Architects

Name:

John Thomas

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

04/04/1926

Year of Birth :

1813

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DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

04/09/1862

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

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Bio Notes :

John Thomas was born at Chelford, Gloucestershire in 1813. Left an orphan at the age of thirteen, he was apprenticed as a stonemason and was chiefly engaged in the stone-carving and the lettering of gravestones. At the end of his apprenticeship, c.1831, he joined his much older architect brother, William, in Birmingham, and from his office he designed and executed a gothic monument in Huntingdon. This caught the attention of Sir Charles Barry who engaged him to execute the Pugin-designed stone-carving of the Edward VI Grammar School in Birmingham. In the later 1830s he worked chiefly as a stone-carver for Edward Blore and for the North Midland Railway, but in 1841 Barry again sought him out for the Palace of Westminster where he was appointed Superintendent of stone-carving in 1846. Royal patronage followed in 1848 with the commission from Prince Albert for large bas reliefs of 'Peace' and 'War' at Buckingham Palace, followed by further work at Windsor and a sculptural programme for the Sultan's Palace at Constantinople. In Scotland Thomas was responsible for modelling the carving of Rhind's Life Assurance Building, Bryce's Masonic Hall and Matheson's Holyrood Fountain, all in Edinburgh, and Gibson's National Bank in Glasgow. For John Houldsworth he executed a large chimneypiece in 1859 but whether this was for his Glasgow house or Coodham, Ayrshire has still to be established. The actual carving of much of his work was entrusted to Alexander Handyside Ritchie whom he engaged for some of the work at the Palace of Westminster.

In parallel with his sculpture Thomas practised as an architect designing the giant Somerleyton Hall, Suffolk for Sir Morton Peto in 1844-51, the Dairy, Home Park, Windsor in 1860 and Huntington Hill House, Oxford in 1861. He died in London on 9 April 1862, his health reputedly undermined by difficulties with the Shakespeare memorial at the International Exhibition of that year.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date From Type	Date To	Date To Type	Notes
Glasgow Scotland	Business
Birmingham England	Business
London England	Business

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This person was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs2 classic

Building Name	Date Started	Town, District or Village	Island	City or County	Country	Notes
National Bank of Scotland and Square of Business Chambers	In year 1844	Shawlands		Glasgow	Scotland	Competition design - Gibson appointed
Glasgow Necropolis, John Houldsworth of Cranstonhill Mausoleum	In year 1854			Glasgow	Scotland

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Notes
Gunnis, Richard	Dictionary of British Sculptors, 1660-1851
Grove Dictionary of Art	Grove Dictionary of Art
Read, Benedict	Victorian Sculpture	1962	Yale	pp132-3, 224, 231-5, 244, 249-50

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

Bib ref classic