Benjamin Creswick (1853–1946) and Charles Francis Annesley Voysey (1857–1941)
Charles Francis Annesley Voysey [also known as C.F.A. Voysey] was one of the leading figures in the English Arts and Crafts movement. He was born the son of a clergyman in Hessle, near Hull in East Yorkshire, England, on 28 May 1857. On leaving school he was articled to the architect John Pollard Seddon in London (1874-77) and remained as his assistant (1878). He then worked as an assistant to the London architects Henry Saxon Snell (1879) and George Devey (1880-81). Voysey opened his own office in Westminster, London, in 1881 and was in private practice for the next sixty years. Most of his architectural commissions date from the years 1889-1911. These included the Lakin House in Bishop's Itchington (1889), Walnut Tree Farm for H. Cazalet in Castlemorton (1890), the Britten Studio in West Kensington, London (1891), 14 South Park in Bedford Park, London for J.
In addition to his work as an architect, Voysey, produced a wide range of designs for the domestic environment. As a result of his acquaintance with Arthur H. Mackmurdo (1851-1942) early in his career, Voysey obtained commissions to design fabrics, rugs and wallpaper for a number of leading manufacturers including Sanderson, Jeffrey & Co. Alexander Moreton & Co. and the Essex Company. He later designed furniture, clocks, jewellery, metalware, light fittings, etc.
Voysey summarised his philosophy on architecture and design in his two books 'Reason as the Basis of Art' (London: Elkin Matthews, 1906) and 'Individuality' (London: Chapman & Hall, 1915).
He was elected a member of the Art Workers Guild in 1884 and became Master of the AWG in 1924. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1927, and in 1936 was elected a Designer for Industry (DI) [from 1937 known as Royal Designer for Industry (RDI)] by the Royal Society of Arts.
Voysey died in Winchester, Hampshire, on 12 February 1941.
Text source: Art History Research net (AHR net)
