1877
