William Barnfather was born in 1789, in Northamptonshire. He came to Alnwick around 1825 as architect to the Duke of Northumberland.
His first major build was Northumberland Hall, in 1826. Although it is Grade-1 listed it never seems to have been widely admired. George Tate wrote that it “casts a dark shadow over the marketplace“.
Some of the houses and cottages that followed Northumberland Hall were more successful: Barndale House (around 1852) is Grade-2 listed, though St. Michael’s Parsonage (1835), Barnyards, and some of his cottages in Denwick are not.
William’s wife was Sarah Rowland. They had three daughters and a son. Their son became an engineer, and would help to survey the route of the railway between Newcastle and Berwick.
After thirty years working for two Dukes, William returned to Northamptonshire, where he died in 1872.
He estimated the cost of these two cottages in Denwick at £162 10s 10d.
Alnwick Civic Society 