Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Goodwin, Francis
GOODWIN, FRANCIS (1784–1835), architect, was born 23 May 1784, at King's Lynn, Norfolk, and became a pupil of J. Coxedge of Kensington. He exhibited in the Royal Academy in 1806 an ‘Internal View of St. Nicholas' Chapel, Lynn,’ after which he appears to have devoted himself to the study of his profession, and from 1822 to 1834 exhibited twenty-three drawings made for competition or for his executed works, which were chiefly in the pointed style. In 1821 he built the church at West Bromwich, which was his first completed structure of the kind, and in the same year a chapel of ease at Portsea, Hampshire, a new church at Ashton-under-Lyne, and rebuilt the parish church at Walsall, with the exception of the spire and chancel. He was occupied from 1821 to 1824 with a church at Kidderminster; in 1822, added the steeple to St. Peter's, Manchester; in 1823, the tower and spire to St. Paul's, Birmingham, and completed Trinity Church, Bordesley, Birmingham, a view of which was published in the ‘Gentleman's Magazine’ for 1827. In 1824 he built Holy Trinity Church, Burton-on-Trent; in 1825, St. James's, Oldham, Lancashire; and in 1826, St. Paul's Chapel, Walsall, of which plans and sections were published in Tress's ‘Modern Churches,’ 1841. From 1826 to 1827 he was erecting St. John's, Derby; from 1826 to 1828, St. George's, Hulme, near Manchester; and in 1830 he completed St. Mary's, Bilston. He also rebuilt the old church at Bilston, and a portion of St. Michael's, Southampton. He designed the town hall and assembly rooms, Manchester, built between 1822 and 1825, the interior of which was regarded as his chef d'œuvre, and was engraved as a frontispiece to vol. ii. of his ‘Rural Architecture.’ Since the erection (1869–77) of the New Town Hall, by Mr. A. Waterhouse, R.A., Goodwin's building in King Street has been used as the Free Reference Library. Within the last few years the removal of the steps from the street to the portico (rendered advisable by the increased traffic) has rather disfigured the approach to the building. The town hall and assembly rooms at Macclesfield were erected under his direction between 1823 and 1824, and in 1823 he commenced the county gaol at Derby, one of the best and most commodious prisons in the kingdom at the time. He erected the market at Leeds, 1824–7, and that at Salford, Manchester, 1825. The exchange at Bradford was built from his designs, 1829. Among his private works were Lissadell, co. Sligo, for Sir R. Gore Booth, bart., views of which are engraved in his ‘Rural Architecture;’ an Italian villa for Henry Gore Booth, esq., Cullamore, near Lissadell; a lodge for G. Dodwell, esq., Sligo; some works for E. J. Cooper, esq., M.P., at Markree, co. Sligo; lodge, Demstall Hall, Staffordshire, for H. Hordern, esq.; and a parsonage in the Grecian style for the Rev. W. Leigh at Bilston. In almost every competition for a building of any importance, drawings were sent in by Goodwin, in the preparation of which he spared no expense. He designed a scheme for an extensive cemetery in the vicinity of the metropolis, with buildings from the best examples in Athens, and exhibited his drawings gratuitously in an office taken for the purpose in Parliament Street. In 1833 his plans for the new House of Commons were pronounced the best of those sent in, and were ordered by the committee to be printed, and in 1824 a design for an ‘Intended Suspension Bridge at Horseferry Road, projected by Capt. S. Browne, R.N., and F. Goodwin, Architect and Engineer,’ was approved by the provisional committee. In 1834 he was at Belfast preparing designs for additions to the college, including a museum, and also for baths in Dublin, but these were never executed. He died suddenly of apoplexy on 30 Aug. 1835 at his residence, 21 King Street, Portman Square, while engaged on a set of designs for the new houses of parliament, and was buried in Kensal Green cemetery. He published: 1. ‘Plans, &c., of the New House of Commons,’ 1833. 2. ‘Domestic Architecture,’ 1st ser., 1833; 2nd ser., 1834. A second edition of the work appeared in 1835 under the title of ‘Rural Architecture,’ with supplements to each series entitled ‘Cottage Architecture.’
[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Dict. of Architecture; Graves's Dict. of Artists; Goodwin's Rural Architecture; Gent. Mag. 1827 pt. ii. pp. 201–2, 1835 p. 659; Architectural Magazine, 1834 p. 136, 1835 p. 479; Glew's Walsall, p. 20; Butterworth's Stockport, pp. 39, 40; Axon's Annals of Manchester, pp. 166, 172; Cornish's Manchester, pp. 17, 48, 49; Cornish's Birmingham, p. 37; Jewitt's Derby, pp. 38, 51; Parson's Leeds, i. 229; Reeves's West Bromwich, pp. 14, 15; Baines's Lancaster, 1836, ii. 576; Royal Academy Exhibition Catalogues; Univ. Cat. of Books on Art; Brit. Mus. Cat. of Printed Books.]