FIELD, Arthur

1847 - 1910

Arthur Field was born at Coltishall, Norfolk in 1847, son of John Field, a market gardener, and his wife Sarah Ann née Leeds, who married at Coltishall on 1 June 1830. His father died in 1855, and six years later his widow was described as ‘proprietor of houses’ when young Arthur was sent to London to study architecture. In 1871, an ‘architect’, lodging at Portland Road, Kingston-upon-Thames. He married at Aylsham, Norfolk on 1 October 1872, Margaret Welburn (1851-1917) and in 1881 an ‘architect's assistant’, living at Griffin Cottage, Bramford Road, Ipswich with his 30-year-old wife Margaret, who was born at Bedale, Yorkshire and their four children Mary 7, Elizabeth 6 and Florence May 3, who were born in Norwich, and 1 year old Thomas, who was born at Ipswich. Ten years later they were still at Griffin Cottage with another son Arthur Welburn 8, when Arthur was described as ‘architect & surveyor’. A member of the Ipswich Fine Art Club 1884-1894 and exhibited over thirty works, most of local views, between 1881 and 1895 amongst others, from Bramford Road, Ipswich in 1881, watercolours ‘The Ostrich’, 'Entrance Porch, Long Melford Hall' and 'Keepers Cottage, Bramford Road', in 1883 three watercolours 'Cottage at Bramford', 'Old Maltings, Ipswich' and 'Gardener's Cottage, Hintlesham' others include in 1885 ‘Boathouse on the Stour’ and ‘Sproughton’ and in 1886 ‘Old Malsters Arms, Ipswich’ and ‘Easton, Suffolk’ and he also exhibited in 1889 at the Woodbridge Art Exhibition at the Assembly Room at the Bull Hotel, Woodbridge several watercolours. He seems to have been in a partnership with William Henry Brown as noticed in the Ipswich 'Evening Star' of 7 May 1900 'W. H. Brown and Arthur Field, architects of 6 Museum Street, Ipswich were awarded the first premium prize (£100) for their design for the new police headquarters for Essex to be erected at Springfield, Essex'. In 1901 his offices were at 6 Museum Street, and the family had moved to 85 London Road, Ipswich when they had a boarder, 30-year-old architect George Hastings Burgess. Burgess (1870-1944) worked for Brightwen Binyon and later together with Frank Brown, on Binyon’s retirement, acquired his practice trading as Burgess & Brown. Arthur’s son, Arthur Welburn Field (1883-1964) joined this practice in 1919 and after Burgess’s death in 1944 carried on the practice for a few more years. Arthur Field died at 211 Woodbridge Road, Ipswich in 1910, aged 62.