Edward Godwin, 1833-1886

Edward William Godwin was born in Bristol in 1833. He received architectural training and began his career designing schools, churches and houses in and near Bristol. His best known works include The Guildhall, Northampton and Town Hall, Congleton as well as the restoration of Dromore Castle and Castle Ashby. After moving to London in about 1862, he designed premises for the Fine Art Society in Bond Street and a studio for Princess Louise at Kensington Palace. As an architect, Godwin worked chiefly in the Gothic style. As an antiquary, he had a particular interest in costume, furniture and architecture. Much of his later career was spent designing theatrical costumes and scenery. He was a frequent contributor to British Architect and published a number of books on architecture, dress and theatre. He died in 1886.

The painter James Whistler (1834-1903) commissioned Godwin to build him a house in Chelsea in 1877. Godwin completed the 'White House' in Tite Street in 1878 and Whistler moved there from a house in Cheyne Row. Whistler's bankruptcy in 1879 forced the sale of the house along with the rest of the painter's effects. The buyer of the house, an art critic, made alterations that Whistler and Godwin deplored. In 1881, Whistler moved into a different house in Tite Street, number 13, where he lived until 1885. Whistler and Godwin shared an interest in Chinese and Japanese art and collaborated in a number of projects involving furniture and interior design, including the design of the White House. Whistler married Godwin's widow, Beatrix, in 1888. The White House was demolished in the 1960s.