Frederick Codd was a British Gothic Revival architect

Gothic Revival architecture

The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...

 and speculative builder who designed and built many Victorian houses in North Oxford

North Oxford

North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College....

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Codd was born in 1832 in East Dereham, Norfolk

Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

. He was initially based in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 but he was active in Oxford by 1865.

Frederick Codd was a pupil of William Wilkinson

William Wilkinson (architect)

William Wilkinson was a British Gothic Revival architect who practised in Oxford, England.-Family:Wilkinson's father was a builder in Witney in Oxfordshire. William's elder brother George Wilkinson was also an architect, as were William's nephews C.C. Rolfe and H.W. Moore .-Career:Wilkinson...

, another North Oxford architect, and their styles are similar. He designed houses on the west side of Banbury Road

Banbury Road

Banbury Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England, running from St Giles' at the south end, north towards Banbury through the leafy suburb of North Oxford and Summertown, with its local shopping centre. Parallel and to the west is the Woodstock Road, which it meets at the junction with St...

, in Bradmore Road, Canterbury Road

Canterbury Road

Canterbury Road is a road in North Oxford, England. It runs between Woodstock Road to the west and Banbury Road to the east. Winchester Road leads south from half way along Bevington Road....

, and Norham Gardens

Norham Gardens

Norham Gardens is a residential road in central north Oxford, England. It adjoins the north end of Parks Road near the junction with Banbury Road. From here it skirts the north side of the Oxford University Parks, ending up at Lady Margaret Hall, a college of Oxford University that was formerly for...

, amongst other locations.

In central Oxford, Codd designed shops and offices in King Edward Street

King Edward Street

King Edward Street is a street running between the High Street to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England.To the east is the "Island" site of Oriel College, one of the colleges of Oxford University...

 south of the High Street

High Street, Oxford

The High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...

 during 1871–5 for Oriel College. He is also involved in the rebuilding of Queen Street

Queen Street, Oxford

Queen Street is a shopping street in central Oxford, England. It is one-way for buses and taxis, two-way for cyclists outside main shopping hours, and forbidden for cars. It runs west from the centre of Oxford at Carfax...

 during 1875–8.

Woodperry House

Woodperry House

Woodperry House located in Stanton St John, South Oxfordshire, England,is a Grade II listed building house.Woodperry was built from 1728 for John Morse, a London goldsmith and partner in Child & Co. Morse owned a house in Woodstock at the entrance to Blenheim Palace that influenced the design, with...

 in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

 was enlarged in 1879–80 when the porch and two pedimented wings were added, designed by Codd, then an assistant of Sir Thomas Jackson. He lost the competition to build the Oxford High School for Boys in George Street

George Street, Oxford

George Street is a street in central Oxford, England. It is a shopping street running east-west. Its eastern end meets Broad Street at a crossroads with Cornmarket Street to the south and Magdalen Street to the north...

 to Jackson.

In Oxford, Codd initially lived in Cowley Road. Later he moved to a semi-detacted villa of his own design in 1867 at 39 Banbury Road, on the corner with Bevington Road

Bevington Road

Bevington Road is a road in central North Oxford, England.The road runs between Woodstock Road to the west and Banbury Road to the east. Winchester Road leads north from half way along Bevington Road....

. In September 1876, Codd was forced into liquidation due to difficulty in selling large houses in Canterbury Road, with debts to the Oxford and Abingdon Building Society.

Codd succeeded Samuel Lipscomb Seckham

Samuel Lipscomb Seckham

Samuel Lipscomb Seckham was an English Victorian architect, developer, magistrate and brewer.Samuel Seckham was born in Oxford, England, and became the City Surveyor. He was the original architect employed by St John’s College, Oxford to develop parts of North Oxford. He developed Park Town, an...

 as the City Surveyor in Oxford.

Sources