Hello John If we think back to what city buildings looked like around the turn of the 20th century, examples will probably come to mind of the sort of work William Newport must have created: door and window frames and lintels, paneling, mantelpieces, decorations, heraldic and otherwise, all part of the building structure itself, so architectural carving as opposed to furniture. When I'm in the cities these days, even here in Holland, I'm often surprised by decorative doorways from the early 20th century, now that attention is gradually paid to restoring buildings in the city centres. I never noticed these doorways before, but now they are lovingly restored and given prominence. There will be photos on the internet if there are no examples to hand. And since artisans are still needed to do some of this carving, there are sites on the web where their work will be showcased, helping to make it more visual, such as http://www.archcarving.com/Carving/carving.htm Just out of interest, a possible tip: did William Newport from Hampstead maybe pass these woodworking skills down to his descandants? I ask because there may be others down the line who were similarly gifted or worked with wood from necessity. Your own generation even. There were a number of carpenters, cabinet makers , carver gilders & picture frame makers in my tree, including my great grandfather. Many of these may have had to scrape a living from their craft, but others seem to have made good of it. One distant relation by marriage was a carver gilder and picture frame maker in Oxford, England on the census, for years. As he went on, he added a sideline of antiquarian to his occupation, as he probably saw a fair amount of prosperous clients in a city like Oxford. He must have developed an eye for works of art. Then, suddenly, ten years later, he has moved up to a leafy London suburb and is calling himself 'gentleman, antiquarian'! Hmm...I had to grin about that. I also found a hitherto unknown second cousin who became a priest and on the history page of the parish where he ended his days, I read he was a priest appreciated for his many skills, including carpentry and that he was involved in the recent restoration of his church. There was even a tiny photo of him working on the restoration of his church. No prizes for guessing where he got his carpentry skills! And in a family where many men upped and left and the wives left behind destroyed all trace of their menfolk, photos of any of our relations are like gold dust. Just a thought, Katie de Haan The Netherlands -----Original Message----- From: middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of John Newport Sent: zaterdag 24 juli 2010 7:17 To: middlesex_county_uk@rootsweb.com Subject: [MDX] Architectural Wood Carver Can anyone give me an idea as to what an "Architectural Wood Carver", working on his own account, from home, might have been working at, back in 1901, please? I have someone, in the 1901 census, who describes his occupation as just that. I understand from what he says that he was running his own business but doing what? What did/does an "Architectural Wood Carver" do? Would it be safe to say that that the "at home" implies that he had a workshop? TIA John ************************************** Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** superfluous old messages in replies. List Admin can be contacted at: Middlesex_County_UK-admin@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MIDDLESEX_COUNTY_UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Thanks Katie and John, Of course, you're both right, I'm sure. I think it was the word 'Architectural' that had me wondering. His brother, also, was a wood carver but he didn't add 'Architectural' to his job description. He, the brother, worked for a very small company at about the same time and they did carvings for churches, etc., but he didn't become a priest to do it! I know he did some carving for Exeter cathedral, back in the very early 1900s, and the company had premises on which the carving was done prior to installation. Of course, a carpenter would have worked on-site because that was where the work had to be done but someone doing ornamental carving would have worked, mainly, from a workshop of some description. I'm sure that's what you're saying and I'm sure that's right. I was looking at it from the wrong direction - as I said, the word 'Architectural' blew me off course for while! In answer to your question, Katie, about passing down this skill or craft, yes, he did. His son, William junior, took it up and continued the trade but in the USA. My uncle, a nephew to both men, took up cabinet making and carpentry, which, as a builder, he used a great deal. I know he submitted, for approval, hoping to get the contract, a drawing for an ornate altar screen, for the local church, but it went to another local man. Thanks for the web address and thanks very much for your help. John -----Original Message----- From: middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Katie de Haan Sent: 24 July 2010 08:57 To: middlesex_county_uk@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [MDX] Architectural Wood Carver Hello John If we think back to what city buildings looked like around the turn of the 20th century, examples will probably come to mind of the sort of work William Newport must have created: door and window frames and lintels, paneling, mantelpieces, decorations, heraldic and otherwise, all part of the building structure itself, so architectural carving as opposed to furniture. When I'm in the cities these days, even here in Holland, I'm often surprised by decorative doorways from the early 20th century, now that attention is gradually paid to restoring buildings in the city centres. I never noticed these doorways before, but now they are lovingly restored and given prominence. There will be photos on the internet if there are no examples to hand. And since artisans are still needed to do some of this carving, there are sites on the web where their work will be showcased, helping to make it more visual, such as http://www.archcarving.com/Carving/carving.htm Just out of interest, a possible tip: did William Newport from Hampstead maybe pass these woodworking skills down to his descandants? I ask because there may be others down the line who were similarly gifted or worked with wood from necessity. Your own generation even. There were a number of carpenters, cabinet makers , carver gilders & picture frame makers in my tree, including my great grandfather. Many of these may have had to scrape a living from their craft, but others seem to have made good of it. One distant relation by marriage was a carver gilder and picture frame maker in Oxford, England on the census, for years. As he went on, he added a sideline of antiquarian to his occupation, as he probably saw a fair amount of prosperous clients in a city like Oxford. He must have developed an eye for works of art. Then, suddenly, ten years later, he has moved up to a leafy London suburb and is calling himself 'gentleman, antiquarian'! Hmm...I had to grin about that. I also found a hitherto unknown second cousin who became a priest and on the history page of the parish where he ended his days, I read he was a priest appreciated for his many skills, including carpentry and that he was involved in the recent restoration of his church. There was even a tiny photo of him working on the restoration of his church. No prizes for guessing where he got his carpentry skills! And in a family where many men upped and left and the wives left behind destroyed all trace of their menfolk, photos of any of our relations are like gold dust. Just a thought, Katie de Haan The Netherlands -----Original Message----- From: middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:middlesex_county_uk-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of John Newport Sent: zaterdag 24 juli 2010 7:17 To: middlesex_county_uk@rootsweb.com Subject: [MDX] Architectural Wood Carver Can anyone give me an idea as to what an "Architectural Wood Carver", working on his own account, from home, might have been working at, back in 1901, please? I have someone, in the 1901 census, who describes his occupation as just that. I understand from what he says that he was running his own business but doing what? What did/does an "Architectural Wood Carver" do? Would it be safe to say that that the "at home" implies that he had a workshop? TIA John ************************************** Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** superfluous old messages in replies. List Admin can be contacted at: Middlesex_County_UK-admin@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MIDDLESEX_COUNTY_UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ************************************** Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** superfluous old messages in replies. List Admin can be contacted at: Middlesex_County_UK-admin@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MIDDLESEX_COUNTY_UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3024 - Release Date: 07/23/10 19:36:00