Born in 1832.
Son of J. G. Henry Pownall (1792-1880) J.P., Spring Grove, Isleworth, Middlesex.
(Henry Pownall, son of a woolen draper, was a devote anglo-catholic, extended his philanthropy from the supporting the building of new churches and new schools to giving money to the campaign against slavery. Also supported the Sons of the Clergy. He was a strong opponent of the Papacy and the introduction of the Apocrypha into British Bibles).

Address:
15 Gower Street, Bedford Square, London WC1 (1857).
30 Gower Street, Bedford Square, London WC1 (1868).
Spring Grove, Isleworth, Middlesex (1880) Moved here on the death of his father.
Montague Square, London (1885).
Cross Dene, Twickenham, London (1894-1907). This house was acquired by Pownall and his second wife, Emily, as  a home for their retirement. It is from this address that he might have attended the Catholic Church of S. James, Twickenham.
After FH Pownalls death his widow moved to 13 Waldgrave Gardens, Twickenham.

Education and Training:
Rugby School.
Articled to Samuel Whitfield Daukes (1811 - 1880).

Professional qualifications:
ARIBA 30 November 1857: proposed by George Pownall, P C Harwicke and Sydney Smirke.
FRIBA 18 June 1860.

Professional and practice information:
Sometime partner of William Young (died 1877).
County Surveyor of Middlesex from 1888.

Obituaries:
RIBA Journal v16, 1909, p603.

Article:
Building News v59, 14 November 1890, p700. (transcript - see below)

Date of Death:
20 February 1907.

Building News v59, 14 November 1890, p700.
Mr. F. H. Pownall, F.R.I.B.A., was articled to the late Mr. S. W. Daukes, in whose office he served his time. He has since for many years past carried on a considerable practice both in London and the country. Amongst numerous other buildings, both public and private, he has erected churches at Carleton-in-Craven, Cononley, St. George's-in-the-East, Southborough, Whitton, Holloway, Maiden-lane, Grays, East Grimstead, Dean near Salisbury, and elsewhere, beside many school and conventual buildings. In conjunction with the late Mr. W. Young, with whom he was for a time in partnership, he has been successful in several competitions, one of which was that for the Borough branch of the London and County Bank, subsequently erected under their direction. Having been elected to succeed the late Mr. William Moseley as surveyor to the Justices of Middlesex, Mr Pownall has had the designing and carrying out of many large county works, amongst which have been the rebuilding of Coldbath Fields Prison, the alterations of, and additions to, the Sessions House, Clerkenwell, and the erection of the Banstead Lunatic Asylum. Under the local Government Act 1888, Mr. Pownall became a transferred officer, and he now holds the appointment of county surveyor under the County of Middlesex.

(Notes regarding the above transcription:-
"St. George's-in-the-East" refers to S. Peter's London Docks, Wapping Lane, London E1 which at the time of the article was in St. George's Parish.
"Holloway" refers to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Eden Grove, Holloway, London N7.
"Maiden-lane" refers to Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane, London WC2.
"Dean near Salisbury" refers to West Dean, Wiltshire.
As yet, it is unclear which church is being refered to as "Grays".)

Quotation from the millennium history of Cononley:- "The new Church of St. John the Evangelist was an example of the best practice in Victorian Gothic small church architecture, and was consecrated on July 25th 1864. The interior of the new Church appears to have had a considerable amount of decorative paintwork. So its present appearance is quite different and much plainer. The fine oak chancel screen was placed there in 1893 by Mrs Wawn as a memorial to her husband, the Vicar, who had died the previous year."
Much of the interior of the church was destroyed in 1946 by a serious fire - amazingly, the screen, sanctuary, and windows survived.

S. Thomas of Canterbury (RC), East Thurrock Road, Grays, Essex. 1886
Foundation stone laid 1st January 1886 by Cardinal Manning. Opened 12th October 1886 by Cardinal Manning. The church was built by T. Burgess of Little Thurrock.
The Altar canopy is by Francis Leach of Cambridge (1948). Stations of the Cross by Sister Concordia Scott OSB of Minster Abbey (1961). New windows by Luxford Studios, New Barnet (1961).
The church is described as Early Gothic, with a single span, faced with local stock bricks relieved by bands of red bricks. Length 100', width 35'. West tower was not built owing to shortage of funds. Choir gallery was installed early in the 20th Century. The corpus on the sanctuary cross was originally part of the calvary given by Cardinal Vaughan.

Barracks in Pears Road, Hounslow 1854

Sessions House Clerkenwell 1860 (alterations and additions)

Coldbath Fields Prison (rebuilding)

Banstead Lunatic Asylum