Thomas Harrison (architect)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thomas Harrison
Thomas Harrison
Born	1744 Richmond, Yorkshire
Died	29 March 1829 Chester, Cheshire
Nationality	English
Occupation	Architect, engineer

Thomas Harrison (1744 – 29 March 1829) was an English architect and engineer. He built a number of bridges, including Grosvenor Bridge in Chester. He also rebuilt parts of Chester and Lancaster castles. His building designs were mainly in the neoclassical style.

Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Major works 4.1 1780s 4.2 1790s 4.3 1800s 4.4 1810s 4.5 1820s 4.6 Unknown dates 5 References 5.1 Notes 5.2 Bibliography 6 Further reading 7 External links

[edit] Early life and education

Harrison was baptised on 7 August 1744 in Richmond, Yorkshire, England, the son of Thomas Harrison, a carpenter, and Anne née Brittel. Details of his early life are not known but it is likely he was educated at Richmond grammar school. In 1769 Sir Lawrence Dundas of Aske sent him to Rome with George Cuitt, a landscape painter, to study Roman antiquities. In 1770 he submitted a design to Pope Clement XIV for converting the Vatican Cortile del Belvedere into a museum. In 1773 he entered a competition organised by the Accademia di San Luca to re-plan the Piazza del Popolo. His design was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1777. Although the design was unsuccessful he was commissioned by the pope to alter the sacristy of St Peter's but the pope died before the work started.^[1]

[edit] Career

He returned to Richmond, then moved to Lancaster in 1783 after he won a competition to build Skerton Bridge over the River Lune in the city. This bridge had elliptical arches and a level road surface, which was a device which had never been used on this scale in England previously. He was subsequently commissioned to build St Mary's Bridge in Derby and Stramongate Bridge in Kendal. In 1815 he was appointed as county surveyor of Cheshire having worked on several bridges in Cheshire for the previous 15 years. His major work there was the design of the Grosvenor Bridge crossing the River Dee in Chester which when it was built was the largest single-span masonry arch in the world, which measured 200 feet (61 m) across. In 1786 Harrison won a competition to rebuild Chester Castle in a neoclassical style which took over 30 years to complete. It included work on the prison, the courts, the shire hall and offices, the armoury, the barracks and the construction of the propylaeum. During this time in 1795 he moved to Chester.^[1] Also in Chester he designed the Northgate between 1808 and 1810, and between 1818 and 1821 he restored part of Chester Cathedral.^[2]

In 1784 Harrison had designed the cupola for St John's Church, Lancaster and a cupola for the Town Hall in the city. Between 1786 and 1799 he was involved in the reconstruction of Lancaster Castle. This included the Shire Hall, the Grand Jury Room, the Crown Court, the Governor's House, the Barristers' Library and robing Room, part of the prison, much of the external wall and an additional round tower.^[2] Later buildings in neoclassical style were the Lyceum in Liverpool, and the Portico Library in Manchester.^[1]

Harrison was also involved to a lesser degree in domestic architecture. These included Hawkstone Citadel in Shropshire, Kennet House, which was demolished in 1967 and St Martin's Lodge, a house he built for himself in Chester. His largest house was Broomhall in Fife which he built for Thomas Bruce, the seventh Earl of Elgin.^[1]

[edit] Personal life

In 1785 Harrison married Margaret Shackleton at Lancaster Priory and with her he had three children who survived into adulthood. He died at his home in Chester in 1829 and was buried in the churchyard of St Bridget's Church, Chester. His estate was worth in the order of £6,000.^[1]

[edit] Major works

[edit] 1780s

Works Location Comments Dates Ref. Listing Old Town Hall Lancaster, Lancashire Cupola 1781–83 [3] II*[4] Skerton Bridge, Lancaster 1783–88 [1] II*[5] St John's Church Lancaster West tower 1784 [6] II*[7] St Mary's Bridge Derby 1788–93 [1][8] II*[9] Lancaster Castle Lancaster Reconstruction, including Shire Hall and Crown Court 1786–99 [1][10][11] I[12] Toll House and Inn Lancaster Toll House for Skerton Bridge c. 1787 [13] II*[13] Chester Castle Chester Including Shire Hall, courts, barracks and propylaeum 1788–1815 [1][14] I[15][16][17][18] [edit] 1790s Works Location Comments Dates Ref. Listing Stramongate Bridge Kendal 1791–97 [1][19] Quernmore Park Hall 1793 [20] II*[21] [edit] 1800s Works Location Comments Dates Ref. Listing The Lyceum Liverpool 1800–03 [1][22] II*[23] Portico Newsroom and Library Manchester 1802–06 [1][24][25] II*[26] St Peter's Church Chester Restoration of south wall 1803 [27] I[27] St John the Baptist's Church Whittington Nave 1805–06 [28] II[28] Manchester Exchange Manchester Replaced earlier exchange, now demolished 1806–09 [29] Theatre Royal Manchester Now demolished 1807 [29] Commercial News Room, Northgate Street Chester Later the City Club 1808 [30] II[31] Northgate Chester 1808–10 [32] I[33] Gredington Hanmer, Wrexham Main block of house for 2nd Lord Kenyon. Demolished between 1958 and 1980 1808–11 [34] [edit] 1810s Works Location Comments Dates Ref. Listing Jubilee Tower Moel Famau, Denbighshire To commemorate 50 years of George III's reign 1810–c. 12 [35] Wesleyan chapel, St John Street Chester 1811 [36] II[37] Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas Liverpool Tower 1811–19 [38] II[39] Woodbank House Stockport For Peter Marsland, cotton manufacturer 1812 [40] II*[41] Dee Hills House Chester 1814 [42] II[43] Lord Hill's Column Shrewsbury 1814–1816 [44] II*[44] Allerton Liverpool A house, now largely in ruins. The grounds have been a golf course since 1921 1815 [45] The Marquess of Anglesey's Column Llanfairpwyll, Anglesey 1816–1817 [46] Agricola's Tower, Chester Castle Chester Refaced 1818 [47] Chester Cathedral Chester Restoration 1818–20 [48] I[49] [edit] 1820s Works Location Comments Dates Ref. Listing St Martin's Lodge Chester Built by Harrison for his own use c. 1820 [50] II[51] Watergate House Chester For Henry Potts, Clerk of the Peace c. 1820 [52] II*[53] Triumphal arch Holyhead, Anglesey 1821 [46] The Citadel Weston-under-Redcastle, Shropshire For Sir Rowland Hill, 4th baronet of Hawkstone 1824–25 [54] II*[54] Grosvenor Bridge Chester Completed after Harrison's death 1827–1833 [55] I[56] [edit] Unknown dates Works Location Comments Dates Ref. Listing The Grand Tralcum of County Falaar[citation needed]

Skerton Bridge, Lancaster St John's Church, Lancaster Propyleum, Chester Castle Northgate, Chester Lord Hill's Column, Shrewsbury Grosvenor Bridge, Chester

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Further reading

• Champness, John. Thomas Harrison, Georgian Architect of Chester and Lancaster, 1744-1829. Lancaster: Centre for North-West Regional Studies, Lancaster University. ISBN 1-86220-169-2. 

[edit] External links

• Photographs of Skerton Bridge