This design by Philip Webb is for the gravestone of Charles Wentworth George Howard who was born 27 March 1814 and died on Good Friday, 2 April 1879. The back of the design shows another version of the lettering, probably as a prelimary sketch of the front. Charles Wentworth George Howard was the father of George Howard, an aristocratic painter who commissioned Webb to design his homes at 1 Palace Gardens and Narworth Castle.
Philip Speakman Webb (Oxford, 1831-Sussex, 1915) was a prominent British architect who designed numerous buildings throughout Great Britain. Known for his contributions to British vernacular architecture, Webb was also a skilled draughtsman, and designer of tableware, tiles, stained glass, and furniture. He also designed gravestones and memorials for his friends and clients. Webb lent his hand to many collaborative projects and worked closely with his colleagues, namely William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Edward Burne Jones. His precise drawings of animals, particularly birds, frequently adorn tiles, stained glass, textiles, and wallpaper produced by Morris and Co. Webb is best known for designing Morris’ Red House in Bexleyheath, as well as Clouds House, Naworth Castle, and several London town houses. Among his other accomplishments, Webb is attributed with laying the groundwork for the Arts and Crafts and Modern movements, establishing longstanding principles in historic preservation, and creating some of the most influential designs still studied and celebrated today.