Watson Fothergill Walk Watson Fothergill

Watson Fothergill, christened Fothergill Watson by his parents, was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, in 1841. After training in Nottingham and London, he commenced practice as an architect in the city where most of his designs are to be found.

Fothergill was well-travelled and enjoyed watching cricket and collecting works of art. His interest in his family’s history led him to swap his names around by deed poll, making his mother’s maiden name – Fothergill – into his Christian name in 1892. He frequently had his own name carved on his most prominent buildings, most of which are in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Although some of his work has been demolished over the years, there are still many striking examples of his architectural work in the city; many of these are Grade II Listed Buildings, and they form the basis of my tour, the Watson Fothergill Walk.

Fothergill was devoted to the Gothic style and often incorporated decorative elements in his buildings. He was open about his influences and added sculptural busts of his architectural heroes, A.W.N. Pugin and G.E. Street, to the exterior of the office he built for himself on Nottingham’s George Street. It is even believed that he represented his own image as a “medieval architect” on the front of the building.

Join me for the Watson Fothergill Walk to discover more about this eccentric Victorian, a flamboyant architect whose buildings have much to tell us about the history of Nottingham.