Charles Francis Annesley Voysey [also known as C.F.A. Voysey] was one of the leading figures in the English Arts and Crafts movement. He was born the son of Charles Voysey (1828-1912), a clergyman, in Hessle, near Hull in East Yorkshire, England, on 28 May 1857. On leaving school he was articled to the architect John Pollard Seddon in London (1874-77) and remained as his assistant (1878). He then worked as an assistant to the London architects Henry Saxon Snell (1879) and George Devey (1880-81).
Voysey opened his own office in Westminster, London, in 1881 and was in private practice for the next sixty years. Most of his architectural commissions date from the years 1889-1911.
In addition to his work as an architect, Voysey, produced a wide range of designs for the domestic environment. As a result of his acquaintance with Arthur H. Mackmurdo (1851-1942) early in his career, Voysey obtained commissions to design fabrics, rugs and wallpaper for a number of leading manufacturers including Sanderson, Jeffrey & Co. Alexander Moreton & Co. and the Essex Company. He later designed furniture, clocks, jewellery, metalware, light fittings, etc.
Voysey summarised his philosophy on architecture and design in his two books Reason as the Basis of Art (London: Elkin Matthews, 1906) and 'ndividuality (London: Chapman & Hall, 1915).
He was elected a member of the Art Workers Guild in 1884 and became Master of the AWG in 1924. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1927, and in 1936 was elected a Designer for Industry (DI) [from 1937 known as Royal Designer for Industry (RDI)] by the Royal Society of Arts. In 1940 he was awarded the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture.
Voysey's architectural practice was in steady decline from c.1906, but the outbreak of World War One virtually put an end to it. By 1914 interest in the Arts and Crafts style had started to wain and his refusal to compromise on artistic ideals began to lose him potential patrons. However, towards the end of his life, his importance as an architect and designer had begun to be appreciated again, notably by the art historian Nikolaus Pevsner, who championed his work in his seminal book Pioneers of the Modern Movement (London: Faber and Faber, 1936).
Voysey died at his home, Patk House, in Winchester, Hampshire, on 12 February 1941.
A biographical file on C.F.A. Voysey is available on request from the Enquiry Desk, Royal Institute of British Architects Library, London
Lakin House in Bishop's Itchington, Warwickshire (1889); Walnut Tree Farm for H. Cazalet in Castlemorton (1890); Additions to The Cliff, 102 Coventry Road, Warwick (1890); Walnut Tree Farm, Castlemorten, Malvern, Herefordshire (1890); Studio house, 14 South Parade, Bedford Park, London, for J.W. Forster (1891); Grove Town Houses in Kensington, London (1891-92); Perrycroft in Colwall, Hertfordshire (1893-94); Lowicks, near Frensham, Surrey (1904); Cottages at Ockham Park, Ockham, Surrey (1894-1903); Annesley Lodge in Hampstead, London, for his father, Rev. Charles Voysey (1895-96); Wentworth Arms public house and six cottages, Elmesthorpe, near Hincklry, Leicestershire (1895-96); Greyfriars at Hog's Back, Surrey (1896); the Voysey House at Colwell, Hertfordshire (1897); Norney in Shackleford, Surrey, for the Rev. Leighton Crane (1897); Broadleys, near Lake Windermere in Cumbria, for A. Currer Briggs (1898); Moorcrag, near Lake Windermere in Cumbria (1898); the Orchard at Chorleywood in Hertfordshire (1899-1901); the Spade House in Folkestone, Kent, for H.G. Wells (1899); the Pastures at North Luffenham, Leicestershire (1901); a wallpaper factory for Arthur Sanderson & Sons in Chiswick, London (1902); Tilehurst in Bushey, Hertfordshire (1903); Hollymount at Knotty Green, Buckinghamshire, for C.T. Burke (1903); the Homestead at Frinton-on-Sea in Essex (1905); the offices of the Essex & Suffolk Equitable Insurance Company in London (1906-10); Littleholm in Kendle, Westmorland (1908-09); St Winifred's Quarry in Combe Down, Bath, for T.S. Cotterell (1909); Hetherington House in Belfast (1911); Lilycombe. Porlock Hill, near Polock, Somerset (1912); and Lodge for Hill Close, near Studland, Dorset (1913).
See also:
C. F. A. Voysey Society - Voysey's Principal Buildings
Source of Images
Adams, Thomas. 'The true meaning of town planning: a reply to Mr. C. F. A. Voysey'. Architectural Review vol. 46, September 1919 pp. 75-77.
'An interview with Mr. C. F. A. Voysey' The Studio vol. 1, 1893 pp. 231-237
Baillie Scott, M. H. 'On the characteristics of Mr. C. F. A. Voysey's architecture'. International Studio vol,33, 1907-08 pp. 19-24
Betjeman, John. ' C. F. A. Voysey'. Architects' Journal vol. 91, 29 February 1940 pp. 234-235
Brandon-Jones, John. ‘C. F. A. Voysey’ in Victorian Architecture, edited by Peter Ferriday. London: Jonathan Cape, 1963 pp. 267-287
Bennett, Stephanie. C.F.A. Voysey in the Lake District. B. A. dissertation, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1990
Betjeman, John. 'Charles Annesley Voysey' in Edwardian Architecture and its Origins. Edited by Alastair Service. London: The Architectural Press Ltd., 1975 pp. 152-160 [Originally written by Betjeman in 1931]
Bock, Judith. The Wallpaper Designs of C. F. A. Voysey. M.A. thesis, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1966
Brandon-Jones, John. 'C. F. A. Voysey, 1857-1941'. Architectural Association Journal vol. 72, May 1957 pp. 239-260
Brandon-Jones, John. Voysey: Architect and Designer 1857-1941. London: Lund Humphries, 1978
Briggs, Martin S. Voysey and Blomfield: a study in contrast'. The Builder vol. 176, 14 January 1949 pp. 39-42
C.F.A. Voysey: decorative design. Glasgow, Scotland: Hunterian Art Gallery, 1993
Carruthers, Annette and Greensted, Mary. Good citizen’s furniture: the Arts and Crafts collections at Cheltenham. London: Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museums in Association with Lund Humphries,1999
Charles F. A. Voysey. Introduction by David Gebhard. Santa Barbara, California: University of California Art Gallery, 1970 [Catalogue of an exhibition at the University of California Art Gallery in 1970]
Congrave, D. F. C. F. A. Voysey. Diploma dissertation, Duncan of Jordanstone College of art, 1977
Cross, A.J. Pilkington’s Royal Lancastrian Pottery and Tiles. London: Richard Dennis, 1980
Davies, D.T.I.G. C. F. A. Voysey, Architect and Designer. Diploma thesis, Royal Institute of British Architects, 1958
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 2: L-Z. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001
Donat, Robert. 'Uncle Charles'. Architects' Journal vol. 93, 20 March 1941 pp. 193-194 [Actor Robert Donat's reminiscences of C. F. A Voysey whose niece he married]
Durant, Stuart. The decorative designs of C. F. A. Voysey from the Drawings Collection, the British Architectural Library, the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Durant, Stuart, et al. C.F.A. Voysey: Designs for Tompkinson & Adam Carpets. London, England: The Fine Art Society/Haslam & Whiteway/H. Blairman & Sons, 2013
Fleener, Gordon Emerson. Voysey, Baillie Scott, and Mackintosh : the turn-of-the-century Arts and Crafts house. M. Arch. thesis, University of Washington, 1978
From East to West: Textiles for G.P. & J. Baker. London: G.P. & J. Baker, 1984. Cheltenham, England: Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museums in association with Lund Humphries, 1994
Gebhard, David. 'C. F. A. Voysey: to and from America'. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians vol. 29, October 1970 pp. 272-273 [The first of a two-part article examining the influence of Voysey on the work of American architects]
Gebhard, David. 'C. F. A. Voysey: to and from America'. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians vol. 30, December 1971 pp. 304-312 [The second of a two-part article examining the influence of Voysey on the work of American architects]
Gebhard, David. C. F. A. Voysey, architect. Los Angeles, California: Hennessey & Ingalls, 1975.
Gebhard, David. 'The vernacular transformed'. RIBA Journal vol. 78, March 1971 pp. 97-102
Gray, A. Stuart. Edwardian Architecture: a Biographical Dictionary. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co., Ltd., 1985
Haslam, Malcolm. 'The carpet designs of C. F. A. Voysey'. Antiques vol. 140, no. 3, September 1991 pp. 402-411
Hitchmough, Wendy. The Homestead. Frinton-on-Sea: C.F.A. Voysey. London: Phaidon, 1994
Hitchmough, Wendy. C.F.A. Voysey. London: Phaidon, 1995 [This contains a full list of Voysey’s architectural commissions]
Hughes, Elizabeth. "The unseen is the glory of the seen": graphic symbolism in the designs of C.F.A. Voysey. M. Arch. thesis, University of Virginia, 1992
Hyde, Matthew and Whittaker, Esmé. Arts and Crafts houses in the Lake District. London: Francis Lincoln Limited, 2014
Jackson, Neil. 'Voysey in Wales'. The Architectural Review vol. 163, 1978 p. 190
Jones, John Brandon. C.F.A. Voysey, a memoir. London, England, Architectural Association, 1957
Kobayashi, Masako. 'The simplicity of the ornament on the ideas of C. F. A. Voysey'. Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of AIJ), vol. 66, no. 544, 2001 pp. 295-301
Lambourne, Lionel. Utopian Craftsmen. The Arts and Crafts Movement from the Cotswolds to Chicago. London: Astragal Books, 1980
Livingstone, Karen. The Bookplates and Badges of C.F.A. Voysey. Woodbridge, England: Antique Collectors’ Club, 2011
Livingstone, Karen. V&A pattern: C.F.A. Voysey. London: Victoria & Albert Museum Publications, 2013
Macauley, James; Bosley, Edward R.; and Hitchmough, Wendy. Arts & crafts houses II: Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Hill House, C.F.A. Voysey, the Homestead, Greene and Greene, Gamble House. London, England: Phaidon Press, 1999
Moore, Jeremy F. Building in the Garden of Eden: a consideration of the architectural and social ideas of C.F.A. Voysey in relation to the theology of his father. M. Sc. thesis, University College London, 1985
Newbery, F. H. 'Morris - Walter Crane - Ashbee - Voysey und die englische Abteilung in Turin 1902'. Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, vol. 11, 1902 pp. 209-240 [Work by William Morris, Walter Crane, C. R. Ashbee and C. F. A. Voysey shown at the Esposizione internazionale d'arte decorativa moderna in Turin in 1902]
'Obituary'. Architect and Building News vol. 165, 21 February 1941 pp. 1941 pp. 129-130
'Obituary'. Architects' Journal vol. 93, 20 February 1941 pp. 124, 126
'Obituary'. Architectural Review vol. 89, May 1941 pp. 112-113
'Obituary'. The Builder vol. 160, 21 February 1941 p. 197
'Obituary'. Royal Institute of British Architects Journal vol. 48, March 1941 p. 88
Pevsner, Nikolaus. 'C. F. A. Voysey' in Studies in Art, Architecture and Design by Nikolaus Pevsner vol. 2. London: Thames & Hudson, 1968 pp. 140-151 [Originally published in the Dutch journal Elsevier Maandschift May 1940]
Reising, Gert. 'Ein Historist in den Gefilden des Jugendstils : "C. F.A. Voysey 1857-1941"'. Weltkunst vol48.1978, 2658-2659
Richardson, Margaret. 'Wallpapers by C. F. A. Voysey'. RIBA Journal vol. 72, August 1965 pp. 499-403
Royal Institute of British Architects. Drawings Collection. Catalogue of the Drawings Collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects: C.F.A. Voysey. Compiled by Joanna Symonds. Farnborough, England: Gregg, 1976
Schofield, Alice Shirley. C.F.A. A Century of Voysey's Buildings at Whitwood. Castleford, England: Alice Shirley Schofield, 1997.
Service, Alastair. The Architects of London and their Buildings from 1066 to the present. London: The Architectural Press, 1979
Simpicity or Splendour. Arts and Crafts Living. Objects from the Cheltenham Collection. Edited by Annette Carruthers and Mary Greensted. London: Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museums in Association with Lund Humphries Publishers, 1999
Simpson, Duncan. C.F.A. Voysey: an architect of individuality. London: Lund Humphries, 1979. New York, NY: Rizzoli, 1990
Some recent work of C. F. A. Voysey, an English architect'. House and Garden vol. 3, 1903 pp. 254-260
Stamp, Gavin. The English House 1860-1914. Catalogue of an exhibition of photographs and drawings. London: International Architect and the Building Centre Trust, 1980 pp. 36-38
Stanford, Caroline. Winsford Cottage Hospital. The story of a late-Victorian cottage hospital. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: The Landmark Trust, 2020 [Winsford Cottage Hospital was designed by C.F.A. Voysey]
Townsend, Horace. 'Notes on country and suburban houses'. The Studio vol. 16, 1899 pp. 157-164 [An appreciation of the work of C. F. A. Voysey. Examples of houses designed by him are described and illustrated]
Vallance, Aymer. 'Some recent work by Mr. C. F. A. Voysey'. The Studio vol. 32, 1904 pp. 127-134
Voysey, C. F. A. 'Ideas in things'. in The Arts Connected with Building, edited by T. Raffles Davison. London: B.T. Batsford, 1909 pp. 101-138
Voysey, C. F. A. 'On town planning'. Architectural Review vol. 46, July 1919 pp. 25-26
Vybíral, Jindrich. 'Charles F.A. Voysey's forgotten designs for Southern Moravia'. Umenei. Institute of the History of Art of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic vol. 53, 2005, pp. 1, 21-33
Who's Who in Architecture 1926. Edited by Frederick Chatterton. London: Architectural Press, 1926
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The Orchard. The Journal of the Voysey Society (2012-) contains numerous articles on Voysey