George Myers (1803–1875) was an English builder, best known for his work with the architect and designer

Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

Biography

Myers was born in 1803 in

Kingston-upon-Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east o ...

. He first met Pugin in 1827 while working as an apprentice to the Master Mason of Beverley Minster, William Comins. Myers completed his apprenticeship in 1829, and returned to Kingston-upon-Hull where he set up as a builder, specialising in factories, mills and terraced housing, with his business partner Richard Wilson. In 1837, Pugin commissioned them to build St Mary's Catholic Church in Derby for him. Myers followed Pugin to London, settling in St George's Road,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

in 1842. From here he executed many important commissions for Pugin, including Newcastle, Birmingham, Nottingham and Southwark cathedrals. He also worked for many other architects, and it has been estimated that he built on average three churches a year. In 1852-1854 they were the builders contracted to complete Mentmore Towers in Buckingham shire for the Rothschild family. The Rothschild family frequently employed George Myers builder for building projects. In 1853, after the death of his eldest daughter the previous October, Myers moved to Montague House, Clapham Road, Lambeth. He was responsible for building the

Royal Pavilion The Royal Pavilion, and surrounding gardens, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George IV of t ...

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

for Prince Albert in 1855. Myers retired in 1874 and in March that year he suffered a serious stroke and sub. He died of exhaustion on 25 January 1875, and was buried at

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of L ...

. His business had passed to his sons on his retirement, but it was already running down, and finally ceased trading in 1876.

Legacy

Myers is commemorated by a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

at his home in 131

St George's Road St George's Road is a one-way road in Southwark, London running between Westminster Bridge Road to the northwest and Elephant and Castle to the southeast. The direction of the vehicular traffic is from Elephant and Castle to Westminster Bridge ...

. He is also listed in the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'',George Myers : Oxford Biography Index entry
/ref> and is the subject of the biography ''Pugin's Builder: The Life and Work of George Myers'' by Patricia Spencer-Silver ().

References

1803 births 1875 deaths Burials at West Norwood Cemetery {{England-architect-stub