Thomas Alfred Cobden (1794 – 1842) was an English architect, best known for designing many buildings in south-east

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, such as

Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow The Cathedral of the Assumption is both the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin and the parish church for the cathedral parish. Located in Carlow town, the cathedral was dedicated to the Assumption of the Blesse ...

Duckett's Grove Duckett's Grove ''(Irish: Garrán Duckett)'' is a ruined 19th-century great house and former estate in County Carlow, Ireland. Belonging to the Duckett family, the house was formerly the focal point of a estate, and dominated the local land ...

and

Browne-Clayton Monument The Browne-Clayton Monument is a column of the Corinthian order on a square pedestal base built in the 19th-century in Leinster, Ireland. It stands on Carrigadaggan Hill, at Carrigbyrne in County Wexford at , just off the N25 national route be ...

Life

Cobden was born in

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

on 13 April 1794, the son of a builder Thomas Cobden and Mary Camp. Cobden had many siblings, as Thomas Cobden was a widower when he married Camp. Thomas Cobden the elder built Chichester Market House in 1807 with William Brooks, under the direction of John Nash. Nothing is known of Cobden's education, but it would appear he began in his father's trade as early as 1813. Cobden married Ann Fleming at

Westminster St James Westminster St James (or St James Piccadilly) was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish followed the building of the Church of St James, Piccadilly, in 1684. After several failed attempts, the ...

14 September 1821, with whom he had at least five children. Due to his work in the area, Cobden lived in Carlow for some time, building a house on College Street. He lived in London from 1832, and was living in 14 Upper Clapton Terrace, Hackney when he died 27 November 1842. His cause of death was recorded as "

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

". Cobden is buried in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, Middlesex.

Works

It has been suggested that it was through his father's connections to Nash that Cobden began to get commissions in Ireland from the early 1810s. Cobden's work began with designs for Gurteen le Poer,

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

, for John William Power, and Wells House,

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, for Robert Doyne. From 1835 to 1842, Cobden exhibited designs at

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

and the

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...

. For the majority of his career, Cobden's work was in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...

and Wexford, with many of his clients being members of the landed gentry. Some of the resultant buildings were Braganza built for Sir Dudley Hill,

, Russellstown Park, and the Tudor-revival

Ballykealy House Ballykealy House is a 19th-century great house and former estate in Ballon, County Carlow, Ireland. History Ballykealy House, sometimes spelt Ballykealey, was built between 1825 and 1835 for John James Lecky. It is a three story Tudor revival ...

. In 1829, Cobden succeeded Joseph Lynch in overseeing the construction of the Cathedral of the Assumption in Carlow town. Cobden took much of his inspiration from Europe, in particular the Beffroi Tower in

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

. This was just one of many churches Cobden was involved in designing, others include a Catholic church at

Killeshin Killeshin () is a village in County Laois, Ireland on the R430 regional road. Killeshin is a small rural community situated five kilometres west of Carlow town and overlooks the picturesque Barrow Valley. The church at the foot of the Killeshi ...

, and the Presbyterian church 'Scots' church' in Carlow town.

References

External links

List of Cobden's known worksConservation of the Browne Clayton Monument
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cobden, Thomas 1794 births 1842 deaths Architects from Sussex Irish ecclesiastical architects People from Chichester