George Burt (building contractor)

George Burt

George Burt (born October 2, 1816 in Swanage , † April 18, 1894 ibid) was a stonemason and successful stone merchant. He was a philanthropist and a very wealthy businessman and builder. George's father, Robert (1788–1847), was also a stonemason and coal merchant who ran his business on Swanage High Street and his mother was Letitia, née Manwell, (1786–1861) and sister-in-law of John Mowlem . George had five siblings Elizabeth Letitia (1818–1889), Robert Henry (1821–1876), Charles (1823–?), Francis Alfred (1825–?) And Susannah Ann, 'Susy' (1829–1871). George grew up in Swanage, Dorset .

As a young man, George worked in the quarries of the Isle of Purbeck . He married Elizabeth Hudson (1812-1886) on May 19, 1841 in Paddington, London. The couple had five children, Elizabeth Sophia (1843–1880), John Mowlem (1845–1894), Annie (1846–1918), Emma Rust (1849–1910) and George (1851–?).

In 1835 Burt moved to London to join the Mowlem business and in 1844 he became Mowlem's partner, along with his brother-in-law Joseph Freeman. After the death of John Mowlens in 1868, Burt took over the management of the company. Burt was the entrepreneur who changed the company the most and during the financial crisis of 1866-1867, in which many companies went bankrupt , he was able to carry out the largest construction contract of the time, the construction of Queen Victoria Street (1869 ).

George Burt bought a Georgian style house on Main Street in Swanage in 1857 that became his residence. In 1875 he built the Purbeck House from Purbeck stone , a building in the neo-Gothic style . Today it's a hotel. Both John Mowlem and George Burt were instrumental in the development of Swanage by building much of the city's infrastructure. They were responsible for building the first gas and water works and Burt built, designed and donated the Swanage Town Hall.

In 1862 George Burt bought the rolling land around Durlston Head . There were also some quarries in this area from which their company extracted limestone . He wanted to develop the area into a tourist attraction. In 1887 he built a small castle on the hill, a folly . Durlston Castle was designed by Weymouth architects G. R. Crickmay and built entirely from local stone by W. M. Hardy in 1886–87. Burt also had the Great Globe made , a 40-ton globe.

George Burt died in Swanage but was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, London. The management of the company was passed on to his descendants, Sir John Mowlem Burt (1845-1918) and Sir George Mowlem Burt (1884-1964).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Swanage Past, 2004, Lewer / Smale p. 113-125, ISBN 1-86077-311-7 .
2. ^ Family of Robert Burt and Letitia Manwell . Mark Walker. 2009. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 12, 2010. 
3. ^ Family of George Burt and Elizabeth Hudson . Mark Walker. 2009. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 12, 2010. 
4. ^ The Isle of Purbeck, Durlston Castle & The Globe . Isleofpurbeck.com. 2010. Archived from the original on April 1st, 2010. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 8, 2010.