{{Short description|New Zealand architect}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} '''Charles Tringham''' (1841–1916) was a New Zealand architect. Born in Winforton, Hertfordshire, England, Tringham moved to Wellington and established himself as an architect, his marriage elevated his social status and he went onto design grand buildings for high-profile individuals such as the Queen Margaret College Tower for Thomas Coldham Williams and Westoe for Sir William Fox. Tringham later served as president of the Wellington Association of Architects before retiring to the Wairarapa as a farmer. From 1867 to 1890 Tringham was responsible for over 330 designs.<ref name="raupo2deco">{{cite book | last1=Mew | first1=G. | last2=Humphris | first2=Adrian | title=Raupo to Deco | date=October 2014 |pages=107–108 |isbn=978-1-927242-56-8}}</ref> Several of Tringham's surviving works have heritage registration.
==Early life== Tringham was born in Winforton, Hertfordshire, England, in 1841. It is believed that Tringham was educated in woodworking in England. On December 1864, Tringham arrived in Auckland aboard the ''Talbot'' and gave his occupation as a carpenter. Tringham soon left for Wellington and started a partnership with builder William Lawes.<ref name="margaret">{{cite web |last1=Morrell |first1=Vivienne |title=Queen Margaret College Tower Building |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/1419/Listing |website=Heritage New Zealand |date=7 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="raupo2deco"/>
==Transition to architecture== [[File:V1-FL73875685.jpg|thumb|Tringham designed residences for prominent people such as Sir William Fox]] In December 1866, Tringham quit his partnership to work as a builder and undertaker. The following year he was advertising as an architect and receiving architectural contracts.<ref name="margaret"/> Most of Tringham's early contracts were houses, possibly worker's houses given that single tenders were called for multiple houses.<ref name="thorn"/> In April 1868, Tringham married Margaret Hunter Bennett, Bennett was the daughter of the Registrar General and this marriage may have elevated Tringham's social status and helped with obtaining high profile contracts. Tringham ended up receiving contracts for wealthy and high class citizens such as Sir William Fox and Thomas Coldham Williams.<ref name="margaret"/> One of the most notable designs of Tringham's was Westoe, a large Italianate residence for William Fox, second premier of New Zealand. Westoe was possibly inspired by Osborne House and has an asymmetrical façade.<ref name="westoe"/><ref>{{cite encyclopaedia |last1=Gatley |first1=Julia |title=Westoe, Rangitīkei |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/45054/westoe-rangitikei |encyclopaedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |date=22 October 2014}}</ref> Tringham worked almost exclusively within Wellington Province, although he did design the Oruawharo Homestead in Takapau.<ref name="thorn"/> In 1885 Tringham was responsible for planning the New Zealand Industrial Exhibition.<ref name="mdc"/>
Tringham was one of the main architects in Wellington up to the 1890s. Tringham was responsible for over 340 designs.<ref name="thorn">{{cite journal | last1=Humphris | first1=Adrian | last2=Mew | first2=Geoff | title=A Rose between Two Thorns; Tringham, Chatfield and Toxward, 1865 to 1870 | journal=Architectural History Aotearoa | volume=7 | date=2010-10-30 | issn=2703-6626 | doi=10.26686/aha.v7i.6787 | doi-access=free | pages=20–21 | url=https://ojs.victoria.ac.nz/aha/article/download/6787/5939}}</ref>
==Later life== In 1895, Tringham was elected as president of the Wellington Association of Architects. Tringham later retired from architecture and took up sheep farming in the Wairarapa at Pigeon Bush, near Featherston until his death in 1916.<ref name="margaret"/><ref name="mdc"/> Outside of architecture Tringham served as a director for different companies, owned shares in mining corporations, and owned land in Petone.<ref name="thorn"/> ==List of buildings== {| class= "wikitable sortable" ! Name !! Date !! Image !! Note !! Ref |- |Turongo Anglican Church||{{circa}}1865||||||<ref name="mdc">{{cite web |title=The Pines |url=https://api.mdc.govt.nz/MDC/have_your_say/proposed_plan_change_h-a/town-houses/H3%20-%20The%20Pines.pdf |website=Manawatu District Council}}</ref> |- |Manners Street Wesleyan Church||1869||100px||Burnt down in 1879.||<ref name="mdpi">{{cite journal | last1=McLennan | first1=Sam | last2=Brown | first2=Andre | title=A Smart Heritage System to Re-Generate New Zealand's 19th Century Timber Churches | journal=Heritage | publisher=MDPI AG | volume=4 | issue=4 | date=2021-10-29 | issn=2571-9408 | doi=10.3390/heritage4040222 | doi-access=free | pages=4040–4055}}</ref> |- |Trinity Wesleyan Methodist Church||1872||100px||Demolished in 1965.||<ref name="mdc"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Whanganui District Heritage Inventory |url=https://data.whanganui.govt.nz/wdc/HeritageSheets/313.pdf |website=Whanganui District Council}}</ref> |- |Johnston House, Fitzherbert Terrace||{{circa}}1873||||Demolished in the 1930s||<ref name="oruawharo"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Historical background to the North Thordon walk |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/630d3fe6cfc33b2c5a733ec2/t/630edb1b7e8994794e275e43/1661917986419/128.pdf|issn=0112-3424 |work=Thorndon News |issue=128 |publisher=Thordon Society |date=November 2001}}</ref> |- |St Patrick's Church, Makara||1873||100px||Registered as a category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand.||<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hamilton |first1=Phillipa |title=St Patrick's Church (Catholic) (Former) |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/2911/2911 |website=Heritage New Zealand |date=6 June 2012}}</ref> |- |Westoe||1874||100px||Registered as a category 1 building with Heritage New Zealand||<ref name="westoe">{{cite web |last1=McCracken |first1=Helen |title=Westoe |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/156/Listing |website=Heritage New Zealand |date=9 September 2001}}</ref> |- |Plimmer House||1874||100px||Registered as a category 1 building with Heritage New Zealand.||<ref>{{cite web |title=Plimmer House |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/225/225 |website=Heritage New Zealand |date=1981}}</ref> |- |All Saints' Church, Foxton||1876||100px||||<ref name="margaret"/> |- |St Matthews Church Vicarage, Masterton||1876||100px||Relocated to Greytown||<ref>{{cite report|title=The Old Vicarage 39 Church Street, Masterton, Wairarapa|url=https://heritage.nzdl.org/greenstone3/library/collection/pdf-reports/document/Grouden110?p.s=TextQuery|author=Victoria Grouden|publisher=Capital Heritage Limited}}</ref> |- |St Mark's Church, Wellington||1876||100px||Extended in 1888, demolished in 1965.||<ref>{{cite web |title=Wellington, St Mark's Church |url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/40485402 |website=National Library of New Zealand}}</ref> |- |St Thomas' Church, Sanson||1877||100px||Registered as a category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand.||<ref name="StThomas">{{cite web |last1=Astwood |first1=Karen |title=St Thomas' Church (Anglican) |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/1193/Listing |website=Heritage New Zealand |date=11 November 2009}}</ref> |- |Queen Margaret College Tower||1878||100px||Substantial renovation and extension of an existing building. Registered as a category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand.||<ref name="margaret"/> |- |Oruawharo Homestead||1879||100px||Registered as a category 1 building with Heritage New Zealand||<ref name="oruawharo">{{cite web |last1=Naus |first1=Natasha |last2=Dangerfield |first2=Alison |title=Oruawharo |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/1048/Oruawharo |website=Heritage New Zealand |date=3 March 2012}}</ref> |- |New Zealand Shipping Company Office||1879||100px||||<ref name="mdc"/> |- |The Pines||{{circa}}1875||100px||Unknown architect, possibly Tringham. Registered as a category B building with the Manawatu District Council.||<ref name="mdc"/> |- |}
==References== {{reflist}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Tringham, Charles}}
Category:New Zealand architects Category:1841 births Category:1916 deaths