While in later life Godwin was a creative polymath, the first twenty years of his career were focused on architecture and much of that work was done in Bristol.
1848 At the age of fifteen Godwin was articled to William Armstrong, City Surveyor, Architect and Civil Engineer with offices at 7 Brunswick Street Bristol
1848-1852 Co- authors and illustrates, The Architectural Antiquities of Bristol and its Neighbourhoods
1852 Godwin establishes his own architectural practice in Bristol. Over the next few years he designs a number of small properties in Ireland, and spends two years there (1856- 1858) with his brother. He also conducts a number of church refurbishments in Devon and Gloucestershire and co-designs Western College in Plymouth. Most of his work in this period though is in Bristol. The following is just the stuff that actually got built.
1852 Trinity Branch School, Easton, now demolished.
1854-71 Restores and refurbishes Church of SS Philip and Jacob
1856 Merchant St factory for Smith’s horsehair merchant, demolished
1858 Perry’s Carriage Works, Stokes Croft
1860 SS Philip and Jacob School
1860 No’s 10-11, Rockleaze, Sneyd Park Bristol
1862-1864 Designs apse cloister and tower for Cotham Parish Church
1866 Bristol Wagon Works Company workshops in Lawrence Hiil. Can’t find an exterior shot of this , but the interior did look like this.
1866 Parish Room for Village Hall, Westbury-upon-trym
1867 Two new wards, a morgue and post-mortem room for Bristol Royal Infirmary
1867 Worked on conversion of a chapel on Unity Street
1868 74 and 76 Stokes Croft
1869 Adds stables and cottages to Cherry Orchard Farm Westbury-upon- trym
1870 Designs Polglase and Company warehouse on Stephen Street
Other Key Godwin Sites In Bristol
21 Portland Square – home to his architecture practice
Rupert Chambers 2 Quay Street
Brighton Villa, Richmond Road, Montpellier, where lived with his first wife from 1859 to her death in 1865
Information and pictures are thin on the ground, though I have seen photos of the Merchant Street factory and the SS Philips and Jacob school and hope to get them on the blog soon. All information and photos on any of these buildings will be gladly received.