John Gregory Crace (26 May 1809 – 13 August 1889) was a British interior decorator and author.

Early life and education

The Crace family had been prominent London interior decorators since

Edward Crace Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

(1725–1799), later keeper of the royal pictures to George III, established a business in 1768. John Gregory Crace, Edward Crace's great-grandson, was the elder of two surviving sons of Frederick Crace (1779–1859), interior decorator to the then Prince Regent and a collector of maps and prints. His mother, Augusta Harrop Gregory, was the daughter of John Gregory, a London magistrate and treasurer of the

Whig Club Whig or Whigs may refer to: Parties and factions In the British Isles * Whigs (British political party), one of two political parties in England, Great Britain, Ireland, and later the United Kingdom, from the 17th to 19th centuries ** Whiggism ...

. Born at 34 Curzon Street in London, Crace was educated at the schools of Dr Crombie in Greenwich and Mr Pollard in South Kensington.

Career

Crace commenced work as an assistant to his father in 1825, assisting on commissions from George IV on Windsor Castle and

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. In 1830, at age 21, he became a full partner in the family business (thereafter known as Frederick Crace & Son), on inheriting property and capital from his mother, who had died in 1827. He visited the Continent several times between 1825 and 1830, including an extended study tour of France and Germany in 1829, and became influenced by 18th-century French decorative arts. He witnessed fighting in the streets of Paris during the July Revolution of 1830.

Sir Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsi ...

selected Augustus Pugin and Crace to decorate the interiors of the new Houses of Parliament. Maintaining his collaboration with Pugin, they worked together in the decoration of the Medieval Court in the

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary The Crystal Palace, structure in which it was held), was an International Exhib ...

of 1851, and Crace later became the Superintendent of Decoration for the Great Exhibition building in 1862. He was also commissioned to decorate the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle in 1861-2.

Personal life

On 26 January 1833, he married Sarah Jane Hine Langley (1815–1894), daughter of John Inwood Langley, a civil servant at the

Royal Naval Hospital A Royal Naval Hospital (RNH) was a hospital operated by the British Royal Navy for the care and treatment of sick and injured naval personnel. A network of these establishments were situated across the globe to suit British interests. They were p ...

, Greenwich. The couple had twelve children, of whom eleven survived infancy. His eldest son,

John Dibblee Crace John Dibblee Crace (1838 – 18 November 1919) was a distinguished British interior designer who provided decorative schemes for the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Royal Academy, Tyntesfield and Longleat among many other notable bu ...

(1838–1919), followed him into the family business, taking on the responsibility of managing the firm when Crace's health broke down in 1854–5; the two retained a close working relationship. Another son, Everard Crace, became a silk weaver. A third son,

Edward Kendall Crace Edward Kendall Crace (1844–1892) was an Australian pastoralist who owned extensive land holdings around Canberra. Crace was the son of the English interior designer John Gregory Crace (1809-1889) and his wife, Sarah Jane Hine Langley. Crace ...

, became an Australian pastoralist. He died at his home in Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill on 13 August 1889 and was buried at the Gothic-inspired West Norwood Cemetery under a slate-faced monument.

References

Bibliography

*Rosemary Hill. ''God's Architect: Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain.'' Allen Lane, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Crace, John Gregory 1809 births 1889 deaths English interior designers Burials at West Norwood Cemetery