Thomas Garner was born in Wasperton Hill, Warwickshire, England on 12 August 1839 and from 1856 was articled to Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1907). After completing his articles Garner returned to Warwickshire where he set up his own practice. He also assisted Scott with restoration work.
In 1869 he formed a partnership with George Frederick Bodley (1827-1907) as Bodley & Garner at at 7 Gray's Inn Square, London. The firm worked mainly on ecclesiastical projects.
In addition to their work as architects, in 1874, Garner and Bodley, with Gilbert Scott, Jnr. (1839-1897), also established Watts & Co. an interior decoration company that designed and produced textiles, wallpaper, embroideries and stained glass. The business had premises at 30 Baker Street, Portman Square, London. In its originality of design, the work created by Watts & Co. has been compared with that produced by Morris & Co.
The Bodley & Garner architectural partnership was dissolved by mutual agreement in 1898 following Garner's conversion to Roman Catholicism. Garner retained an office Gray's Inn, London. Later work by him included the restoration of Yarnton Manor, Oxfordshire (1897); Moreton House, Hampstead (1896); the restoration of the chapel at St Catharine's College, Cambridge (1898); and the Empire Hotel, Buxton (1898–99). He also designed the cope worn by the dean of Westminster at the coronation of Edward VII in 1902. He was the co-author, with Arthur Stratton, of The domestic architecture of England during the Tudor period, 2 vols, published posthumously by B. T. Batsford in 1911.
Garner died at Fritwell Manor in Fritwell, Oxfordshire on 30 April 1906.
New churches designed by the Bodley & Garner partnership included St Augustine's Church, Pendlebury near Manchester, Lancashire (1870-74); St Michael and All Angels Church, Folkestone, Kent (1871–78); Church of the Holy Angels, Hoar Cross, Staffordshire with Thomas Garner (1872-76); St Michael's Church, Camden Town, London (1879–8); St German's Church, Roath, Cardiff (1880–86); St Alban's Church, Sneinton, Nottinghamshire (1885–86); Marlborough College chapel (1886); St Saviour's Church, Splott, Cardiff (1887–95); Ascension Church, Woodlands, Dorset (1889–92); St Mary of Eton Church, Hackney Wick, London (1889–92); St Mary's Church, Horbury, Yorkshire (1892–93); St Luke's Church, Warrington, Lancashire (1892–94); and St Aidan's Church, Skelmanthorpe, Yorkshire(1892–95).
Bodley & Garner were also responsible for the restoration, repair, remodelling and furnishing of numerous church buildings including repair and additions to St Mark's Church, Bilton, Warwickshiren (1871-72); repair of St Laurence's Church, Rowington, Warwickshire (1871-72); decoration and new organ case, Church of St Mary the Virgin, Plumtree, Nottinghamshire (1873-75); restoration and additions to St Michael's Church, Shalbourne, Berkshire (1873-79); repair to St Peter & St Paul's Church, Langham, Rutland (1874-78); repair to St Laurence's Church, Oxhill, Warwickshire (1876-79); restoration of St Laurence's Church, Frodsham (1880-83); repair and additions to All Saints' Church, Nettleham, Lincolnshire (1881-84); rebuilding of All Saints' Church, Bedworth, Warwickshire (1882-90); restoration to St Michael's Church, Kirk Langley, Derbyshire (1885); repair of St Manakneu's Church, Lanreath, Cornwall, with Thomas Garner (1886-88); repairs and additions to St Giles' Church, Mountnessing, Essex (1889-91); enlargement of St Andrew's Church, Chelmondiston, Suffolk (1890-99); and repairs and additions to All Saints' Church, St Paul's Walden, Hertfordshire, with Thomas Garner (1891-1905)
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See also Historic England [link below]
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001
Green, Everard. ‘In Memoriam: Thomas Garner, Artist, Architect, and Archaeologist’. The Downside Review vol. 25 issue 2, 1 July 1906 pp. 116-121
Hall, Michael. ‘‘Furniture of Artistic character’: Watts and Company as house furnishers, 1874-1907’. Furniture History vol. 32, 1896 pp.179-204
‘Obituary’. The Builder vol. 90, 12 May 1906 p. 90
Warren, Edward. 'Thomas Garner, architect: born 1838, died 1906'. Architectural Review vol. 19, June 1906 pp.275-276