Richard Herbert Carpenter

• Birth date            July 1841 at Guildford Street, St Pancras, London
• Death date          18 April 1893 at 11 Leinster Square, Bayswater, London
• Burial                  22 April 1893 at Highgate Cemetery

Richard Carpenter was born in July 1841 in St Pancras, London, the elder son of the Tractarian architect Richard Cromwell Carpenter and his wife Amelia (nee Hollman). Richard Cromwell Carpenter died of tuberculosis in March 1855, his practice being taken over by his former assistant William Slater. Richard Herbert Carpenter attended Charterhouse School (Builder) and/or University College School, (Times) before being articled to William Slater in 1857. He joined Slater in partnership in 1863.  Following Slater's death in December 1872, Carpenter worked alone for several years before entering into partnership with his chief assistant, Benjamin Ingelow in 1878.

In 1862 The RIBA students' prize in books was awarded to “Mr. R. H. Carpenter, student”, for his design for a dispensary for a manufacturing town. [Building News 7 March 1862 page 168] and on 15 June the following year he was admitted ARIBA, his proposers being Slater, Mair and the St Pancras surveyor Henry Baker. He was elected a Fellow of the RIBA in 1875. He travelled widely in France and Germany but also developed an interest in non-Christian architecture visiting Egypt, Moorish Spain, Kairawan and Damascus, as well as to Malta.

Richard Herbert Carpenter died suddenly on 18 April 1893 at his home, 11 Leinster Square, Bayswater after a very short illness. The funeral service was held at St. Stephen's Bayswater, and the burial at Highgate Cemetery. He was unmarried.

Address:
1863-1893    4 Carlton Chambers, 4 Regent Street, London

Residence
1851        Upper Bedford Place, Russel Square Bloomsbury
1881-1893    Leinster Square, Bayswater

Obituary        Builder v64, 22, and 29 April 1893, pages 303, 310, 319
Obituary        RIBA Proceedings NS v9, 1893, page 339
Obituary        Times 8 May 1893, p6
Reference      Building News v58, 17 Jan 1890 page 115
Portrait         Building News v58, 17 Jan 1890,

WORKS BY THE LATE MR. R. HERBERT CARPENTER. - The following works by the late Mr.R. Herbert Carpenter have been illustrated in the Builder, those preceded by an asterisk having been designed and carried out by him in conjunction with his partner, Mr. Benjamin Ingelow

Church of St. Mary, Crown-street, Soho (Builder, October 2, 1875). Design for proposed new Cathedral for Manchester (March 11, 1876). ‘Enlargement and alteration of Knoyle House, Wiltshire (January 31,1880). Sketch of Leon Cathedral, Spain (May 29, 1880). *St. Oswald's School, Ellesmere, Shropshire (May 8, 1880, and December 27, 1884). ‘Stoughton Grange, near Leicester (May 29, 1880). ‘New Buildings, The King's School, Sherborne (September 3, 1881); Tomb of Mr. and Lady Mildred Beresford-FIope, Kilndown Church, Kent (May 6, 1882). ‘Reredos in Lady Chapel, Chichester Cathedral (September 16, 1882). ‘Tower, St. Mary's Abbey, Sherborne (May 31, 1884). ‘Additions to Jesus College, Cambridge (September 3, 1887). St. Chad's College Chapel, Denstone (January 28, 1888). ‘Choir, Worksop Priory Church (July 14,1888). ‘The ' Abbey House," Sherborne (October 20, 1888). ‘Completion of Chancel, St. Paul's, Bedford (September 28, 1889). ‘West Front of the Cathedral, Honolulu (November 2, 1889). ‘Interior, Armagh Cathedral (September 27, 1890). Suggestion for Addition to Westminster Abbey (January 10, 1891). St. Cuthbert's College, Worksop (January 30, 1892). [Builder 29 April 1893 page 319]

The Building News of 17 January 1890 page 115 listed the following works by R H Carpenter:

COLLEGES AND SCHOOL BUILDINGS - Jesus College, Cambridge, new students' buildings, fellows' houses, and restorations of old buildings; Lancing College, chapel, school room, and other buildings; Denstone College, chapel hall and complete buildings; Ardingley College, chapel, hall, and complete buildings; Hurstpierpoint, chapel and head master's house; Ellesmere College, hall and quadrangles; Dewsbury School, schoolroom; Abbot's Bromley (Girl's Middle Class), chapel and other buildings; King's School, Sherborne, schoolroom, chapel, and other buildings; King's School, Ely, Hereward's hall, hostel, etc; King's School, Bruton, classrooms, dormitories, etc.; Worksop College, designs for execution; St. Mary Abbot's, Bromley, designs for execution; Clicam School, chapel, dormitories, and other works; St. Katherine College, Tottenham (S.P.C.K.), chapel.

HOUSES - 20, Arlington-street, for Lord Salisbury; Seacox Heath, for the Right Hon. G. J. Goschen, M.P.; Simonstone, for the Earl of Whamecliffe; Stoughton Grange, for Mr H. L. Powys-Keck;  Hawkwell-place, for Rev. R. S. Tabor; Stanhill Court, for Mr W. Young; Knoyle House, additions, for late Mr. K. Seymour; Trent Manor House, additions, for late Mr. K. Seymour; Brigstock Manor House, restorations, for the late Duke of Buccleuch; Sexey's Hospital, Bruton, enlargements; Yeatman Hospital, Sherborne; Digby Hotel, Sherborne; London Female Penitentiary, new buildings; and many parsonages, houses, schools, etc.

CHURCHES - Armagh Cathedral, restorations; Sherborne Abbey Tower, restorations Honolulu Cathedral; Manchester Cathedral, designs for the late Bishop Fraser (1873); Chichester Cathedral, Lady-chapel, reredos, etc.; Worksop Abbey Church, designs for its restoration, for Duke of Newcastle; Newmarket Memorial Church, for the Duchess of Montrose; Feltham; Brighton, Church of the Resurrection, and spire to St. Paul's, in West-street; Enfield, St. Michael's; Dunston, for the Earl of Ripon; Hardrow, for the Earl of Wharncliffe; Long Marston; Outrington; Bootle; Belfast; St. Martha, Paddington Church, Lawford; Sutton.

CHURCH RESTORATIONS - Market Drayton; St. Leonard, Bridgworth; Earl's Barton, Brigstock, Blankney, Henfield, Bruton, Cranbrook, Sandhurst, Strixton, Middleton, Child's Ercall, Aldrington, Tring, Southover, Gem Magna, Thurnby, Stapleton, Barton Latimer; many churches for the late Duke of Buccleuch and for the late M. G. D. W. Digby ; restorations of gate tower and fittings at St. Augustine's College, Canterbury ; and many works for the late Right Hon. A. J. B. Beresford Hope, including his memorial.