William Adams Nicholson


William Adams Nicholson was an English architect who worked in Lincoln and was a founding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Life

Born on 8 August 1803 at Southwell, Nottinghamshire, he was the son of James Nicholson, a carpenter and joiner. James gave up his business about 1838 and became sub-agent to Sir Richard Sutton's estates in Nottinghamshire and Norfolk. William was articled about July 1821, for three years, to John Buonarotti Papworth, architect, of London. By 1824 Nicholson had returned to Southwell, where he worked with the Rev J. T.Becher on the design of the Southwell Workhouse. In 1828 he established himself at Lincoln and he built up an extensive practice in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. From 1839 to 1846 he was in partnership as Nicholson & Goddard, with Henry Goddard. Pupils of the practice were Augustus Hullock Morant, a relative of Nicholson's, Charles Baily of Newark and London, and Michael Drury who was Nicholson's successor. His assistant John Spence Hardy and another pupil, Pearson Bellamy set up the practice of Bellamy and Hardy in Lincoln after his death.
Nicholson joined the Royal Institute of British Architects as a founding fellow at its commencement. He was a member of the Lincolnshire Literary Society, and of the Lincolnshire Topographical Society. He was in attendance at Boston as a professional witness when he was suddenly taken ill, and died there on 8 April 1853. He was buried at Lincoln, in the churchyard of St. Swithin, in the parish where he had resided for many years.

Family

In 1824 Nicholson married Leonora, the youngest daughter of William Say of Norton Street, London. His second wife, Anne Tallant, survived him and was living at No. 1 Bank Street Lincoln in 1856.

Architectural works

Workhouses

Possibly Nicholson's most important contribution was in the design of Workhouses. His pioneering Southwell Workhouse was important forerunner of the radially planned workhouses of the New Poor Law. Nicholson was to go on to design workhouses at Glanford Brigg in 1836 and at Lincoln in 1837-1838 - both of which have now been demolished.
As well as working in the Gothic revival style of architecture, Nicholson could also work very effectively in classical styles. He designed the Mansfield Town Hall in a Grecian style portico with Doric columns. More striking is the Corn Exchange of 1847 in the Cornhill Lincoln. Here he has a projecting portico with Corinthian columns at Piano nobile level.

This group of churches, in the vicinity of Louth, present a problem. They have similar design characteristics, and while they appear to be by the same architect they have been attributed to either Nicholson or to the Louth architect G. R. Willoughby. Little is known about Willoughby, although he was still working in 1868 It may be that Willoughby was the supervising architect for these churches and Nicholson had supplied the plans. Leech has argued that the main design input may have come from Willoughby, as they are distinct from the other churches built by Nicholson Nicholson worked extensively for the Chaplin family of Blankney, so it might well be expected that he was the architect selected when the Rev Henry Chaplin paid for the new churches at Haugham and Raithby. Antram has described these churches as being pre-archaeological and gimmicky, yet many of the features described, such as the crockets, appear to be closely copied from the limestone churches in the Grantham area. The flying buttresses used to supported the crocheted spires, as at Haugham, are similar to those on Louth church. This group of churches have been built of brick, but cement or stucco rendered, to give the impression of ashlar masonry. Documentary research may resolve the problem as to who was the architect of these churches.

Chapels

Literature