George Corson Explained

George Corson (1829–1910) was a Scottish architect active in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

Background

He was born in Dumfries, where he was articled to Walter Newall before moving to Leeds in 1849 to work with his brother William Reid Corson who was working there with Edward La Trobe Bateman. His brother left Leeds in 1860, leaving Corson in charge of the practice.^[1]

In Leeds he was president of the Leeds and Yorkshire Architectural Association by 1898.^[2]

Works

Corson was responsible for many buildings in Leeds including:^[3]

• the Grand Theatre (1877–78), with his assistant James Robinson Watson - Grade II* listed
• the municipal buildings (1878–84) - Grade II* listed, now housing the Leeds Central Library.^[4]
• an extension (1891–92) to George Gilbert Scott's Grade I listed Leeds General Infirmary
• Apsley House (formerly Concourse House) (1903) - originally a drapers and haberdashery warehouse for Crowe & Co and now occupied by Sky Sports
• many large houses in Headingley including the Grade II* listed Spenfield
• St Edmund's Church, Roundhay, Leeds, designed 1873.^[5]
• Bewerley Street School, Bewerley Street, Dewsbury Road, Leeds, designed 1872.^[6]
• St Silas National School, Goodman Street, Hunslet, designed 1872.^[7]
• Additions and alterations to Ripon Grammar School, designed 1875.^[8]
• Leeds School of Medicine, Park Street, inaugurated 1865.^[9]
• the warehouse (1859) at the textile manufacturing premises of Francis Lupton in Wellington Street Leeds, the plans (June 1870) for the Lupton family's Newton Hall/Newton Park Estate in Potternewton, and the 1860 Victorian wing of the Lupton family's Beechwood Estate, Roundhay; known as Corson House.^{[10] [11] [12]}

Roundhay Park and Lawnswood Cemetery

Corson won a competition for the landscaping of Roundhay Park in 1873,^[13] and in 1874 designed the layout and many of the buildings of Lawnswood cemetery, where he himself was buried in 1910. His gravestone, a celtic cross with five bosses, is grade II listed, one of only four listed memorials at Lawnswood.^[14]

External links

• • • • • • Scottish Architects: George Corson Biography and career

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dictionary of Scottish Architects . 23 January 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120207004900/http://www.codexgeo.co.uk/dsa/architect_full.php?id=M003959 . 7 February 2012 . dmy-all .
2. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000206/18981209/180/0010 Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Friday 09 December 1898 p10: "Manchester Society of Architects"
3. Book: Wrathmell, Susan. John Minnis. Leeds. Pevsner architectural guides. 2005. Yale U.P.. 0-300-10736-6.
4. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000076/18840412/003/0003 Leeds Mercury, 12 April 1884, p3 col1: Leeds Municipal Buildings
5. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000686/18730125/055/0002 Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 25 January 1873 p2: "St Edmund's Church Leeds"
6. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000686/18720213/015/0001 Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Tuesday 13 February 1872 p1: "Leeds School Board, Bewerley Street School"
7. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000686/18720309/239/0008 Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 09 March 1872 p8: "St Silas National School"
8. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000686/18750821/460/0007 Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 21 August 1875 p7: "Ripon Grammar School"
9. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000193/18651007/030/0006 Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 07 October 1865 p6: "Leeds School of Medicine, inaugural address and soiree"
10. Book: The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 5 . 1859 . Office for Publication and advertisements . 74 . 27 January 2020.
11. Web site: Eskildsen . Dan . Companies House . 2015–2020 . 27 January 2020 . Address profile: CORSON HOUSE THE BEECHWOOD ESTATE, ELMETE LANE ROUNDHAY, LEEDS, LS8 2LQ There are 2 companies at this address.....
12. Book: Pevsner . N. . Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North - Buildings of England . 2009 . Yale University Press . 531 . 9780300126655 . 27 January 2020 . West of Chapeltown Road: Newton Park Estate. The Newton Park [Newton Hall] Estate was laid out by the Lupton family of Newton Hall (now dem ... Francis and Darnton Lupton first engaged George Corson to draw up plans for developing their estate at the... June 1870....
13. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000686/18730905/052/0003 Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Friday 05 September 1873 p3: "The Rounhay Park Designs"
14. Web site: Grade II listed memorials . Friends of Lawnswood Cemetery . 23 July 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150723231913/http://friendsoflawnswoodcemetery.co.uk/grade-ii-listed-memorials/ . 23 July 2015 . dmy .