William Wilkinson Whitaker

• Born                      1812, East Riding of Yorkshire.
• Christening         13 December 1812 at Swine, East Riding of Yorkshire.
• Married                1 June 1843 to Harriet Woodhill at Manchester.
• Died                       30 May 1894 at Cornbrook House, Hulme Manchester, aged 82 years

William Wilkinson Whitaker, the son of Thomas Whitaker, was born in the East Riding of Yorkshire and was christened on 13 December 1812 at the Priory Church of St Mary the Virgin, Swine. Nothing is yet known of his education and training but by the early 1840s he was resident in Manchester. On 1 June 1843 he married Harriet Woodhill at Manchester. About this time he was taken into partnership by Joseph Butterworth. Butterworth died in January 1849 after which W W Whitaker continued the practice alone, receiving a significant number of commissions for National and church schools over the next dozen or so years.In 1860 he employed Richard Knill Freeman as managing assistant. Freeman would probably have been involved with Whitaker’s last known schemes for Kearsley Moor Church of England Schools (1862), Parsonage House in connection with All Saints Church, Bury, (1862) and St Margaret’s Schools, Cornbrook Street, Whalley Range (1862-1863).

Whitaker is listed as member of John Shaw’s Club 1860-1862, but appears to have semi-retired in 1862. In 1853 Whitaker had moved from Cross Street to new offices at 32 St Ann’s Street, Manchester. In March 1864 fire broke out in these offices and a large number of his papers destroyed (3). He subsequently continued his business from his home in Hulme

William Wilkinson Whitaker died on 30 May 1894 at his residence, Cornbrook House, Hulme Manchester, aged 82 years.

Address
1844        Butterworth and Whitaker, architects, Cross Street, Manchester (Builder)
1847        Butterworth and Whitaker, architects, 36 Cross Street, Manchester
1850        William Wilkinson Whitaker, architect and surveyor. 82 Cross Street, Manchester
1853        William Wilkinson Whitaker, architect and surveyor. 82 Cross Street, Manchester
1853        W Wilkinson Whitaker 32 St Ann’s Street, Manchester
1862        W Wilkinson Whitaker 32 St Ann’s Street, Manchester
1876        William Wilkinson Whitaker Cornbrook House Cornbrook, Hulme (Slater)
1885        William Wilkinson Whitaker Cornbrook House Cornbrook, Hulme (Slater)

Residence
1850        4 Apsley Terrace, Cornbrook, Hulme
1850        4 Apsley Terrace, Cornbrook, Hulme
1876        William Wilkinson Whitaker Cornbrook House Cornbrook, Hulme (Slater)
1885        William Wilkinson Whitaker Cornbrook House Cornbrook, Hulme (Slater)

In directories between 1876 and 1886 Whitaker appears to have worked from his home