John Jarvis Millson was born in Donington, Lincolnshire, England in 1850 and was the son of Enoch Millson (c.1812-1865), a carpenter and builder. By the mid-1860s he had moved to Hulme, Manchester and had formed a stone and wood carving business in partnership with Evan Williams as Williams & Millson. The business had premises at 24 City Road, Hulme, Manchester. By the 1890s the partnership had been dissolved and Millson had begun working independently. Millson acquired the reputation of being one of the most talented carvers and architectural sculptors in Manchester. He executed carvings for numerous public buildings, commercial buildings, churches and private homes, not only locally but abroad. He worked on commissions for All Saints Chich, Stockport; Lichfield Cathedral; Oldham Public Library; the Fire and Police Stations on London Road, Manchester; Bury Art Gallery; and Bolton Royal Infirmary, for which he made a statue of Edward VII in 1914.