BINYON, Brightwen

1846 - 1905

Brightwen Binyon was born at Headley Grange, Victoria Park, Manchester on 30 May 1846, son of Edward Binyon (6 January 1792-15 December 1852), a sugar refiner & tea dealer, and his wife Jane née Brightwen (17 August 1805-23 November 1890), daughter of Isaac Brightwen of Coggeshall, Essex, who married at Ipswich on 11 February 1841. Binyon was educated at Friends School at Kendal under a Mr Thompson and trained as an architect 1863-1871 under Alfred Waterhouse (1830-1905), gaining membership of the R.I.B.A. Brightwen then travelled on the continent, after which he came to Ipswich and was living with his mother at 43 Fonnereau Road, Ipswich in 1874. He married at the Friends Meeting House, Darlington, co. Durham, on 18 September 1879, Rachel Mary Cudworth (4 April 1853-8 April 1949), only daughter of William Cudworth of Darlington after which they lived at 5 Henley Road, Ipswich with his architect’s office at 36 Princes Street, Ipswich. He completed many commissions in Suffolk, including the Corn Exchange, Ipswich, the Board School in Bramford Road, Ipswich and the Concert Pavilion, Felixstowe. A member of the Ipswich Fine Art Club 1875-1903 and was a regular exhibitor showing from 5 Henley Road, Ipswich in 1881, eight watercolours including 'Ipswich Dock', 'The Rivals', 'The Toad Rock, Tunbridge Wells' and 'Spring Promise', a further nine in 1883 including 'Priory Farm', 'Cliffs near Whitby' and 'Fishing Smacks' and was a regular annual exhibitor, he also exhibited at the Royal Academy 1887-1895. About 1892 he moved to ‘The Cedars’, Anglesea Road, Ipswich and, after being in practice for over 25 years, retired in 1897. In 1901, a 54-year-old retired architect, living at 'Brantover', Wolsey Terrace, Walton-cum-Felixstowe with his 41-year-old wife and four children, with three servants including 33-year-old Thomas Jeffries, masseur, and mental nurse. About 1903, when he resigned from the Art Club, they moved to Haydon Ridge, Grange Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire where Brightwen Binyon died on 21 September 1905. They had four children Janet (1880-1963); Mary Sims Binyon; Basil (1885-1947), an electrical engineer, and Olive [Fielden] (1888-1971) whose son was Sir Bernard Fielden (1919-2008), the conservation architect.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 2 Princes Street, Ipswich
1887 1605 New Municipal Buildings, Sunderland - architectural
from Henley Road, Ipswich
1888 1814 Panels...Ospedale del Ceppo, Pistoja - architectural
from Prince's Street Chambers, Ipswich
1893 1572 Public Library, Colchester - architectural
1895 1441 Aldermaston Court, Berkshire - architectural

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Works by This Artist