Stephen Geary (1797 – 28 August 1854) 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 ...

, inventor,

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

, and, from 1850,

Temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

activist.

Early life

Geary was born in Dean's Yard, Westminster, London, on 31 August 1797. At the age of 13 he was apprenticed to the architect

Thomas Leverton Thomas Leverton (c.1743 – 23 September 1824) was an English architect. Life He was born in Waltham Abbey, Essex, where he was baptised on 11 June 1743, the son of the builder Lancelot Leverton. Having learned his father's trade he acquired th ...

. In 1817 he joined 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 ...

architecture schools. He exhibited drawings and models at the Royal Academy on six occasions.

Cemetery work

His best known work was

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

, opened in 1839, and later to be his resting place, where he designed the Egyptian Avenue and the Terrace Catacombs: he was also founder of the

London Cemetery Company London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

, established by Act of Parliament in 1836, which owned Highgate Cemetery and

Nunhead Cemetery Nunhead Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in London, England. It is perhaps the least famous and celebrated of them. The cemetery is located in Nunhead in the London Borough of Southwark and was originally known as All Saints' ...

. He is also associated with Gravesend, Nunhead and Brompton Cemeteries and produced a design for a Brighton cemetery that was never built.

Other works

St Pancras Collegiate School ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

, London. Designed but not built. * A short-lived monument, consisting of a

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...

, with a statue of King

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

on top (it was erected in 1836, the statue was demolished in 1842, the building in 1845), that gave its name to Kings Cross. *

Gin palace A gin palace (also gin house and gin shop) is an English name originally for a lavish bar selling gin, later transferred by association to late Victorian pubs designed in a similar style. Architecture In the 18th century, gin shops or 'dram ...

s. Geary was noted in his day for designing gin palaces. Only one is known to survive, The Bell in Pentonville Road. He is reputed to have designed the first gin palace in London (around 1829), although that accolade is usually given to the gin palace built for wine merchants Thompson & Fearon in

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its roots ...

(1829-1832) and was designed by

John Buonarotti Papworth John Buonarotti Papworth (24 January 1775 – 16 June 1847) was a British architect, artist and a founder member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He adopted the middle name "Buonarotti" in around 1815. As well as being active in ...

(the building no longer exists).

Legacy

Geary's grave in Highgate Cemetery (west side), is located to the east of the main path between Comforts Corner and the Egyptian Avenue. The small headstone is a Grade II listed object.Object 1403435
on the website of

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...

Gallery

File:Egyptian_Avenue_Highgate_Cemetery.jpg, The Egyptian Avenue in

(west side) designed by Stephen Geary File:High-cemetery-circle.jpg, Part of the Circle of Lebanon in

(west side) designed by Stephen Geary File:Carl_Rosa.png, View of the Circle of Lebanon in

(west side) taken from above the Egyptian Avenue File:Grave memorial designed by Stephen Geary, Architect.jpg, A grave memorial in

(west side) designed by Stephen Geary, Architect File:St George's Cross, Elevation of Kings Cross. Circa 1830 An00784441.jpg, Design for the Kings Cross monument to King George IV

Bibliography

* ''Cemetery Designs for Tombs and Cenotaphs'' ; London: Tilt & Bogue; 1840 * ''Exhibition Tracts No. 1: How to reward all the exhibitors.'' London: W.J. Adams.1851. * ‘The British Temperance Banner, an anthem' in BUCKINGHAM, J.S.(Ed.). 1853. ''The Temperance Offering''. London: W. Tweedie. 1853.

References

* H.M. Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840'' (1997)

External links

* 1797 births 1854 deaths Architects from London 19th-century English architects Burials at Highgate Cemetery {{UK-architect-stub