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DENING, Charles Frederick William, RWA., FRIBA.* PDF Print E-mail
Born in Chard, Somerset in December 1876. In addition to his skill as a painter he was also the author of several books on Architecture as well as poems. In 1919 he was elected an Artist Member of the Tribe and in his first year he designed the Wigwam and supervised its construction from 1919 to 1921. He was a regular attender at weekly meetings and we have 29 of his evening sketches in our collection. He was President in 1925 and was later made a Life Member. He was honorary secretary of the R.W.A. and chairman on the artists` committee. He was keen photographer and was President of the Bristol and West of England Photographic Society. He was an authority on Georgian architecture and wrote and illustrated the book The Old Inns of Bristol. He was President of the Bristol Society of Architects, a member of the Architects` Club in London and advisory architect to the Bristol Housing Committee. Among the many examples of his architectural skill are St. Alban’s church in Westbury Park, St. Christopher’s church in Brislington, Marksbury Road School, Connaught Road School, the Cenotaph at Shepton Mallet and Bristol South Baths. He was commissioned to redesign the interior of the Colston Hall. In 1937 his health began to fail and with the outbreak of war he seem to be filled with an uncontrollable fear. He allowed his architect`s practice to lapse and went off to isolated parts of the countryside he loved so much. However, records show that immediately after the bombing of central Bristol he would arrive at the scene and paint the ruins of the buildings. After the cessation of hostilities his mental state was never again normal and in 1951 the question of his financial state was under the consideration of the Savage Committee. On June 26th 1952 he died at his home in Stoke Bishop aged 76. (Cecil Broome)