Benjamin Mountfort
Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort (born March 13, 1825 in Birmingham , England , † March 15, 1898 in Avonside , New Zealand) was an English emigrant in New Zealand , who became one of the most important architects of the 19th century there. He was instrumental in redesigning the city of Christchurch . He was also named Canterbury Province's first official architect . Being heavily influenced by Anglo-Catholicism and early Victorian architecture , he brought the neo-Gothic style to New Zealand. Its Gothic style of wood and stone is unique in this province. Today he is considered to be the most important architect in Canterbury Province.
Early life
Mountfort was born in Birmingham, an industrial city in the Midlands of England, the son of perfumer Thomas Mountfort and his wife Susanna (née Woolfield). As a teenager he moved to London , where he studied architecture with the Anglo-Catholic architect Richard Cromwell Carpenter , whose preference for the Gothic style Mountfort influenced his life. After completing his studies, he worked as an architect in London until he emigrated to Canterbury in New Zealand in 1850 with his wife Emily Elizabeth Newman, whom he married in 1849 . He traveled with the Charlotte-Jane , one of the famous "first four ships". The names of the first settlers, known as "The Pilgrims", are engraved on the marble slabs in front of Cathedral Square in Christchurch , which Mountfort helped design.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mountfort, Benjamin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mountfort, Benjamin Woolfield |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | New Zealand architect |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 13, 1825 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Birmingham , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 15, 1898 |
| Place of death | Avonside , New Zealand |