The huge monument to John Gibson in Kensal Green Cemetery

John Gibson (2 June 1817 – 23 December 1892) was an English architect born at

Castle Bromwich Castle Bromwich () is a large suburban village situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of the West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east; also Sutton Coldfield to the east and ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

Life

Gibson was an assistant to

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 ...

and assisted him in the drawings of the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...

. Gibson was a prominent bank architect at a time when joint-stock banking was an innovation. His 1847

National Bank of Scotland The National Bank of Scotland was founded as a joint stock bank in 1825. Based in Edinburgh, it had established a network of 137 branches at the end of its first hundred years. In 1918 the bank was bought by Lloyds Bank, although it continued ...

branch in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

led to perhaps his best-known work, the former

National Provincial Bank National Provincial Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1833 until 1970 when it was merged into the National Westminster Bank. It continued to exist as a dormant non-trading company until 2016 when it was vo ...

Bishopsgate Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate gave its name to the Bishopsgate Ward of the City of London. The ward is traditionally divided into ''Bishopsgate Within'', inside the line wall, and ''Bishop ...

, London, designed in 1862. It was

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

Grade I in 1950 and is now known as Gibson Hall. Gibson also designed

Todmorden Town Hall Todmorden Town Hall is a municipal building in Halifax Road, Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Todmorden Town Council, is a grade I listed building. History In the mid-19th century Todmorden exper ...

which opened in 1875. He also designed

Dobroyd Castle Dobroyd Castle is an important historic building above the town of Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England. It was built for John Fielden, local mill owner and son of Honest John Fielden the Social Reformer and MP.Hargreaves, Dorothy and Briggs, Lin ...

in Todmorden and

Todmorden Unitarian Church Todmorden Unitarian Church is a Unitarian church located in Honey Hole Road, Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England (). Built in honour of John Fielden, a local mill owner and a social reformer, the church was completed in 1869. It was declared re ...

. Gibson is responsible for several churches in and around North Wales, but perhaps his most notable church is St Margaret's in

Bodelwyddan Bodelwyddan () is a village, Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward and community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales, approximately 5 miles (8 km) South of Rhyl. The Parish includes several smaller hamle ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

, more popularly known as the

Marble Church, Bodelwyddan St Margaret's Church (nicknamed The Marble Church), Bodelwyddan, is a Decorated Gothic Style parish church in the lower Vale of Clwyd in Denbighshire, Wales and is visible for many miles because its spire rises to 202 feet. It lies just off the ...

, consecrated in 1860. The church is a prominent landmark in the lower

Vale of Clwyd The Vale of Clwyd ( cy, Dyffryn Clwyd) is a tract of low-lying ground in the county of Denbighshire in north-east Wales. The Vale extends south-southwestwards from the coast of the Irish Sea for some 20 miles (about 30 km) forming a triangl ...

and is visible for many miles. It lies just off the A55 trunk road. In 1890 Gibson was awarded the

Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is g ...

for services to architecture. Gibson died of pneumonia on 23 December 1892, at his residence, 13 Great Queen Street,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, and was buried in

Kensal Green cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...

on 28 December. File:Langside Hall, Glasgow - geograph.org.uk - 92256.jpg, Former National Bank of Scotland Glasgow (now Langside Halls) (1847), the building was moved stone by stone c.1900 to Langside Avenue, Queen's Park, Glasgow File:Eglwys St. Margaret, Bodelwyddan 15.jpg, The interior of the Chancel, St. Margaret's in Bodelwyddan (1856–60) File:Woodcote, HQ of Warwickshire Police - geograph.org.uk - 1579003.jpg, Woodcote House, Leek Wootton, Warwickshire (1861) File:Unitarian Church, Todmorden, England.jpg, Unitarian Church, Todmorden (1865–69) File:15 Bishopsgate (geograph 2541490).jpg, Gibson Hall, former National Provincial Bank, Bishopsgate, London (1864–65) File:The Gibson Hall, Bishopsgate-2769666059.jpg, Gibson Hall, former National Provincial Bank, Bishopsgate, London (1864–65) File:Dobroyd Castle, Todmorden - geograph.org.uk - 94344.jpg, Dobroyd Castle, near Todmorden (1866–69) File:Bennetts Hill, Birmingham - Bennetts (National Provincial Bank of England, Bennett's Hill the old NatWest Bank).jpg, Former National Provincial Bank, Bennetts Hill, Birmingham (1868) File:Todmorden Town Hall.jpg, Todmorden Town Hall (1870–75) File:Todmorden Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 497954.jpg, The apse, Todmorden Town Hall (1870–75) File:City Bank, Exeter (9220).jpg, City Bank Exeter (1875)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, John 1817 births 1892 deaths 19th-century English architects Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal Architects from Warwickshire Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery People from Castle Bromwich