George Corson
George Corson (1829–1910) was a Scottish architect best known for his work in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
Background
George Corson was born in Dumfries. He trained with Walter Newall and later moved to Leeds in 1849 to work with his brother William Reid Corson, who was collaborating with Edward La Trobe Bateman. In 1860 his brother left Leeds, and Corson took charge of the practice. By 1898 he was the president of the Leeds and Yorkshire Architectural Association.
Key works in Leeds
- Grand Theatre (1877–78), designed with James Robinson Watson; Grade II* listed
- Municipal Buildings (1878–84), now Leeds Central Library; Grade II* listed
- Extension to Leeds General Infirmary (1891–92), continuing the hospital and adding to the Grade I listed original by George Gilbert Scott
- Apsley House (1903) in Roundhay, formerly Concourse House; originally a warehouse for Crowe & Co, now occupied by Sky Sports
- Spenfield House in Headingley; Grade II* listed
- St Edmund’s Church, Roundhay (designed 1873)
- Bewerley Street School, Dewsbury Road, Leeds (1872)
- St Silas National School, Goodman Street, Hunslet (1872)
- Additions and alterations to Ripon Grammar School (1875)
- Leeds School of Medicine, Park Street (inaugurated 1865)
- Various large houses in Headingley and the Lupton family’s estates, including the Newton Hall/Newton Park Estate in Potternewton, and the Victorian wing of the Lupton Beechwood Estate in Roundhay (often associated with Corson’s work)
Roundhay Park and Lawnswood Cemetery
Corson won a competition to design Roundhay Park in 1873. In 1874 he laid out the Lawnswood Cemetery and many of its buildings. He was buried there in 1910, and his Celtic cross gravestone is a Grade II listed memorial, one of the few listed memorials at Lawnswood.
Legacy
Corson’s work helped shape notable Leeds landmarks and public buildings, and his influence is visible in the city’s architectural heritage.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 23:18 (CET).