Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (1851 – 1942)

 

The Inspiration behind the Movement and its Work

These are the words describing Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo, Honorary Secretary and founder of the Essex Rural Community Council, by its Chairman, J C Leslie, in the 1934 Essex Social Services Guide.

The man with the inspiration was born in 1851 at Edmonton, the son of Edward Mackmurdo, a manufacturing chemist and his wife Anne. After attending Felsted School he trained as an architect, and developed his artistic talent with Ruskin at Oxford and by associating with and being influenced by the likes of Spencer and William Morris.

He was a progressive (Pevsner described him as a pioneer designer) rather than a prolific architect. His designs include St Bedes Church in Liverpool, the YMCA at St Helens and he exhibited his work on furnishings at several national exhibitions. He is also known for being the interior design consultant to the 1905 renovations at the Savoy Hotel.

Locally, his houses include Great Ruffins and Beacons in Great Totham as well as the cottage where he eventually lived; and Little Ruffins in Wickham Bishops. His “social” buildings include Village Halls at Bradwell on Sea and Southminster as well as in his home village of Great Totham and, an early example of “architect designed” social housing, in a group of houses in Wickham Bishops initially for staff but bought by the local council; and the post office (then) at Snows Corner, Wickham Bishops. (For details see the Buildings of England: Essex, recently revised by James Bettley)

As well as a progressive architect and designer of furniture, textiles and metalwork he was a social reformer. He was involved with several reform movements including the Century Guild, the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings and the Arts for Schools Association. His interest in economics and finance led to his first pamphlet The Immorality of Lending for Payment of Interest… which might have credence in today’s financial climate. Later came the Human Hive (1926) where he talks about the importance of social process and the group life of a community in improving the conditions of the next generation and “setting the world in better order”. His ideas are further developed in ‘A Peoples Charter’ in 1933 where he stresses the importance of “The Regional Social Unit” where every social aggregate is a community. In 1929 between writing these books he was the driving force behind the formation of the Essex Rural Community Council.

Mackmurdo married Eliza, his cousin, the daughter of the musician Richard D’Oyley Carte in 1902 and they moved to Beacon Hill, Great Totham where he started work on the “Ruffins Estate”. The late Fred Baker, butler at Little Ruffins described him as “awkward” and the late Robert Balch remembered him, more politely, as eccentric; a description echoed in John Doubleday’s guide to “The Eccentric A H Mackmurdo” exhibition held at the Minories in 1979

In 1903 he attended the Great Totham Annual Parish Meeting and spoke against a boundary review proposal to remove Osea Island from the civil parish of Great Totham, and was asked to join a representation at a public enquiry. He appears at a later meeting to ask for improvements to a footpath from Goat Lodge Road to the Bull (which he most likely used) but the meeting resolved that it “was unnecessary”. He became secretary of (and possibly founded) the Great Totham, Wickham Bishops, Great and Little Braxted Cottage Garden Society but otherwise does not appear again in local records until 24 April 1928 when he attended a public meeting, under the chairmanship of local solicitor John Bawtree, to discuss the building of a parish hall. He joined the committee to “look at ways and means”

As plans for the Hall progressed Mackmurdo offered to carry out the design work and was elected to the Building Committee. The ornate early versions of his design can be seen at the William Morris Gallery at Walthamstow but the final version is much plainer although still containing the Mackmurdo characteristics of symmetry. He was not a frequent attendee at the meetings but the records show that he was consulted several times between meetings and when, by mid 1930, funds were running out his role at the Essex Rural Community Council may well have helped the Chairman in securing a loan from the National Council for Social Service.

By 1931 however he fell out with the Village Hall Committee over its constitution as he felt it not democratic enough. He was asked by the Assistant Secretary of the National Council for Social Service to let the matter drop, which he did, and there is no further mention of him in the local records.

Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo died on 15 March 1942; he had no children. He left little money but a huge legacy in his lifetimes work.

Thanks to Clive Potter, Great Totham for his contribution.