Gravestone Of George Corson At Ngr 2688 3916

Gravestone of George Corson, located on the west side of Otley Road in Lawnswood, dates from 1910. It is made of granite and shaped like a Celtic ring cross with five bosses, standing approximately 1.75 meters high on a low pedestal. The base features raised lettering in a sunken plaque that reads: "IN LOVING MEMORY OF/ GEORGE CORSON/ ARCHITECT/ SON OF JAMES CORSON/ OF BEREHOLM, DUMFRIES/ NOV 18th 1910, AGED 80/ GOD IS LOVE". On the right side of the base, it notes: "HARRIOT MARY/ GOUGH CORSON/ HIS WIFE/ DIED MAY 4th 1928/ AGED 77 YEARS/ AT REST". The kerbs around the gravestone have been lowered.

Historically, George Corson was a prominent architect in Leeds, practicing from 1849 until around 1901. He was the first president of the Leeds Architectural Society, founded in 1876, and served as president of the renamed Leeds and Yorkshire Architectural Society from 1897 to 1899. He designed over 40 buildings in Classical and Gothic Revival styles, many of which are listed, including the East Parade offices, No. 28 Great George Street, Spenfield on Otley Road, the Grand Theatre, and the Municipal Buildings and School Board Offices on Calverley Street. Corson also designed the buildings and layout of Lawnswood Cemetery, where his grave was the first in the new extension.