John Giles (architect)

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John Giles
Langham london.jpg
Langham Hotel (1865)
Born?1830
Lincoln
Died20 February 1900 [1]
42, Bedford Square, London.
OccupationArchitect
PracticeJohn Giles & Gough
Giles, Gough & Trollope
Buildings St Augustine's Hospital, Chartham
Langham Hotel, London
Christ Church, Gipsy Hill

John Giles was a British architect. He was born in Lincoln, probably in 1830, and his family came from Branston near Lincoln. [2] [3] He was articled to the Lincoln architect Pearson Bellamy. [4] He had moved to London by 1859 and with Pearson Bellamy entered a number competitions for major public buildings. Of these only one, for Grimsby Town, was successful. In London he was responsible for a number of major projects including the Langham Hotel. He also started in 1869 on the design of hospitals with the Infirmary to Hampstead Union Workhouse. After a short period of partnership with Lewis Angel, when Stratford Town Hall was built and with Edward Biven, by 1873 he was in partnership with Albert Edward Gough. They were joined in the practice by J E Trollope and they became involved in the design of Arts and Crafts housing in London's west end. Giles had business interests in the City of London and was noted in 1867 as being a Director of the Imperial Guardian Life Insurance Company. [5]

Contents

Works

Giles initially worked with Bellamy and Hardy of Lincoln. In 1859 they submitted plans in a competition for the Manchester Assize Courts in Great Ducie St. Manchester, but the competition was won by Sir Alfred Waterhouse with a notable building in the Venetian Gothic style. Giles and Bellamy and Hardy's proposed building was in the Palazzo revival style. Then in 1861 they were successful in a competition to design Grimsby Town Hall. Giles' practice was first at 2 Verulam Buildings, London in 1864 and he was to move to 28 Craven Street, Charing Cross by 1868. A notable architect articled to Giles was Charles Bell who came from Grantham in Lincolnshire. Following this Giles was working by himself and his most notable buildings were:

The Petersham Hotel overlooking the Thames at Richmond London - April 2009 (3497332002).jpg
The Petersham Hotel overlooking the Thames at Richmond

Giles and Angell

Old Town Hall Stratford HE1080991 Old Town Hall Stratford (1).jpg
Old Town Hall Stratford

For a short time he worked with Lewis Angell, who was the District Surveyor for West Ham. They submitted a design for Stratford Town Hall (now known as Stratford Old Town Hall), beating thirty competing entries. The building was completed in 1869 and extended by Angell in 1881. [13] The building is described as a confidently Victorian version of arched Cinquecento with rusticated stone ground floor with square headed window openings beneath an upper storey of round arched windows, divided by Corinthian columns. Carried off with considerable panache with an asymmetrical 100 ft domed tower. The balustraded parapets are decorated with allegorical figures. [14]

Giles and Biven

By 1866 Giles was in partnership with Edward Biven at 28 Craven Street, when they designed an Infirmary for the St. Pancras Guardians of the Poor. This building is now part of the Highgate Wing of the Whittington Hospital.

Giles and Gough

The Cavendish Building of Homerton College Cambridge. The Cavendish Building of Homerton College Cambridge, May 2011.jpg
The Cavendish Building of Homerton College Cambridge.

By 1873 Giles was in partnership with Albert Edward Gough (died 1908) at Craven Street. The partnership increasingly specialised in asylum, hospital and workhouse architecture. Work by them includes:

Giles, Gough and Trollope

Leicester General Hospital, Evington, Leicester 1903-05 Leicester General Hospital, Evington, Leicester - geograph.org.uk - 4292391.jpg
Leicester General Hospital, Evington, Leicester 1903–05
Hammersmith Hospital, clocktower Details of main building of Hammersmith Hospital, London in spring 2013 (1).JPG
Hammersmith Hospital, clocktower
Hammersmith Hospital, London Hammersmith Hospital, London in spring 2013 (1).JPG
Hammersmith Hospital, London

By 1888 Giles and Gough were joined by John Evelyn Trollope, an architect who had trained under Sir Arthur William Blomfield. Trollope was to continue the practice at 28 Craven Street after Gough's death in 1908. Trollope died in 1912. [20] The practice expanded considerably at this time, particular building hospitals and mental asylums. Also they built housing in London, in the Queen Anne revival style, normally in red brick and using terracotta decorative panels. Much of this housing appears to have been designed by John Evelyn Trollope. Buildings by Giles, Gough and Trollope:

Houses

  • Aldford House, 63 South Audley Street, London W1 (1890) by J.E. Trollope of Giles, Gough & Trollope.
  • 1-8 Carlos Place, London W1(c1897) by J.E. Trollope of Giles, Gough & Trollope. A four-story quadrant block of houses . . . in free English/Flemish Renaissance style, constructed in red brick, with lavish Portland stone dressings with canted bay windows, balustraded parapets and gables, enlivened on alternate houses by bands of red terracotta Renaissance decorative ornament. [23]

Giles and the building of asylums

St Edwards Hospital, Cheddleton St Edwards Park, Cheddleton (geograph 4203378).jpg
St Edwards Hospital, Cheddleton

Following Giles' innovative design for the Coney Hill Hospital in Gloucestershire, Giles became one of the most successful asylum architects, winning eight of the sixteen competitions he entered and coming second in four. Examples of work undertaken by his partnership are:

Tone Vale Hospital and clock tower Tone Vale Hospital and clock tower.jpg
Tone Vale Hospital and clock tower

Notes and references

  1. "Re John Giles, Deceased". The London Gazette (27184): 2570. 20 April 1900.
  2. The 1851 Census notes that John Giles, aged 21 and born in Lincoln, was a lodger with Pearson Bellamy in Melville Street, Lincoln
  3. The Lincolnshire Chronicle - Friday 28 July 1893, notes that his father lived in Branston
  4. Lincolnshire Chronicle - Friday 28 July 1893 pg 5
  5. Brighton Gazette - Thursday 22
  6. "1863 – The Langham Hotel, Portland Place, London". 24 June 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  7. Cloake, John. "The Petersham's History". The Petersham, Richmond. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  8. Illustration for The Builder, 11 November 1865. pg 801.
  9. Verey D. and Brooks A.(2002), ‘‘The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 2:The Vale and Forest of Dean’’, pg.501.
  10. Historic house returns to private ownership after 100 years
  11. 'The most elaborate house in Gloucester' for sale for £1.85million
  12. Cherry B. and Pevsner N. (1998), ‘‘Buildings of England: London 4: North’’ pg. 224
  13. "1869 – Public Office & Vestry Hall, Stratford, London". 31 March 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  14. Cherry B et al (2005), Buildings of England: London 5: East pg 226
  15. "Giles & Gough – Architects". The Cleveland Street Workhouse. January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  16. "1878 – Cavendish College, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire". 22 June 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  17. Pevsner N (2nd ed. 1970), The Buildings of England, pg.234.
  18. Cherry B. and Pevsner N. (1991), ‘‘Buildings of England: London 3: North Westpp240-241
  19. "Giles & Gough – Architects" . Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  20. "Brodie", (2001), Vol. 2, pg.836
  21. Pevsner N (2nd ed,1984) The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland, pg.244 ISBN   0140710183
  22. Cherry B. and Pevsner N. (1991), ‘‘Buildings of England: London 3: North Westpp240-241
  23. Victorian Web
  24. "Goodall et al", (1998", pg 174,fig 174 B)
  25. Verey D. and Brooks A.(2002), ‘‘The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire2:The Vale and Forest of Dean’’, pg.465.
  26. "Coney Hill Hospital". County Asylums. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  27. Hinton, David, & Clarke, Fred. (Eds.) (1997). The Tone Vale story: a century of care. Bishop’s Lydeard, UK: Rocket Publishing, pp 5-11. ISBN   978-1-899995-05-9.
  28. Save

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