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James Rattee was a highly skilled woodcarver and stonemason whose work can be seen in the chapels of Jesus and Magdalene Colleges and the Round Church in Cambridge, as well as in Ely Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Eton College chapel.
He was born in Fundenhall, Norfolk in 1820, and learnt his trade as an apprentice to a Norwich carpenter, who also taught him carving. Early in life, he showed an interest in church ornamentation and restoration and first met George Kett while the latter was working on the restoration of Norwich Cathedral in the 1830s. James Rattee moved to Cambridge in 1842, and set up as a woodcarver on Sidney Street. His reputation as a craftsman grew swiftly and his successes included the carving of the choir stalls in Ely Cathedral, hailed as ‘the most elaborate piece of art workmanship executed since the Reformation’. In 1843 he set up a wood and stone carving works next to his house, Poplar Cottage on the corner of Station Road and Hills Road in Cambridge. In 1848 he was joined in partnership by George Kett. Although their company was originally called the Wood and Stone Carving Works, Cambridge, it soon changed to Rattee & Kett.
James Rattee was dedicated to his work, and his health was not good. In 1852, his doctor advised him to take a break and he travelled to the Continent. While there, he spent time studying with master carvers in Cologne, Hamburg and Antwerp. On his return, he constructed George Gilbert Scott’s design for the five-panelled reredos at Ely Cathedral. In 1855, he suddenly fell ill with a cold and, already weak, was unable to fight the infection. Forty-eight hours later, he died at his home in Hills Road. He was buried in Mill Road Cemetery on the afternoon of Good Friday, 1855, with a huge crowd in attendance, who came to ‘evince their admiration of his abilities and respect for his character’. He was 34. His widow Caroline Rattee retained a share and interest in the business of Rattee & Kett until her death in 1866. She is also buried in the tomb, as is James Rattee’s mother.
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Wood carver and stone mason