Ninian Comper
Encyclopedia
Sir John Ninian Comper was a Scottish-born architect
. He was one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects
, noted for his churches and their furnishings. He is well-known for his stained glass, his use of colour and his subtle integration of Classical and Gothic elements.
, the eldest of five children of Ellen Taylor of Hull and the Reverend John Comper
, Rector
of St Margaret of Scotland
. He was educated at Glenalmond School
in Perthshire
and attended a year at the Ruskin School of Art
in Oxford
. On moving to London, he was articled to Charles Eamer Kempe
, and later to George Frederick Bodley
and Thomas Garner
. His fellow-Scot William Bucknall took him into partnership in London in 1888 and Ninian was married to Grace Bucknall in 1890. Bucknall and Comper remained in partnership until 1905.
His ecclesiastical commissions include a line of windows in the north wall of the nave of Westminster Abbey
; at St Peter's Parish Church, Huddersfield baldachino/ciborium, high altar and east window in memory of the dead of the Great War; St Mary's, Wellingborough
; St Michael and All Angels, Inverness
; the Lady Chapel
at Downside Abbey
, Somerset
; the ciborium and House Chapel extension for the Society of St. John the Evangelist
in Oxford
(now St Stephen's House, Oxford
) and St Cyprian's, Clarence Gate
, London
; the Lady Chapel
at St Matthew's, Westminster
. Comper is noted for re-introducing the 'English altar', an altar surrounded by riddel posts. Comper designed a number of remarkable altar screens (reredos), inspired by medieval originals. Wymondham Abbey
, Norfolk, has one of the finest examples.
Only one major ecclesiastical work of Comper's is in the United States, the Leslie Lindsey Chapel of Boston's Emmanuel Church (Episcopal). The work is an all-encompassing product of and testimony to Comper's design capability, comprising the entire decorative scheme of the chapel designed by the architectural firm of Allen & Collins. Comper designed its altar, altar screen, pulpit, lectern, dozens of statues, all its furnishings and appointments, and most notably the stained glass windows. For all the other work the finest Gothic-revival style craftsmen were engaged, the project under the direction of Campbell, Aldrich and Nulty of Boston. The chapel memorializes Leslie Lindsey and Stewart Mason, her husband of ten days, who were married at Emmanuel Church and perished when the Lusitania was torpedoed in 1915.
From 1912 Ninian and Grace lived in London at The Priory, Beulah Hill, a house designed by Decimus Burton
(1800–81), where he entertained friends such as John Betjeman
. He had a studio nearby at Knights Hill, close to the Gothic Cemetery of West Norwood
. After the studio was destroyed in World War II
it was relocated to a building in his garden, which had previously been used by his son, Nicholas Comper
(1897–1939), to design aircraft.
Comper was knight
ed by King George VI
in 1950.
On 22 December 1960 he died in The Hostel of God (now Trinity Hospice
) in Clapham
. After a private cremation his ashes were interred beneath the windows he designed in Westminster Abbey.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. He was one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
, noted for his churches and their furnishings. He is well-known for his stained glass, his use of colour and his subtle integration of Classical and Gothic elements.
Career
Comper was born in AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, the eldest of five children of Ellen Taylor of Hull and the Reverend John Comper
John Comper
Reverend John Comper was an Anglican Priest from Sussex, England who served in the Episcopal Church in Scotland. PMHe was an Episcopalian cleric who dedicated his life to helping the street children and prostitutes of Victorian Aberdeen is to be made the equivalent of a saint by his Church,...
, Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St Margaret of Scotland
St Margaret of Scotland, Aberdeen
St Margaret of Scotland — also known as St Margaret's, Gallowgate — is a Scottish Episcopal Church, in Aberdeen, Scotland.-History:The Gallowgate was one of the poorer areas of Aberdeen and in the mid-19th Century consisted of a large area of slums...
. He was educated at Glenalmond School
Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. The school's motto is Floreat Glenalmond...
in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
and attended a year at the Ruskin School of Art
The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art
The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, known as The Ruskin, is an art school and research institute at the University of Oxford.Working collaboratively across two sites, the school provides undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in the study and production of visual art...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. On moving to London, he was articled to Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
, and later to George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
and Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner was one of the leading English Gothic revival architects of the Victorian era. His name is usually mentioned in relation to his almost 30-year partnership with George Frederick Bodley...
. His fellow-Scot William Bucknall took him into partnership in London in 1888 and Ninian was married to Grace Bucknall in 1890. Bucknall and Comper remained in partnership until 1905.
His ecclesiastical commissions include a line of windows in the north wall of the nave of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
; at St Peter's Parish Church, Huddersfield baldachino/ciborium, high altar and east window in memory of the dead of the Great War; St Mary's, Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
; St Michael and All Angels, Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
; the Lady Chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
at Downside Abbey
Downside Abbey
The Basilica of St Gregory the Great at Downside, commonly known as Downside Abbey, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery and the Senior House of the English Benedictine Congregation. One of its main apostolates is a school for children aged nine to eighteen...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
; the ciborium and House Chapel extension for the Society of St. John the Evangelist
Society of St. John the Evangelist
The Society of St John the Evangelist is an Anglican religious order for men. The members live under a rule of life and, at profession, make monastic vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. The SSJE was founded in 1866 at Cowley, Oxford, England, by the Father Richard Meux Benson, a priest in the...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
(now St Stephen's House, Oxford
St Stephen's House, Oxford
St Stephen’s House, Oxford , is an Anglican theological college and one of six religious Permanent Private Halls of the University of Oxford, England...
) and St Cyprian's, Clarence Gate
St Cyprian's, Clarence Gate
St Cyprian's Church is an Anglican church in the Marylebone district of London. It is dedicated to Saint Cyprian, a third century martyr and Bishop of Carthage....
, 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...
; the Lady Chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
at St Matthew's, Westminster
St Matthew's, Westminster
St Matthew's Church, Westminster was built between 1849 and 1851 to the design of Sir George Gilbert Scott, assisted by his brother-in-law, George Frederick Bodley. Subsequently, Sir Ninian Comper added the Lady Chapel . The interior was greatly enriched by the work of Bodley, Charles Kempe, W.E....
. Comper is noted for re-introducing the 'English altar', an altar surrounded by riddel posts. Comper designed a number of remarkable altar screens (reredos), inspired by medieval originals. Wymondham Abbey
Wymondham Abbey
Wymondham Abbey is situated in the town of Wymondham in Norfolk, England.-Background:It is the Anglican parish church of Wymondham, but it started life as a Benedictine priory....
, Norfolk, has one of the finest examples.
From 1912 Ninian and Grace lived in London at The Priory, Beulah Hill, a house designed by Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton was a prolific English architect and garden designer, He is particularly associated with projects in the classical style in London parks, including buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and London Zoo, and with the layout and architecture of the seaside towns of Fleetwood and...
(1800–81), where he entertained friends such as John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
. He had a studio nearby at Knights Hill, close to the Gothic Cemetery of West Norwood
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...
. After the studio was destroyed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was relocated to a building in his garden, which had previously been used by his son, Nicholas Comper
Nicholas Comper
Nicholas Comper was an English aviator and aircraft designer, whose most notable success was the 1930s Comper Swift monoplane racer.-Early life:...
(1897–1939), to design aircraft.
Comper was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed by King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
in 1950.
On 22 December 1960 he died in The Hostel of God (now Trinity Hospice
Trinity Hospice
Trinity Hospice is the United Kingdom's oldest hospice, founded in 1891 by a member of the Hoare banking family. It is located in Clapham Common, London and provides specialist palliative care...
) in Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
. After a private cremation his ashes were interred beneath the windows he designed in Westminster Abbey.