John Wells (1789–1864), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-born

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who had his works displayed 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 ...

in the 1820s. He is best known for his work in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, most notably the

Bank of Montreal Head Office The Bank of Montreal's Head Office (french: Édifice de la Banque de Montréal) is located on 119, rue Saint Jaques (119, Saint Jacques Street) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, across the Place d'Armes from the Notre-Dame Basilica in the Old Montrea ...

and St. Anne's Market, that afterwards housed the Parliament Buildings at Montreal. Wells was born at

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, where he trained as a carpenter. He worked on the facade of

St Mary Moorfields St Mary Moorfields is a Roman Catholic church in Eldon Street near Moorgate, on a site previously known as Moorfields. It is the only Catholic church in the City of London. Prior to a 1994 boundary change, the church was in the Borough of Hackn ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, after which he became an

, displaying his works at the

in 1823 and 1828. Exploiting the rapid growth and population boom, he came to

in about 1830. His first commission was to erect the new prison, and afterwards he constructed the Ste. Ann's Market (1832), that stood until the

Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal The burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal was an important event in pre- Confederation Canadian history and occurred on the night of April 25, 1849, in Montreal, the then-capital of the Province of Canada. It is considered a crucial ...

. In 1834, he was commissioned by

John Redpath John Redpath (1796 – March 5, 1869) was a Scots-Quebecer businessman and philanthropist who helped pioneer the industrial movement that made Montreal, Quebec the largest and most prosperous city in Canada. Early years In 1796, John Redpa ...

and

Peter McGill Peter McGill (August 1789 – September 28, 1860) was a Scots-Quebecer businessman who served as the second mayor of Montreal, Canada East from 1840 to 1842. Biography He was born Peter McCutcheon in the village of Creebridge, Wigtownshi ...

to design and build a new home for St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. He completed several religious buildings for all denominations, including

Chalmers-Wesley United Church Chalmers-Wesley United Church is a Protestant church located within the walls of Old Quebec at 78, rue Sainte-Ursule in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Designed by architect John Wells for the Free Presbyterian Church of Canada, the church was built ...

, and his personal popularity won him private commissions for some of Montreal's leading figures within the

Golden Square Mile / ''Mille carré doré'' , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, Neighbourhood , image_skyline = Ravenscrag.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = ''Rave ...

- such as the

Notman House Notman House (french: Maison Notman) is a historic building at 51 Sherbrooke Street West in Montreal, Quebec, near the Golden Square Mile. Completed in 1845 for Sir William Collis Meredith, the house takes its name from the celebrated photographer ...

(1845) and Prince of Wales Terrace, completed in 1860 for Sir George Simpson. His biography in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

, states that "due to the disappearance of a majority of his works, he has been overlooked as the arbiter of architectural taste in

early Victorian Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

Montreal".Biography of John Wells in the Canadian Encyclopedia
/ref> He died at

April 26, 1864, and was survived by at least one son (G.H. Wells) and one daughter (Mrs Deborah Wadsworth).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, John 1789 births 1864 deaths 19th-century English architects Architects from Norwich 19th-century Canadian architects English emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec Anglophone Quebec people