Basic Biographical Details Name: | Henry Hall (senior) | Designation: | | Born: | 1826 | Died: | 18 October 1909 | Bio Notes: | Henry Hall was born at Wansford, Lincolnshire in 1826. He was articled to Thomas Pilkington of Bourne, Lincolnshire (and later Edinburgh and Kelso) in 1843. On the completion of his articles he spent a short time with Edward Blore just prior to his retirement, thereafter transferring to the Waterloo Place office of William Allen Boulnois.
While in Boulnois's office Hall won competitions for a school at Horsington, Somerset and for a chapel and school at Appleton-le-Moor, Yorkshire. About 1857 he was offered a partnership by Boulnois, but preferred to set up on his own at 15 Duke Street, Adelphi. He was admitted ARIBA on 2 December 1861, his proposers being Boulnois, Frederick William Porter and William Slater. At that date he was a member of a small group of architects who met at Lincoln's Inn for mutual improvement classes. The other members included Thomas Rickman's son Thomas Miller Rickman, George Gilbert Scott's assistant James Thomas Irvine, George Row Clarke and one of the Alloms, probably Arthur.
In 1868 Hall married the daughter of Captain Edwin Cooke RN and moved to Bloomsbury Square. He had a good church, school and county house practice mainly in the Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset area and was architect to Dartford School Board. He was admitted FRIBA on 15 February 1878, his proposers being Boulnois, Porter and Charles Forster Hayward.
In 1880 Hall entered into an association with Andrew Thomas Taylor for the purpose of entering the Glasgow Municipal Buildings competition although no previous connection between them is known. In 1882 they came second in the second stage of the second competition, the winner being instructed to adopt certain features of this plan. Taylor then wrote appealing for an uplift in the £150 second premium as it had not covered the staff costs of entering and appears to have been successful. Hall subsequently (1882-1883) competed for the Town Hall at Birkenhead for which he again came second, and for the new Admiralty in 1883-84, reaching the final nine.
Hall retired in 1905, when he and his wife moved to Quernmore Road, Stroud Green, where he died on 18 October 1909. In his RIBA obituary Taylor described him as having a remarkable resemblance to Lord Salisbury (his photographic portrait bears this out) and as being 'always the soul of honour and absolute integrity' and 'by nature modest and retiring.' He took relatively little part in public life, but was a member of the Vestry of St Pancras, subsequently becoming a member of its Borough Council. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 15, Duke Street, Adelphi, London, England | Business | 1861 | 1868 | | | 15, Bloomsbury Place, London, England | Business | 1868 | c. 1875 | | | 19, Doughty Street, Mecklenburgh Square, London, England | Business | 1878 | 1905 | | | Quernmore Road, Stroud Green, London, England | Private | 1905 | 1909 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployees or PupilsThe following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | Thomas Pilkington | 1843 | | Apprentice | | | William Allen Boulnois | c. 1848 | | Assistant | |
RIBARIBA Proposers
Buildings and DesignsThis was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | | Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | | 1881 | Glasgow Municipal Buildings | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Compeition design in first competition entered under the pseudonym Iona. Competition design for second competition, entered under the pseudonym 'St Ronan', suggesting Peeblesshire connections; placed 2nd. This was entered with A T Taylor. |
ReferencesPeriodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | RIBA Journal | 4 December 1909 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | Hall's obituary p122 |
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