Prior, Edward Schroeder

Prior, Edward Schroeder (1852–1932). English Arts-and-Crafts architect. Articled to Norman Shaw, he established his own practice in 1880, and was a founder-member of the Art-Workers' Guild. The Barn, Exmouth, Devon (1895–7), was the first of a series of houses on X-shaped plans (butterfly plans) that were widely copied at the time. He designed St Andrew's, Roker, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland (1905–7), one of the best churches of the Arts-and-Crafts movement, containing work by Burne-Jones, Ernest Gimson, and others. A. Randall Wells assisted Prior at St Andrew's, and also at Voewood (later Home Place), Kelling, Holt, Norfolk (1903–5), a pioneering house constructed of concrete faced with pebble flints, and bonded carstones (Lower Cretaceous sandstone cemented by iron-oxides, dark-brown in colour, and coarsely gritty in texture, found in Norfolk). In parts of the house exposed in-situ concrete is used on which the boards of the formwork are expressed. Among his other works the Music-Schools at Harrow (1890–1) and Winchester College, Hants. (1901–4), deserve especial mention. Prior published History of Gothic Art in England (1900) and other works.

Bibliography

Architectural Review, cxii/671 (Nov. 1952), 302–8, and clvii/938 (Apr. 1975), 220–5;
P. Davey (1980, 1995);
Garnham (1995);
A. S. Gray (1985);
Pevsner: BoE, Devon (1989), County Durham (1985), and Norfolk (1997);
Jane Turner (1996)