Destination Old Town Bridlington

16 HIGH STREET, BRIDLINGTON

FRANCIS JOHNSON C.B.E. 18/04/1911 – 29/09/1995
Francis Johnson was born and lived most of his life in Bridlington. The son of a Hull corn merchant, Francis attended Bridlington School, then trained as an architect at Leeds College of Art.
He first worked for a Hull architect, designing many houses in Bridlington, then in 1937 he established his own practice, firstly in Manor Street then at Craven House, High Street, which he had bought as his home in 1938. Francis Johnson & Partners operated here until 2022.

Over his long career Francis designed buildings as varied as council houses in Bridlington to large country houses, including Garrowby Hall, and fixtures as varied as the turkey lectern in Boynton Church to tables for the British Embassy in Oslo.

However Francis should also be remembered for his tireless campaigning to conserve Bridlington’s historic buildings. At times he was a lone voice, but for over 60 years, through his work as a councillor and Feoffee, and a lecturer to the Augustinian Society, he promoted conservation of old buildings where possible, and the use of local materials to build new where necessary. Without his knowledge of architecture and his ideas of conservation of the townscape, which was well ahead of its time, the Old Town and its variety of historic buildings would not exist today.