page_title: Robert Mawer
section_title: Church of St James, Boroughbridge, 1851−1852
hierarchical_section_title: Robert Mawer / Works / Church of St James, Boroughbridge, 1851−1852
caption_attribution_description: Church of St James, Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, England. Designed by Mallinson &amp; Healey, consecrated in 1852. The church contains Romanesque carvings in the vestry wall, and stone carving by Robert Mawer throughout. Showing carving of head in interior.
context_page_description: Robert Mawer was an architectural sculptor, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. He specialised in the Gothic Revival and Neoclassical styles. He created the Neoclassical keystone heads on St George's Hall, Bradford and on Moorland's House, Leeds, and was working on the keystone heads at Leeds Town Hall when he died. He was a founding member of the Mawer Group of Leeds architectural sculptors, which included his wife, Catherine Mawer, his son Charles Mawer, and his apprentices William Ingle, Matthew Taylor and Benjamin Payler, who all became sculptors with their own careers. Many of the buildings enhanced with sculpture by Robert Mawer are now listed by Historic England.
context_section_description: This is a Grade II listed building. It was designed by architects James Mallinson (1819−1884) and Thomas Healey (1809-1862), and completed in 1852. The foundation stone was laid on Thursday 12 June 1851, and the church was consecrated on Tuesday 27 July 1852. This church site is significant in that it is in the area where Robert and Catherine Mawer, and William Ingle, were born. Most of the local inhabitants turned out for the foundation ceremony, which included in its procession all those contracted to work on the building, "(forty in number) carrying banners with appropriate mottoes." Afterwards, "the workmen, with the ringers and singers, sat down to a dinner of roast beef and plum pudding."
  
  Robert Mawer executed the general carving of the church, including the font, and Mawer & Ingle returned in 1864 work to carve the reredos (now missing). The architectural critic C.P. Canfield deprecates the church architecture, saying: 
  "The church interior is stark for the five-bay aisle arcades are formed of the most uniform of double-flat-chamfered arches supported on quatrefoil piers entirely without embellishments save only for head labels stops at the ends. Ascribed to Mawer and Ingle of Leeds, who were frequently patronised by Healey, they offered no scope for the firm to enhance their reputation, but if the poor little font is theirs also, as stated by the notes in the church, then surely one of their apprentices must have been delegated the work."
  
  However, at the consecration the Yorkshire Gazette said: "The handsome new font of Caen stone does credit to Mr Mawer of Leeds, by whom the corbels and interior carving were executed." On the same occasion, the Leeds Intelligencer said: "There is a handsome [carved wooden] eagle, or lectern, which, with the [stone] font and carved work generally, has been executed by Mr Mawer, of Leeds, whose well-earned reputation it is calculated to enhance." Regarding the 1884 reredos, the Yorkshire Gazette said: 
  "The reredos recently erected in this church is chiefly of Caen stone, marble being used to a small extent in the shafts. The style is that of the church, Decorated Gothic. Each wing of the reredos, to the right and left of the altar table, is divided into three compartments by shafts of serpentine marble, in which the green veins predominate. The shafts have carved stone capitals, which support well-moulded arches, each supported with foliage. The spandrels of these arches are filled with bands of rosettes in low relief. The central portion of the reredos, immediately behind the altar table, is projected and divided into three compartments. The shafts, instead of springing from the floor, as do those on each side, stand on bases level with the table. They are of serpentine marble, and support arches more elaborately carved than the side arches. In the centre compartment is sculptured "The Lamb," bearing over its shoulder a banner and cross.
  The two remaining compartments contain panels, having the monograms "I.H.C." and "X.P.C.," signifying the sacred name, Jesus Christ. The grounds of these compartments are richly covered. The cornice of the reredos is ornamented with carved ears of corn, grapes, leaves &c. This exquisite piece of work has been most creditably and satisfactorily executed by Messrs. Mawer & Ingle, carvers, from designs of Messrs. T.H. and F. Healey, architects, Bradford. The roof of the chancel has also been painted a beautiful sky blue, and freely ornamented with stars."(Yorkshire Gazette and Leeds Intelligencer)
  In 1954 the vicar obtained a faculty to destroy the reredos, and to remove the painted writing over the arches and along the south aisle wall, although that writing may still exist under the present paint. Medieval carvings from the earlier church were installed in the vestry wall in 1852. A chair from the old church is also in the vestry, and a chair and table from the earlier church are in the nave. The 1861 west window made by Hughes of London and dedicated to Canon Robert Deaville Owen (1823−1904), features the Apostles James, Paul and Peter.
   Media
caption: Label stop in nave: portrait of Catherine
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