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Francis Ruddle (23 November 17989 February 1882) was a 19th-century master builder and carpenter, born and based in Peterborough. His carpentry work includes the choir stalls in place at Westminster Abbey in London. Ruddle carried out much of his work in association with a local Peterborough builder, John Thompson (born 1787/8), with whom he had a long-term business relationship, eventually forming the company Ruddle & Thompson. After the death of Thompson, Ruddle worked alongside his late partner's son, John Thompson junior (1824-98). Working to designs of the celebrated architect and designer, Edward Blore, in 1830-31 Ruddle fabricated new choir stalls and an organ screen for Peterborough Cathedral.〔A Guide to Peterborough Cathedral, George S Phillips, 1881, Chapter IV〕 The carpentry work was removed from the Cathedral in 1883 at the time that the central tower of the Cathedral was in danger of collapse.〔The Cathedral Church of Peterborough - a Description of its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See, WD Sweeting, 1898, Chapter I〕 Some of the choir stalls were procured by a parishioner at St Dominic's Church in Newcastle upon Tyne and are still in St Dominic's.〔The Buildings of England:Northumberland, Volume 15, by Nikolaus Pevsner et al, Penguin, 1957, p430〕 The work at Westminster Abbey was carried out in two phases, again working under the designs of Blore who was then engaged as Surveyor to the Abbey. A new organ case was built by Ruddle in 1832-33 at a contracted cost of £827. It replaced an earlier one by Schrider but met with immediate problems with the dean, John Ireland, describing Ruddle's work as having "an entire unattention to the principles on which woodwork is applied to the propagation of sound". This issue was soon rectified but the organ case was removed in 1847.〔The Organ & Bells of Westminster Abbey, Jocelyn Perkins, 1937, p.39-47〕 A contract for the fabrication of 52 new choir stalls and other associated work on the Westminster Abbey choir was signed by Ruddle in May 1845. The work was completed by Ruddle and his team in 1848 at a total cost recorded in Abbey accounts of £5,909.13s.11d.〔Original documents, Westminster Abbey archives〕 The choir stalls remain in place today. In 1858 Ruddle & Thompson were entrusted with the role of general contractors for the restoration of Hereford Cathedral under the designs of George Gilbert Scott.〔Stamford Mercury, 12 March 1858〕 In 1863 Ruddle fabricated a new pulpit for Lincoln Cathedral for £500,〔Peterborough Advertiser, 9 May 1863〕 again working to designs of Scott. The pulpit, in St Hugh's Choir, is still in use. Other work by Ruddle during his career includes Thorpe Hall (Peterborough), Thicket Priory, Ripon Cathedral, the Queen's private chapel at Windsor Castle, All Saints' Church, Oakham, the chapel at Balliol College, Oxford and the former British Embassy in Constantinople (Istanbul).〔Obituary in Peterborough Advertiser, 18 February 1882〕 == References == 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Francis Ruddle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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