Kelly & Birchall, a partnership between Edward Birchall (1839 – 6 March 1903) and John Kelly (1840–1904), was an

architectural practice In the United States, an architectural firm or architecture firm is a business that employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture; while in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and other countri ...

based in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, England, from 1886 to 1904 and specialising in churches in the Italianate and

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

styles.

Works

The partnership between Edward Birchall, who had practised in Leeds since the early 1860s, and John Kelly, who had previously been in partnership with Richard Life Adams (1840–83), was established in 1886. The church of St Mary of Bethany,

New Wortley Wortley ( ) is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins one mile to the west of the city centre. The appropriate City of Leeds ward is called Farnley and Wortley. It was known as ''Wirkelay'' until about 1700. Wortley w ...

, Leeds was one of Kelly & Birchall's earliest projects. Initially worked on by Adams & Kelly, Kelly & Birchall took it to completion. Built in 1885 at a cost of £5,600, it featured a

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

of 135 feet and a brick-lined interior. St Mary of Bethany was demolished in 1975. Two more of Kelly & Birchall's Leeds buildings have also since been demolished. The original All Hallows Church, on the corner of Hyde Park Road and Regent Terrace, Leeds, built in 1876 at an estimated cost of £10,585, was destroyed by fire on 27 April 1970, though the

vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...

remains. The Roman Catholic church of St Francis of Assisi, Manor Road,

Holbeck Holbeck is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins on the southern edge of Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 postcode district. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is the o ...

, built in 1896, was closed and demolished in 1979. Kelly & Birchall designed the

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

St Luke's Church on Gibbon Road in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

, built between 1886 and 1887 and the Grade II* listed St Patrick's Church, Soho Square (a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church in central London), built between 1891 and 1893. In Leeds they also designed the Central Higher Grade School (later known as Leeds Higher Grade School) in Woodhouse Lane; this was built in 1889, with an

attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

added in 1890 by William Landless, who had been

clerk of works A clerk of works or clerk of the works (CoW) is employed by an architect or a client on a construction site. The role is primarily to represent the interests of the client in regard to ensuring that the quality of both materials and workmanship are ...

at Kelly & Birchall, executing designs on their behalf. The building was converted to Council offices in 1994–95. John Kelly went on to design several notable churches, including All Saints' Church, Petersham in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

(Grade II listed, and now a private residence). Kelly's Roman Catholic churches, which also include St Agatha's Roman Catholic Church, Kingston upon Thames and

Sacred Heart Church, Teddington Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic church and parish in Teddington, southwest London, that serves the Catholic community of Teddington and Hampton Wick. It is in the Upper Thames Deanery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster and ...

in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, are all in a distinctive Italianate style, with Romanesque features and some with large

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

. Towards the end of his career, Kelly was short-listed for, but failed to win, the contract for the Cathedral Church of St Anne's, Leeds. Approaching retirement, Kelly established a new practice, ''John Kelly & Sons'', in Oxford Street, London. The church of St Alban and St Stephen in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

dates from this time. Following John Kelly's death in 1904, his son Claude Kelly took over the practice. The design of

St Peter's Church, Aldrington St Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the Aldrington area of Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is one of three Roman Catholic churches in Hove and one of eleven in the wider city area. Built between 1912 and 191 ...

Hove Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th cen ...

(Grade II listed), attributed to Claude, is believed to have also been worked on by his father. Edward Birchall's other work includes the country house Tylney Hall in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, built in 1879, which is Grade II listed and is now a hotel, and Carlton Hill Friends Meeting House (1868) which was the principal

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

Meeting House in Leeds. Part of the building became a clothing factory in 1921, with the Quakers continuing to meet in a schoolroom at the back until 1979. The building was refurbished by Leeds Metropolitan University in 2007 and is now called Old Broadcasting House. It has 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 ...

, erected by

Leeds Civic Trust Leeds Civic Trust is a voluntary organisation and registered charity established in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England in 1965. Affiliated to the national charity Civic Voice, its stated purpose is "to stimulate public interest in and care for the b ...

, commemorating Birchall and the history of the building.

Gallery

File:St Lukes church, Kingston-upon-Thames- south end (geograph 3442575).jpg, alt=St Lukes church, Kingston upon Thames- south end,

St Luke's Church, Kingston upon Thames St Luke's Church is a Grade II listed Church of England church on Gibbon Road in Kingston upon Thames, London. Designed by the Leeds architectural firm Kelly & Birchall, it was constructed between 1886 and 1887 by a local building firm, W. H. Gaz ...

– south end, 1886–87 File:St Agnes, Burmantofts.jpg, alt=St Agnes, Burmantofts, Leeds, St Agnes' Church, Burmantofts, Leeds, West Yorkshire, 1887–89 File:St James' Church, Shireshead - geograph.org.uk - 615361.jpg, alt=St James' Church, Shireshead, St James' Church,

Shireshead Shireshead is a hamlet near Forton, Lancashire. It includes an Anglican church, St James', which was designed by the Leeds-based architectural firm Kelly & Birchall and built in 1887–90. References Hamlets in Lancashire Geography of t ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, 1887–90 File:Leeds Higher Grade School, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds - geograph.org.uk - 1383445.jpg, alt=Leeds Higher Grade School, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, Leeds Higher Grade School, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds. Built 1889, extended 1890 File:Beeston, Leeds, St Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church - geograph.org.uk - 228037.jpg, alt=St Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, Beeston, Leeds. 1904, St Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church,

Beeston, Leeds Beeston is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England located on a hill about 2 miles (3 km) south of the city centre. The origins of Beeston can be traced back to the medieval period. It remained a small settlement until the latter part ...

, 1904 File:Chiswick Catholic Church, W4 - geograph.org.uk - 879891.jpg, alt=Our Lady of Grace and St Edward, Chiswick, 1886, Our Lady of Grace and St Edward,

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

, 1886 File:St Patrick's Church, Leeds by Stephen Craven Geograph 4631600.jpg, alt=St Patrick's Church, Leeds, 1891, St Patrick's Church, Leeds, 1891 File:Sacred Heart RC Church, Teddington.JPG, alt=Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Teddington, 1893,

, 1893 File:Holy Family Catholic Church - Green Lane - geograph.org.uk - 440294.jpg, alt=Holy Family Catholic Church, Green Lane, Wortley, Leeds, Holy Family Catholic Church, Green Lane,

Wortley, Leeds Wortley ( ) is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins one mile to the west of the city centre. The appropriate City of Leeds ward is called Farnley and Wortley. It was known as ''Wirkelay'' until about 1700. Wortley ...

, 1895 File:St Agathas Church - Kingston upon Thames.jpg, St Agatha's Roman Catholic Church, Kingston upon Thames, 1899 File:Former church of All Saints, Petersham - geograph.org.uk - 794800.jpg, All Saints' Church, Petersham, commissioned 1899 File:St Laurence's Catholic Church, Petersfield - geograph.org.uk - 17474.jpg, alt=St Laurence's Catholic Church, Petersfield, St Laurence's Catholic Church, Petersfield, 1890–91 File:St Albans, Catholic Church of Ss Alban and Stephen - geograph.org.uk - 596705.jpg, alt=Catholic Church of Ss Alban and Stephen, St Albans, Hertfordshire, 1903, Catholic Church of Ss Alban and Stephen,

St Albans, Hertfordshire St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

. ''John Kelly & Sons'', 1903 File:St Peter's RC Church, Aldrington, Hove (NHLE Code 1209728).jpg, alt=St Peter's RC Church, Aldrington, Hove,

, 1912–15. Designed by John Kelly's son Claude Kelly, but John Kelly is also thought to have been involved File:Old Broadcasting House, Leeds.jpg, Old Broadcasting House, Leeds, formerly Carlton Hill Friends Meeting House, built in 1868 File:St Michael And All Angels - geograph.org.uk - 1023661.jpg, alt=St Michael And All Angels, St Michael and All Angels Church,

Sawley, North Yorkshire Sawley is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is about west of Ripon. From this position, the Yorkshire Dales are to the west and the North Yorkshire Moors and coast are to the east. The villag ...

, 1878–79 File:Tylney Hall, Hampshire.jpg, Tylney Hall,

Rotherwick Rotherwick is a village and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. Extent and layout It is briefly limited to the east and the west by the Whitewater and the Lyde, both tributaries of the Loddon. A curved lane, becoming Readi ...

Hook, Hart Hook is a large village and civil parish in the Hart District of northern Hampshire, England. It is situated east of Basingstoke and northeast of Southampton, on the A30 national route, just north of Junction 5 of the M3 motorway. London i ...

, built in 1879

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly and Birchall 1886 establishments in England 1904 disestablishments in England 19th-century English architects 20th-century English architects Architects of Roman Catholic churches Architecture firms based in Leeds Design companies established in 1886 Design companies disestablished in 1904 Defunct companies based in Leeds Gothic Revival architects History of Leeds Italianate architecture in England British companies disestablished in 1904 British companies established in 1886

Works

Gallery

See also

References