This page looks at the architects of Bridgwater, and architects who have worked in Bridgwater and the wider district.
Individual Architects
1781-1868
Stone Mason, Builder, Surveyor
Collections
1837-1985
The following list of buildings in the district with their known architects is a work in progress and based upon Julian Orbach and Nikolaus Pevsner’s Buildings of England: Somerset: South and West (Yale University Press, 2014) with additions. TW, May 2026.
Buildings in Bridgwater
Churches
St Mary’s Tower 1367-1358 Masons Nicholas Warys of Bristol and John Betere.
Restoration 1849-1851 W. H. Brakspeare of Manchester.
N. E. Vestry 1902 by Samson & Cottam.
S. E. chapel refitted in 1920 by Caroe [WW1 memorial chapel]
St John Baptist, Blake Place, 1843-1846, by John Brown.
St Francis, Saxon Green, 1984, Stone & Partnership.
Holy Trinity, Hamp Street, 1960-1961, Caroe & Partners.
St Joseph’s, King Street, 1881-1882, Fr Alexander Scholes.
Baptist church, St Mary Street, 1837, Edwin Down.
Wesleyan Church, King Street, 1816, – 1866 extensions Thomas Hutchings.
Methodist Church, Monmouth Street, 1911, W. H. Dinsley, of Chorley.
Westfield Church, URC, West Street, 1965-1966, Ralph Nicholls.
(Demolished) Anglican Chapel, 1851, Wembdon Road Cemetery: W. H. Brakspeare.
(Demolished) Dissenter Chapel, 1856, Wembdon Road Cemetery: Edwin Down.
Public Buildings
Town Hall, High Street, 1820-1823, Richard Carver. Also houses to the east, The Hall behind, 1865 by Charles Knowles.
Market Hall, 1826-7 John Bowen. Rotunda glazed by Smith Gablin, 2006. Open market top lit by Charles Knowles, 1875.
Library, Blake Gardens, 1905-1906 by E. Godfrey Page.
Magistrates’ Court, 1911-1912 by Francis Parr, Borough surveyor. Adjacent Police Station (now demolished), 1965-1966 by Somerset County Architects.
Regional Police Headquarters, Express Park, 2012-2014, Ryder Architecture.
Railway station + 2 bridges over the Parrett by office of I.K.Brunel.
Bridgwater College 1977– 1983 Somerset County Architects, lead by Jeff Davey. Additions by Smith, Gamblin & Ridler and Smith Gamblin.
Schools Robert Blake, 2011-2013, by NVB Architects; Chilton Trnity 2011-2013 by Scott Brownrigg; replacements for Haygrove, 1937 and East Bridgwater 1957-1961 by Somerset County Architects is suspended; Hamp Junior by Guy Ward.
YMCA, Friarn Avenue, 2010 by Smith Gamblin.
Other buildings
St Mary Street, Friarn Street, and High Street
Penel Orlieu – Odean Cinema 1936 by Cecil Howitt; Palace 1916 by Samson & Colthurst
High Street – No 34, 1824-1827 by Richard Carver; by Nos 23-27, two double fronted buildings, 1892 by Basil Cottam; Angel Place; The Avenue, 1927 by Samson & Colthurst.
Cornhill, Fore Street, The Quays, Castle Street, King Square
NatWest Bank, 1904 by George Oatley. County Court, perhaps 1859 by Edwin Down; 4-6 Fore Street 1898 by Cottam; West Quay, The Lions, 1731 by Benjamin Hollway; Castle Street designed by the D of Chandos’ surveyors and masons; Nos 11-13 The Arts Centre with theatre 1946 by Ralph Edwards; King Square 1800 onwards. Many houses by Thomas Hutchings; Masonic Hall 1911 by Cottam; St Mary’s Hall, 1902 by Samson & Cottam.
South of Fore Street, Binford Place, Dampiet Street, Blake street.
King Street, former Methodist Schoolroom, 1923 by Samson and Colthurst; Blake street (Lonsdale House), former School of Art, 1898 and 1908 by Basil Cottam.
North of the Centre, Angel Place, Northgate, Bridgwater Docks
Pevsner notes one range of the workhouse 1847-1848 by Edwin Down but since demolished.
Bridgwater docks 1837-1841 by Thomas Maddicks.
OUTER AREAS
East of the river: Eastover and Sydenham
Church Street N with houses 1884 by Edwin Down.
Sydenham Youth Centre, 1997-1998 by Gareth Hoskins of Peneyre & Prasad.
Sydenham Manor interior reworked 1921-1935 by Philip Sturdy.
South of the Centre: Taunton Road
Former Vicarage 1878-1880 by Down & Sons.
West of the Centre: West street, Durleigh Road and Wembdon
Durleigh Road. Villas on the N mostly by Cottam; S side No 3, c 1906 by Parker & Unwin.
Northfield, bargeboarded villas, probably by Edwin Down, 1880s.
North and north-west of the centre: Newtown
Council Housing, 1926, by Samson & Colthurst.
Lyndale Avenue, Victoria Road, Alexandra Road, and North Street, with the Malt Shovel pub, 1904, most by Basil Cottam.
Buildings in the District
AISHOLT – None mentioned
ASHCOTT – All Saints Church. Much expanded by J. B. Beard, 1831, and re-modelled by Edward Dampier, of Colchester, 1889-90.
BAWDRIP – St Michael’s Church. Wholesale restoration 1864-7 by C. E. Giles.
Knowle Hall, 1 mile N. W. by Richard Carver, 1829-1833;
Morrison Distribution Centre 2010- 2012, by DLA, Wakefield
BROOMFIELD – None mentioned.
BURROWBRIDGE [Formerly Taunton RD] – St Michael’s church 1836-8 by Richard Carver,
Vicarage,1836 by Carver,
The bridge over the Parrett, 1826, by Phillip Ilett of Taunton
BURTLE – St Philip and St James, 1838-9 by Richard Carver
CANNINGTON – St Mary. Weathercock of 1785 by Bayley & Street of Bridgwater. Sedilia from the 1885-6 restoration by Evan Down;
Congregational chapel, High Street by Habershon & Brock of London;
Cemetery, High Street, Pevsner says the gates are brash enough to be by Charles Knowles.
Cannington Court Chapel 1830-1 by John Peniston of Salisbury;
Village Hall, 1905 by Basil Cottam;
Gurney Manor, Restored 1894-1990 by Peter Bird of Caroe & Partners.
CATCOTT – None mentioned.
CHARLINCH – Ashford pumping station, 1879, by Thomas Nicholson of Hereford,
Screen walling at the treatment works 1991-2 by Graham Carruthers partnership.
CHEDZOY – Rectory for St Mary’s Church altered by 1848 by Charles Knowles.
Village Hall 1914 by Samson & Colhurst
CHILTON POLDEN – St Edward, rebuilt 1888-9 by E. H. Edwards, Bristol. Chilton Priory, 1/2 mile to the south, built c 1836 for William Stradling by possibly William Halliday, See OTHERY
CHILTON TRINITY – None mentioned.
COMBWICH – St Peter by Charles Knowles, 1868-70
COSSINGTON – St Mary is on the lawn of Cossington Manor, the latter by Richard Carver. East of the village is Cossington Grange, was modified 1860– 1863 by Charles Knowles.
DURLEIGH – reservoir , 1936-1938 by E. A. Sandford Fawcett. Treatment Works by R. A. Watson, Borough engineer. New works 1993-1995 by Graham Carruthers partnership
DURSTON – St John Baptist. Apart from the tower, the rest was rebuilt 1853 by Charles Knowles.
EAST HUNTSPILL – All Saints, 1839-1840 by G. P. Manners of Bath.
Gold Corner Pumping station 2 M. E.S.E. 1941-1942 by Leonard Mew of Somerset County Architects.
EAST LYNG – St Bartholomew, roof much restored 1905 by Samson & Cottam
EDINGTON – St. George, 1878– 1879 by Down & Co
ENMORE – St Michaels. Apart from the tower, the rest was rebuilt in 1873 by Benjamin Ferrey; Enmore Castle was designed for himself 1751-1757 by John Percival 1751-1757; Rectory rebuilt by the 3rd Earl in 1803.
FIDDINGTON – St Martin, restored 1860– 1861 by John Norton
GOATHURST – St Edward, window tracery restored by J. H. Spencer; N. E. of the church, Paulet House restored by Charles Knowles, 1872.
GREINTON – St. Michael, resurfaced by David Mackintosh 1852-185.
Greinton House (ex Rectory) 1852 by Mackintosh
MARK [Formerly Axbridge RD] – Former Baptist Chapel 1866 by Hans Price; in a nearby field a short cast iron bridge by Richard Down, 1824.
MIDDLEZOY – None mentioned.
MOORLINCH – Former Vicarage of 1802-3 by James Collibear of Ashcott
NETHER STOWEY – Other than the Tower, the rest was rebuilt 1849-1851 by Carver &
Giles.
NORTH PETHERTON – St Mary, Chancel roof 1884 by J. H. Spencer.
Screens 1919-1912 by Charles Spencer King
Congregational Chapel, Fore Street, 1869 by Edwin Down.
Cemetery chapel, Old Road, 1856 by Charles Knowles.
Primary school, 1877 by J. H. Spence
Robert Wiseman dairy, 2006 by Stone & Partners
Community Hall, 1986 by Stone & Partners.
OTHERY – None mentioned
OTTERHAMPTON – None mentioned.
OVER STOWEY – St Peter & St Paul, Altered by Richard Carver 1840, G. E. Giles, 1857, and Basil Cottam, 1902 and 1908
Quantock Lodge 1857-1860 by Henry Clutton.
The Stable Court ? William Burges. Nearby Clutton’s Gatehouse
PAWLETT – Not mentioned
PURITON – Not mentioned
SHAPWICK – St. Mary. 1860-61 Battlements by G. G. Scott
SPAXTON – Four Forks – Agepemone, Building conversion 1846 by William Cobbe. Extension 1888 by Joseph Morris. His daughter Violet Morris designed nearby houses
Clerk’s Cottage repaired by Cyril Harris.
Peacock Cottage. Repaired by Paul Richold.
St MICHAEL – Not mentioned
STAWELL – Old Apple Store 2008-2010 by Malcolm McCall, executed by Ozi Designs.
STEART – Not mentioned
STOCKLAND BRISTOL – St Mary Madalene, 1865-1857 by Oswold Arthur of Plymouth. Screen by Bligh Bond, 1920
STOGUMBER, [Formerly Williton RD] – St Mary. Chancel renewed 1873-1875 by J. D. Sedding
STOGURSEY – St Andrew, External detail renewed 182-1824 by Richard Carver, and 1864-1965 by John Norton
Stogurcey Castle. Renovated 1981-1985 by John Schofield of Architecton
Vicarage 1869 by John Norton. Replaced 1910 by Samson and Cotttam
STOLFORD – Not mentioned
STRINGSTON – Not mentioned
SUTTON MALLET – Church by Richard Carver 1827
THURLOXTON – Not mentioned
WEMBDON – St George Rebuilt after a fire 1896-1870 by J, M Hay of Bath
WEST HUNTSPILL – St Peter rectory, Extended 1870 by William Wilkinson of Oxford
WESTONZOYLAND – St Mary, Chancel Roof restored 1865 by Giles and Robinson
WOOLAVINGTON – Nos 8-10 Church Street, former Vicarage, 1807 by Danial Carver