Silvanus Trevail (11 November 1851 – 7 November 1903) was a British

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 ...

, and the most prominent Cornish architect of the 19th century.

Early life

Trevail was born at Carne Farm, Trethurgy in the parish of

Luxulyan Luxulyan (; kw, Logsulyan), also spelt Luxullian or Luxulian, is a village and civil parish in mid Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village lies four miles (6.5 km) northeast of St Austell and six miles (10 km) south of Bodmin. ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

on 11 November 1851.

Career

Trevail rose to become Mayor of

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

and, nationally, President of the architects' professional body, the

Society of Architects The Society of Architects was formed in 1834 and continued until 1925. At that time Fellows and Associates comprised two distinct classes of membership of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). They were respectively entitled to use th ...

. He was Cornwall's most famous

, certainly of the 19th century. Following the Education Act of 1870 which created Board Schools, Trevail designed around fifty such schools throughout the county. He also designed hotels including the

Headland Hotel The Headland Hotel is a Grade II listed building located in Newquay, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was opened in June 1900 and is built on a prominent position overlooking Fistral Beach and Towan Head. History Silvanus Trevail’s Gr ...

Newquay Newquay ( ; kw, Tewynblustri) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, in the south west of England. It is a civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries, spaceport and a fishing port on the North Atlantic coast of ...

Carbis Bay Hotel Carbis Bay Hotel is a hotel in Carbis Bay near St Ives, Cornwall, St Ives, Cornwall. It is the most prominent building in Carbis Bay, overlooking the beach. History It was built in 1894 by Silvanus Trevail, Cornwall's most notable architect of t ...

Carbis Bay Carbis Bay (Cornish: ''Karrbons'', meaning "causeway") is a seaside resort and village in Cornwall, England. It lies southeast of St Ives, on the western coast of St Ives Bay, on the Atlantic coast. The South West Coast Path passes above th ...

, and restored the church at

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. He was said to be a man ahead of his time, a campaigner for sanitation improvements and an entrepreneur.

Selected works

Atlantic Hotel, Newquay The Atlantic Hotel is in Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was first opened in July 1892 and occupies a prominent position on the shore, with views of the Atlantic Ocean & the North Cornish coast. The hotel has 57 bedrooms. History The A ...

Great Western Hotel (Newquay) The Great Western Hotel is the oldest purpose-built hotel in Newquay, Cornwall. The hotel was originally designed by the Cornish architect Silvanus Trevail and first opened in April 1879. The hotel is built in a prominent position overlooking G ...

, Carbis Bay
Housel Bay Hotel

The Lizard The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...

* Castle Hotel, Tintagel *

, Newquay * St Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin (which was demolished between September 2013 and February 2014).

Death

His success however, did not bring him happiness. Trevail had a history of depression and had been unwell for some time before killing himself. On 7 November 1903 he shot himself in the lavatory of a train as it entered Brownqueen Tunnel a short distance from Bodmin Road railway station.

References

External links

*
BBC Inside Out, on Silvanus Trevail and the Newquay riots

Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Silvanus Trevail
*There are biographical references to Silvanus Trevail on the Library & Museum of Freemasonry website, www.freemasonry.london.museum under classmark BE68(Tre)Roy, which contains reference to a copy of the ''Journal'' of the

Royal Institution of Cornwall The Royal Institution of Cornwall (RIC) is a Learned society in Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was founded in Truro on 5 February 1818 as the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Institution. The Institution was one of the earliest of seven ...