A. E. Cogswell

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Pompey pub in Frogmore Road, Portsmouth was designed by Arthur Cogswell in 1900.[1]
Cogswell designed The Tangier pub in 1912.
The Graham Arms pub in George Street, Fratton, built in 1900.

Arthur Edward Cogswell (1858, Peterborough – 1934, Portsmouth)[2][3] was an English architect, particularly active in the Portsmouth area. He was an architect who, although not well known nationally, left a strong mark on the appearance of Portsmouth lasting until this day.

Career

Cogswell, the

gaol in Kingston (the former HM Prison Kingston) and Milton Lunatic Asylum (now St James' Hospital). After serving his apprenticeship, Cogswell later became a partner in Rake's business, becoming known as Rake and Cogswell.[4] George Rake died in November 1885,[5] and Cogswell continued the business.[6]

In 1888, Cogswell registered as a Member of the Society of Architects and received his first public commission at Portsmouth's Kingston Cemetery, where Cogswell designed "a new Caretaker's Lodge, Entrance Gate and railings" at the cemetery's northern entrance at New Road,[7] which was opened in 1891.[8]

Arthur Cogswell built a reputation of his own and was a friend of John Brickwood, a fellow

Carnegie Library
in Fratton Road to which he gave his services for free. His style is very recognisable throughout the city.

Cogswell designed two cinemas in Portsmouth, the New Classic Cinema and the Palace Cinema, and the Gaiety Cinema in Gosport, all of which have since closed.[10]

He designed over twenty pubs in Portsmouth, including The Talbot at 207 Goldsmith Avenue,

Brewer's Tudor style, and the Grade II listed The Tangier, 61/63 Tangier Road, Baffins built in 1912 for Portsmouth United Breweries.[11] Cogswell is also credited for designing the Pompey pub in 1900 for Portsmouth F.C. chairman, John Brickwood.[12]

During his career, Cogswell also served with various volunteer regiments of the British Army Reserve. He was a captain in the 2nd Hampshire Royal Garrison Artillery Volunteers,[13] and later served with the Artists Rifles during World War I.[14]

Arthur Edward Cogswell died at the age of 76 in early October 1934, receiving only a 75-word obituary notice in the Portsmouth Evening News, which named him as a "Doyen of City architects" and a "Great Sportsman", but yet received no such recognition from national architectural or trade publications – despite his membership of the Society of Architects.[7] Cogswell's two sons, Victor Cogswell and Douglas Cogswell, carried on the family business, AE Cogswell & Sons,[15] which rebuilt Clarence Pier, Southsea in 1961.[16]

Portsmouth football connections

Cogswell was an enthusiast of association football and founded Portsmouth Association Football Club, an amateur football team which had Sherlock Holmes creator, Arthur Conan Doyle as their goalkeeper, who played under the pseudonym A.C. Smith.[17]

Portsmouth AFC were disbanded in 1896.[17] Although only speculation, many have theorised that Cogswell, a football enthusiast and acquaintance of Brickwood Brewery owner John Brickwood (through his career as a pub architect), may have influenced Brickwood to form a new football club. Brickwood became the chairman of the syndicate which formed Portsmouth Football Club on 5 April 1898.

In 1900, Cogswell built a Brickwoods Brewery public house named "The Pompey" next to Fratton Park at 44 Frogmore Road. The owner of the Brickwoods Brewery was John Brickwood, the first chairman of Portsmouth F.C.

References

  1. ^ Ltd, Not Panicking. "h2g2 – Portsmouth FC – A History". h2g2.com. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  2. ^ "findmypast.co.uk". search.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  3. ^ "findmypast.co.uk". findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Historic England, Arthur E. Cogswell". Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Memorials and Monuments in Portsmouth Cathedral". www.memorialsinportsmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  6. .
  7. ^ a b Andy Nash (1975). A. E. Cogswell, architect within a Victorian city. School of Architecture, Portsmouth Polytechnic.
  8. ^ "KINGSTON CEMETERY, City of Portsmouth - 1001679 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
  9. .
  10. ^ "Movie Theaters Designed by A.E. Cogswell". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  11. ^ "Lost Pubs – T – Portsmouth Pubs". Portsmouth Pubs. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  12. ^ "Info". pompeyvoices.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  13. ^ "No. 27508". The London Gazette. 23 December 1902. p. 8844.
  14. .
  15. ^ "History in Portsmouth". historyinportsmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  16. .
  17. ^ a b "Writers who are football fans". 23 September 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2019 – via The Telegraph.

External links

Media related to Arthur Edward Cogswell at Wikimedia Commons