Architectural practice based in Warrington. William Owen (1846–1910) was trained by the architect John Lowe of Manchester and later became an assistant to James Redford. He also received some artistic instruction from the painter and etcher Selim Rothwell. In 1869 he opened his own practice. He was a personal friend of William Hesketh Lever who made him his principal architect in 1887 and appointed him to the board of Lever Brothers in 1897. In the previous year, Owen had gone into partnership with the elder of his two sons to form William & Segar Owen. Segar Owen (1874–1929; he modified his name to Segar Segar-Owen from c.1911) had studied architecture at the Royal Academy Schools and worked with the architect A.E. Street (son of G.E. Street) in London. William’s younger son, Geoffrey Owen (1887–1965), worked with Dunn and Watson in London before joining the family firm as a partner – after his father’s death – in 1912. The firm, which continued to operate as William & Segar Owen, was one of the leading Warrington architectural practices, prepared to work in various different styles. At Warrington they worked on Lever’s soap factory and in 1900–01 designed for him the Technical School. Lever employed them extensively in the early development of Port Sunlight where they were largely responsible for the establishment of its characteristic style. They designed the original soap factory (1888–89); Port Sunlight’s church, Christ Church (1902–04); the tomb of Lord and Lady Leverhulme (1902–26; sculpture by William Goscombe John); and, their most important building there, the Lady Lever Art Gallery (1914–22).
Bibliography: Architects of Greater Manchester 1800–1940: William Owen of Warrington, Owen, William and Segar (I), Owen, William and Segar (II), Segar Owen, Geoffrey Owen; A. Felstead et al, Dictionary of British Architects, 1834–1900, London, 2001, vol. 2, pp. 297–300; E. Hubbard and M. Shippobottom, A Guide to Port Sunlight Village, Liverpool, 2005, p. 100; E. Morris and E. Roberts, Public Sculpture of Cheshire and Merseyside, Liverpool, 2012, pp. 150–53; R. Pollard and N. Pevsner, Lancashire: Liverpool and the South West (The Buildings of England), New Haven and London, 2006, pp. 72, 81, 83, 525, 604, 606–07, 614, 617, 618, 619, 621, 627, 628 ,631, 633, 670.
Emma Roberts, 2012; revised, Terry Cavanagh, October 2025
