Charles Henry Howell

Charles Henry Howell FRIBA (c.1824 – 1905) was the principal architect of lunatic asylums in England during much of the Victorian era.

Based in London and a partner in the firm Howell & Brooks, Howell designed asylums at Cane Hill (1883), East Riding at Beverley (1868–1871), Moulsford, near Wallingford (1868–1870), Brookwood (1862–1867), Cholsey (1867–70;1877), and Middlesbrough (1893–1898).^[1] among others.

He was Consultant Architect to the Lunacy Commission and was Surveyor of Public Buildings for the County of Surrey from 1860–1893^[2].

Between 1886 and 1897, Howell was the assessor for seven large asylum design competitions, when professional concern was expressed "...[that] Giles, Gough & Trollope or G T Hine always seemed to receive the first two premiums - with the result that any new ideas on asylum design were being stultified".^[3].

Other buildings designed by Howell include St Leonard's Hill, Windsor, (1875), Ribsden, near Bagshot, Surrey (1876)^[4] and Surrey County Hall. He was a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Howell died on 22 June 1905 at Lynwood, Leatherhead, in Surrey.^[5]

References

1. ^ [1] Index of Lunatic Asylums and Mental Hospitals
2. ^ [2] Surrey History Service Collections Catalogue
3. ^ Jeremy Taylor 'Hosptial And Asylum Architecture in England 1840-1914' Mansell London and New York (1991)
4. ^ 'Building News' 13 Oct 1876
5. ^ Library of the Royal Institute of British Architects

External links

• Cane Hill Hospital
• Howell on the County Asylums website

Persondata
Name	Howell, Charles Henry
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Date of birth	1824
Place of birth
Date of death	1905
Place of death