Kenton Couse (1 March 1721 – 10 October 1790) was an English
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 ...
. He was apprenticed to
Henry Flitcroft
Henry Flitcroft (30 August 1697 – 25 February 1769) was a major English architect in the second generation of Palladianism. He came from a simple background: his father was a labourer in the gardens at Hampton Court and he began as a joiner by t ...
whose patronage obtained him posts in the
Office of Works. Couse subsequently became Secretary to the Board of Works from 1775 to 1782. His most famous work as an architect was a remodelling of
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
from 1766 to 1775.
Biography
Couse was born on 1 March 1721, the eldest son and only surviving child of Josias Couse (1693?–1755), a
goldsmith and
linen draper
In the Middle Ages or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a cloth (often wool) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business. A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of draper's shops. Cloth was ext ...
of
Cheapside
Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, which forms part of the A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St. Martin's Le Grand with Poultry. Near its eastern end at Bank junction, where ...
,
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 ...
, and his wife, Margaret (1698–?), daughter of Alexander Kenton, master mariner.
In 1756, politician
Charles Townshend
Charles Townshend (28 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in the Parliament of Great Britain. His establishment of the controversial Townshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of the Ame ...
ordered Couse to renovate the door of 10 Downing Street, resulting in an unassuming and narrow
Georgian style
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Hano ...
doorway, consisting of a single white stone step leading to a modest brick front. It was probably not completed until 1772. Additionally he was co-designer of the
Richmond Bridge, surveyor of
Chertsey Bridge
Chertsey Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in England, connecting Chertsey to low-lying riverside meadows in Laleham, Surrey. It is downstream from the M3 motorway bridge over the Thames and is close to Chertsey Lock on the reach ...
in
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, designer of the since demolished
Normanton Hall
Normanton Hall was a large, now demolished, country house at Normanton in Rutland.
History
Normanton was the possession of the De Normanvilles for fourteen generations following the Norman Conquest. The estate then passed in 1446 to Alice Basin ...
in
Rutland
Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire.
Its greatest len ...
, and the architect of
Holy Trinity Church, Clapham
The Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican church located in Clapham, London. Completed in 1776, it was the base for the so-called Clapham Sect who worshipped there. It is located on the north side of Clapham Common and is a Grade II* listed build ...
, which was consecrated in 1776.
References
*
H.M. Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840'' (1997)
1721 births
1790 deaths
18th-century English architects
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