Charles Archibald Nicholson [also known as Sir Charles Nicholson] was born at 26 Devonshire Place, London, England [1], on 27 April 1867. After studying at New College, Oxford, he was articled to John Dando Sedding (1838-1891) in 1889. He subsequently worked as an assistant to Henry Wilson (1864-1934). In 1893 Nicholson was awarded the Tite Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects and that year set up his own architectural practice in London. In 1895 he formed a partnership, Nicholson & Corlette with the Australian-born architect Hubert Christian Corlette (1869-1954). The partnership was dissolved in 1914 [or 1916 - sources differ] and in 1927 he formed a new partnership with Thomas Johnson Rushton (1878-?). The partnership lasted until Nicholson's death.
Nicholson and his two partnerships specialised in ecclesiastical work and over a period of more than four decades designed 46 new churches and 9 new chapels, as well as alterations and restoration work on nine cathedrals and several Mediaeval churches. They also designed several private houses, church furnishings and a number of war memorials, including those in Burwash in East Sussex, Southend in Essex, and Havant in Hampshire.
Nicholson was Consulting Architect to Sheffield, Belfast, Lincoln, Lichfield, Llandaff, Wells and Portsmouth Cathedrals; and was Diocesan Architect for Wakefield, Winchester, Chelmsford and Portsmouth.
In addition to his work as an architect, Nicholson was an accomplished watercolourist and between 1894 and 1923 exhibited frequently at the Royal Academy in London.
He was elected a member of the Art Workers Guild in 1897 and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1905.
His address was given as Beaumont Street, London in 1895; Poynetts, Chilworth, Surrey in 1905; 2 New Square, Lincoln's Inn, London in 1905 and 1939; and Porters, Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1914. He died in Headington, Oxford on 4 March 1949
A biographical file on Charles Archibald Nicholson is available on request from the Enquiry Desk, Royal institute of British Architects, London
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[1] Source: The Dictionary of National Biography and the 1871 England and Wales Census. Other sources give his place of birth as Australia, Benfleet in Essex, and as Hadleigh in Essex.
Works by C. A. Nicholson and his practice included St Andrew's Vicarage, Totteridge, Hertfordshire (1892); St. Matthew's, Charlton, Torquay, Devon (1896); Enlargement of St Matthew's Church, Yiewsley, Middlesex (1897-98); St. Matthew's Church, Yiewsley, Middlesex (1898); St Alban the Martyr, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex (1898-1908); Additions to Christ Church, Chester (1900–10); Alterations to Burton Manor, Cheshire (1902-04); Enlargement of Clifton College Chapel, Bristol (1909–10); alterations to St Oswald's Church, Guiseley, West Yorkshire (1910); St. Augustine's Church, Legsby Avenue, Grimsby, Lincolnshire (1910-11); Chernocke House, Winchester College, Romans Road, Winchester, Hampshire (1910–12); St Luke's Church, Heneage Road, Grimsby, Lincolnshire (1912); St Paul's Church, Halifax, West Yorkshire (1912); Restoration of All Saints' Church, Cadney, Lincolnshire (1912–14); alterations and additions to St Lawrence's Church, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire (1913); St John the Divine, Rastrick, West Yorkshire (1913); St. Paul's Church, Yelverton, Devon (1913-14); St Clement's Church, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (1913 and 1919); St Alban's church, Copnor Road, Copnor, Hampshire (1914); St Michael's Church, Sutton Ings, East Riding of Yorkshire (1915); War memorial for St John's Church, Coleford, Gloucestershire (1918); War memorial, Sotterley, Suffolk (1920); North chapel of St Michael's Church, Basingstoke, Hampshire (1920); Chapel of the Resurrection and vestries for St James' Church, Grimsby, Lincolnshire (1920); restoration of St Giles' Church, Oxford (1920); enlargement of SS Philip and James' Church, Oxford (1920–21); War memorial, Hornchurch, Essex (1921); Memorial Chapel, Rugby School, Warwickshire (1920); Church of St John the Evangelist, Long Eaton, Derbyshire (1922-?); screen in the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden, Essex (1924); Church of the Ascension, Bitterne Park, Hampshire (1924–26); Our Lady of Lourdes and St Joseph, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (1924-29); St Dunstan's Church, Bellingham Estate, Lewisham (1925); Christ Church, Gosport, Hampshire (1925); restoration of Shrewsbury Castle, Shropshire (1926); St Matthew's Church, Southsea, Hampshire (1926); chancel screen of the Church of St Margaret, Bowers Gifford, Essex (1926); St Mary's church, Bournemouth (1926–34); St Michael and All Angels, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex 1926, completed 1957); Chapel and library for St Boniface College, Warminster, Wiltshire (1927); Bishop's throne and stalls for Leicester Cathedral (1927); St Michael's Church, Castleford, West Yorkshire (1927–29); altar and reredos of the Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street, County Durham (1928); alterations to the Church of St Laurence, Upminster, Essex (1928); New St Mary's Church, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex (1928–29); restoration of St Mary's Church, Hamstead Marshall, Berkshire (1929); St Andrew's Church, Bromley (1929); West doors of St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast (1929); stained glass east window for the Horner Chapel of St Andrew's Church, Mells, Somerset (1930); Seamen's home at Alton, Hampshire (1929–36); restoration of Christ Church, Gosport, Hampshire (1930s); Lady Chapel of Norwich Cathedral (1930–32); St George's Church, Barkingside, Essex (1931); alterations to SS Peter and Paul's Church, Fareham, Hampshire (1931–32); St John's Church, Dudley Wood, Staffordshire (now West Midlands, 1931); St Margaret's Church, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (1931); St Peter's Church, St Helier, London (1932); reredos and choir stalls of St Petroc's Church, Bodmin, Cornwall (1932); St Elizabeth's Church, Becontree, Essex (1932); residential block at Malling Abbey, Kent (1935; screen of the north chapel of St Mary's Church, Droxford, Hampshire (1935); enlargement of Sheffield Cathedral (1936); St Thomas of Canterbury's Church, Camelford, Cornwall (1938); enlargement of Portsmouth Cathedral (1938–39); restoration of Wakefield Cathedral (1939); reredos in Lady Chapel of the Church of St Saviour-on-the-Cliff, Shanklin (1948).
Source of Images
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Nicholson, Charles and Corlette, Hubert. Modern Church Building. London: Royal Institute of British Architects, 1907 [Extracted from the Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects. 3rd series, vol. 14. Read before the Royal Institute of British Architects, Monday 18th February 1907]
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