Christopher Kempster
Christopher Kempster (Born in 1627 – Died in 1715) was an English master stonemason and architect who trained with Sir Christopher Wren, working on St Paul's Cathedral.[1]
Biography
Kempster was from Burford in Oxfordshire, England. He sold Cotswold stone from his quarry at Upton, near Burford, to rebuild London after the Great Fire of London in 1666.[2] He was also Christopher Wren's master mason during the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral in London. His County Hall built 1678–82 in Abingdon is now the Abingdon County Hall Museum.[3]
The Kempster family quarry supplied stone for Blenheim Palace, Oxford colleges, and Windsor Castle.
His buildings, many with Sir Christopher Wren, include:
- Abingdon County Hall[4]
- St James Garlickhythe, City of London (Kempster also made the font)
- St Mary Abchurch, City of London
- St Mary's Church, North Leigh[5]
- St Stephen Walbrook, City of London
- Tom Tower, Christ Church, Oxford[6]
John Perrott, Lord of the Manor, engaged Kempster to refit St Mary's Church, North Leigh and build a burial chapel for the Perrott family to the north of the north aisle.[5] Kempster linked the Perrott chapel and the north aisle by an arcade of Tuscan columns.[7]
St John the Baptist's Church in Burford has a memorial to Christopher Kempster.[2][8]
References
- ↑ P.D. Mundy, Chistopher Kempster, Wren's Master-Mason. Notes and Queries, CCII, page 297. Oxford University Press, July 1957. doi:10.1093/nq/CCII.jul.297
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 My Family Tree: Jordan, Elizabeth, Rick Bull, 14 November 2007.
- ↑ David Nash Ford, Abingdon: Ancient Abbey shaped a Town, Royal Berkshire History.
- ↑ Abingdon County Hall: Information for Teachers, English Heritage. Palladian Press, 2004.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Seven letters of Wren to John Fell, Bishop of Oxford, and other documents. Published in Wren Society 5 (1928).
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Burford, The Cotswold Gateway.
