James Simpson was a local man [i.e. from Leeds] from humble origins yet he had a remarkable career which brought him considerable prestige. He was known, primarily, as a Nonconformist chapel builder, and his is a revealing story of the way an ambitious tradesman could rise to the rank of architect, in this case building a practice that stretched across much of Northern England. It is also an instructive example of the way in which patronage could be an essential ingredient in career transformation. — Serjeant 135.
Simpson "began life as a joiner, being responsible for much of the work in Brunswick chapel. He later became an important northern chapel architect, using both Italianate and gothic styles. A number of his W[esleyan] M[ethodist] chapels continue in use. — "Simpson Family"
Works
- Oxford Place Methodist Chapel and Oxford Chambers, Oxford Place, Leeds
- Centenary Chapel (now the Central Methodist Church), St Saviourgate, York
Bibliography
Serjeant, Ian. "James Simpson (1791-1864)." Building a Great Victorian City: Leeds Architects and Architecture. Ed. Christopher Webster. Huddersfield.: Northern Heritage Publications in Association with the Victorian Society, 2011. 135-58.
Simpson Family of Leeds. A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland. Web. 12 September 2022.
Created 12 September 2022