The Bourtons - All Saints - William White - Architect

All Saints Church > William White - Architect

William White (1825-1900) was a great nephew of Gilbert White of Selborne. Having studied and worked with G.E Street, Butterfield and several other noted architects in Gilbert Scott's office, he set up his practice in Truro in 1847. He built a few large churches, his masterpiece being St Saviour's Aberdeen Park, London, but most of his work was concerned with small rural churches, parsonages and domestic architecture.

In 1863 when the restoration of the chancel and the re-building of the church at Great Bourton was completed, William White was also working at Bishop's Court, Sowton, Devon; St Michael's Lyndhurst, Hampshire and St Saviour's.

A homely domestic atmosphere permeates All Saints. William White blended his own minimally gothic style so skilfully with the medieval stonework of the small chancel that he achieved a remarkable unity of rural simplicity.

When restoring old buildings he did not have an "infatuated desire for clean new finished sharp surface" overall, but replaced stones in their old position and "the colour of that slightly brushed over" to harmonise with the new stonework. This principle is illustrated in the restoration of the chancel and in the south porch where many of the old stones were used.

The interior of the church shows the use of constructional polychromy pioneered by Teulon and White which is rarely seen outside Britain. In most of his churches William White used red, grey and yellow brick patterns but in All Saints polychromy is seen in the stone work of the arches in muted unregimented, but carefully crafted, manner. The red, black and yellow floor tiles are also simple examples of his style. He described colour as "a luxury upon which the eye can feast" but he could also use it modestly.

For the main construction of his churches, William White, like Butterfield, preferred local materials and here he used Hornton stone wherever possible within its limitations.

In the period immediately before William White was working, church interiors were thought to need religious gloom. Butterfield moved slightly away from this by making the nave lighter than the chancel. He then reacted more strongly against sombre buildings and was followed by William White who became preoccupied with the skilful use of natural light. He believed that "freshness of thought" was best encouraged by moderate light while "twilight is the most favourable to deep and close intellectual contemplation". He thought that the need for light was too little considered by people who made gifts of stained glass. He believed that windows should be placed exactly where they were needed for internal light rather than adjusted to external symmetry. When viewed from the outside the windows on the north and west walls of All Saints can be seen to follow this philosophy. The stained glass of the East window of the chancel which was installed very soon after the rebuilding is consistent with William White's ideals but the heavier colouring and design of the later glass in the window on the south wall of the nave is the only feature in the building which is not entirely sympathetic to his vision.

In 1883 William White designed the lych-gate and Bell Tower which were a memorial gift to the Church. They are in gothic style with the stone gateway carrying the open work timber tower. With its steeply pitched roof the tower is a landmark on the western approach to the village and from the steep uphill road on the east it stands prominantly on the skyline.

Thanks to I. Poulton.