Henry Bowman

• Born:  February 1814
• Died: 14 May 1883

 Henry Bowman, the second son of the banker John Eddowes Bowman, was born in Nantwich in February 1814. The failure of the bank in which both his father and grandfather were involved caused the Bowman family to leave Nantwich in 1816. Henry Bowman eventually moved to Manchester to serve his articles and later to set up in practice, attracted by the promise of patronage offered by the rapidly expanding town. Like many of the leading members of the community, he was a Unitarian and rose to become a prominent member of the Cross Street Chapel. In association with James Hadfield, he published his first book, Specimens of the Ecclesiastical Architecture of Great Britain from the Conquest to the Reformation, in 1846. About this time he entered into partnership with Joseph Stretch Crowther, a partnership which lasted until 1853 and was probably his most productive period. With Crowther he published Churches of the Middle Ages as a part-work later published in book form (1853) in addition to designing several Gothic churches.

Henry Bowman married Sarah E. Eddowes, born about 1818 at Nantwich, the daughter of John Eddowes and sister of John Eddowes the rector of St Jude’s, Bradford, but there were no children. Bowman retired to Brockham Green near Reigate and died there on 14 May 1883. He is buried at Dorking Surrey.

Address
1844    Henry Bowman 47 Princess Street, Manchester (Builder)
1853    Bowman & Crowther 66 George Street (Whelan)
1856    Henry Bowman 68 Great George Street Manchester
1861    22 Princess Street. (Slater’s Directory)

Residence   
1861        Victoria Park (Slater’s Directory)
1863        Henry Bowman Esq. Upper Park Road Victoria Park.
1871        Henry Bowman Esq. Upper Park Road Victoria Park. Presumably retired. Living at Gartness?
1881        “Brooklands”  Betchworth, Surrey (Census)
1883        Brockham Green, Reigate, (Manchester Guardian)