Name

Frederick Harney Overmann

Designation
Architect
Born
1861
Place of Birth
Chorlton-on-Medlock
Location
Manchester
Died
1947

  • Birth:                     5 April 1861   Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester
  • Married                Married: June 27th, 1906, to Florence, younger daughter of Thomas Wormald.
  • Death:                  20 January 1947 
  • Funeral                 Thursday 23 January 1947 at Anfield Crematorium, Liverpool

Frederick Harney Overmann was born on 5 April 1861, at Manchester, the second son of Florentine Theodore Overmann, shipping merchant, and his wife Mary Helen (Higson). His father, a Danish subject, was born in St. Thomas', West Indies, and was a naturalised Englishman for over forty years. He died in 1904 at Locarno, Switzerland.

He was educated privately in England, and at Lubeck Public School, Germany before serving his articles as architect and surveyor with Charles Clegg and Son from 1878 until 1882, remaining as assistant for a time. He then spent over two years in the United States of America, studying architecture in the office of Hudson Holly, of New York and travelled extensively in Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Egypt, and America. He returned to the office of Charles Clegg and Son as assistant and joined them in partnership in 1898. About 1903 Clegg and Son became architects to the South Manchester Board of Guardians, with F H Overmann the partner responsible for this work. This partnership was dissolved in 1911 after which F H Overmann commenced practice under his own name, continuing his association with the Board of Guardians until his eventual retirement in 1928. The early months of practice under his own name were not without problems; financial difficulties led to a receiving order being issued against him in December 1912.

He was a Fellow of the Manchester Society of Architects and was elected Licentiate of the RIBA in 1911 proposed by C Clegg G H Willoughby and J W Beaumont. He appears to have ended his membership about 1922 and does not appear in subsequent editions of the RIBA Kalendar. He was an enthusiastic cricketer and golfer and was Hon. Secretary of the South Manchester Cricket Club for over twenty-one years.

Frederick Harney Overmann retired to Birkdale Southport and died at his residence 2 Greenwood Gardens Aughton Road Birkdale on 20 January 1947.

Address
1909    Fred Overmann (Clarles Clegg & Son) 21 Spring Gardens
1911    Frederick H  Overmann (Charles Clegg & Son) 21 Spring Gardens
1912    F H Overmann FMSA. 48 King Street Manchester
1915    F H Overmann FMSA. 49 King Street Manchester
1919    F H Overmann FMSA National Buildings, The Parsonage, Manchester
1921    F H Overmann. 5 Cavendish Street, All Saints, Manchester
1924    F H Overmann. 5 Cavendish Street, All Saints, Manchester
1926    F H Overmann FMSA 183 Oxford Road Manchester

Residence
1901    Withington (Census)
 1909    Prior Field, Manor Road, Bramhall Park, Cheadle Hulme
1913    Highfield Hawthorn Lane Wilmslow
1917    2 Bellfield Road, Didsbury
1928    2 Bellfield Road, Didsbury
1947    2 Greenwood Gardens Aughton Road Birkdale, Southport