Basic Biographical Details

Name: Ambrose Poynter
Designation:  
Born: 26 September 1867
Died: 30 May 1923
Bio Notes: Ambrose Macdonald Poynter was born on 26 September 1867, the son of the painter Sir Edward John Poynter and grandson of the architect Ambrose Poynter after whom he was named. His mother was Agnes Macdonald, one of the five daughters of the Birmingham Wesleyan minister the Rev GB Macdonald. Through that family connection he was a first cousin of both Stanley Baldwin and Rudyard Kipling, and a nephew of Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones who had married his mother's sister Georgiana.

Poynter was educated at Eton and attended classes at the South Kensington Schools in 1886. In 1887 he was articled to his father's friend Professor George Aitchison, attending the Royal Academy Schools, and in 1889 he won the RIBA's Essay Silver Medal. He moved to George Frederick Bodley's office as an improver in 1892 and travelled in Italy prior to commencing independent practice at 4 Bloomsbury Square, London, in 1893. He became a member of the Art Workers' Guild and was briefly secretary of the National Trust 1896-99, in succession to the founding secretary Lawrence Chubb. He was admitted FRIBA on 8 January 1906, his proposers being John Belcher, Aston Webb and Aitchison. For a brief period prior to that event he had been in partnership with Ernest William Sloper (Ernest Willmot from 1907) but that was dissolved in 1902 when Sloper left to join Sir Herbert Baker and Francis Edward Masey in Johannesburg.

In 1910 Poynter was Juror and British representative at the International Fine Arts Exhibition at Buenos Aires. There he won the competition for the British Memorial Clocktower, which was built. Although his practice was otherwise almost wholly English two of his most important clients were Scottish, Lord Glenconner for whom he remodelled 34 Queen Anne's Gate, London, and William McEwan for whom he radically remodelled Polesden Lacey in Surrey. He merged his practice with that of George Harry Wenyon in 1913, and appears to have been the author of a book entitled The Coming War (post-war industrial conflict) in 1916.

Poynter inherited his father's baronetcy in 1919, just prior to undertaking his only major Scottish commission, housing in Stornoway for Lord Leverhulme. In 1920 he came second in the abortive competition for Stepney Municipal Buildings but suffered a breakdown from overwork in June and was ordered to the country to recuperate. In 1922 he suffered a second and more serious breakdown, again from overwork, probably on memorials. He went abroad for a complete rest but returned no better in March 1923 and died in a nursing home on 31 May, the baronetcy passing to his younger brother Hugh Edward, formerly of the Ottoman Public Debt Administration.

Poynter married Cherry Margaret Burnett in 1907. They had no family. She sold his library - which probably included his father's books - in July 1924. Subsequently she took up a career in journalism. She was fashion editor of a magazine from August 1929 until September 1934 when a disastrous industrial investment brought about her bankruptcy, the liquidator having obtained judgement against her for unpaid calls for share capital.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 64, Bloomsbury Square, London, EnglandBusiness18931899 
Item 2 of 68, Southampton Street, Bloomsbury, London, EnglandPrivate(?)1906 *  
Item 3 of 656A, Pall Mall, London, EnglandBusiness1906  
Item 4 of 65, Grafton Street, Old Bond Street, London, EnglandBusiness1914 *  
Item 5 of 6Ivy Cottage, Botley, Hampshire, EnglandPrivate1914 *  
Item 6 of 619, Chesham Street, London, EnglandBusiness19201023 

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 1 Houses, Anderson RoadStornowayLewisRoss and CromartyScotland 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 3Beauty's Awakening Beauty's Awakening: The Centenary Exhibition of the Art Workers' Guild Brighton Museum September -November 1984, Royal Pavilion Brighton 
Item 2 of 3Gray, A Stuart1985Edwardian Architecture: A Biographical Dictionary   
Item 3 of 3Who's Who in Architecture1914    

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 5Builder8 June 1923  Obituary
Item 2 of 5RIBA Journal16 June 1923 London: Royal Institute of British ArchitectsObituary
Item 3 of 5The Times12 June 1920  Court Circular
Item 4 of 5The Times1 June 1923  Obituary
Item 5 of 5The Times13 February 1935  Lady Poynter's bankruptcy