Edward Horton Hubbard (2 July 1937 – 31 May 1989) was an English architectural historian who worked with
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...
in compiling volumes of the ''
Buildings of England
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of Great Britain and Ireland. Begun in the 1940s by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the original Buildings of England series were published b ...
''. He also wrote the definitive biography of
John Douglas,
[ and played a part in the preservation of ]Albert Dock Albert Dock may refer to:
*Albert Dock, Hull, in Kingston upon Hull, England
*Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool, a dock and warehouse system in Liverpool, England
*Royal Albert Dock, London
The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal ...
in Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
.
Biography
Edward Hubbard was born in Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
in 1937 and studied architecture at Liverpool University
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
where he discovered that his vocation was for the history of architecture rather than for its practice. When the Victorian Society
The Victorian Society is a UK amenity society and membership organisation that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. It is a registered ...
was founded in 1958, Hubbard became an early member and in 1965 he established its first regional group in Liverpool, acting as its honorary secretary for 13 years. When the group was launched the first speaker was Nikolaus Pevsner, and Hubbard was to work with him for the next 20 years in helping to compile the series of the ''Buildings of England'', and later the ''Buildings of Wales''. He did the preparatory work for the ''South Lancashire
South Lancashire is a geographical county area, used to indicate the southern part of the historic county of Lancashire, today without any administrative purpose. The county region has no exact boundaries but generally includes areas that form t ...
'' volume, was joint author of the ''Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
'' volume, and helped to prepare the ''Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
'' volume. He wrote the ''Clwyd
Clwyd () is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to th ...
'' volume for the ''Buildings of Wales'' which was published in 1986.[Howell, Peter, in ] When they were preparing the ''Cheshire'' volume, Hubbard drove Pevsner around the county. In the introduction to the book, Pevsner says of Hubbard, "...his even temper and his psychological treatment of my moments of despondency were invaluable".[Pevsner, Nikolaus in ]
In 1976 Hubbard was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. In 1980, with Michael Shippobottom, he organised an exhibition at the Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
on Lord Leverhulme
William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme , (, ; 19 September 1851 – 7 May 1925) was an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician. Having been educated at a small private school until the age of nine, then at church school ...
, which led to the joint publication in 1988 of ''A Guide to Port Sunlight Village''. Hubbard was concerned with conservation, in particular with the upgrading of the listing of Albert Dock in Liverpool from Grade II to Grade I, which resulted in its preservation as a commercial and tourist attraction.[
In his work with Pevsner, Hubbard had become an admirer of the works of John Douglas. When he enrolled with the ]University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
for an MA degree, Douglas was the subject of his thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
. This proved to be a substantial work of scholarship and Hubbard hoped it would be published. However he developed ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis characterized by long-term inflammation of the joints of the spine typically where the spine joins the pelvis. Occasionally areas affected may include other joints such as the shoulders or hip ...
which led to an increasing degree of disability,[ and he died in 1989. The work was edited by Peter Howell and published posthumously by the Victorian Society in 1991 as ''The Work of John Douglas''.][
]
Bibliography
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Edward
1937 births
1989 deaths
British architectural historians
People from Birkenhead
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Alumni of the University of Liverpool
Alumni of the University of Manchester
20th-century British historians