Arnos Vale’s Architect

Early Career

Charles Underwood lived in London in his youth. Then he moved to Cheltenham until 1821 then he moved to Bristol. He began his career surveying from 1806 and by 1813 he was overseeing the construction of buildings in London. In 1819 he established the ‘Cheltenham Stone Works and Building Repository’. However his business ventures were not a success and he ended up in bankruptcy. He moved away from Cheltenham and set up business in Bristol and moved to Clifton.

Architect and Surveyor

By 1827 Charles was advertising himself as an architect and surveyor and began building houses in Clifton and elsewhere In Bristol favouring the neo-classical style.

In 1838 Charles Underwood was employed by the Bristol General Cemetery Company to design and project manage the creation of Arnos Vale Cemetery. It was his first major project in Bristol.

He designed the Greek revival buildings at Arnos Vale Cemetery. These buildings are four fine buildings within the Cemetery – two Entrance Lodges and two Mortuary Chapels (Anglican and Non-conformist). All four buildings are listed Grade II* and are built using the finest materials so that the high quality of the building. This high quality work probably saved them from even greater dereliction, given their lack of maintenance and attention over the last two decades of the 20th century.

He continued to be the Bristol General Cemetery Company’s architect up until 1870’s and oversaw the enlargement of the cemetery landscape in the 1860’s. He retires around 1881.

Charles was also a shareholder in the Bristol General Cemetery Company.

Death

Charles died at the age of 936.You can find his grave on the right of the path that sweeps in a curve up behind his Italianate Anglican Chapel in the cemetery. His grave is a good spot to look over the lower part of the site

Other works

He also designed  Worcester Terrace in Clifton, Bristol as well as further villas and terraces in Clifton.
His brothers George Allen Underwood (1792-1829) and Henry Underwood (1788-1868) were architects as well. He also designed the original interior and layout of the Royal West of England Art Gallery and probably the Kensington Baptist Church in Easton Bristol in 1831. He is also the first chairman of the Bristol Society of Architects. He was married to  Margaret but had no children.