Thomas Fulljames

FRIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

(4 March 1808 – 24 April 1874) was an architect active in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, England, in the first half of the nineteenth century. As diocesan surveyor from 1832 until 1870, latterly in partnership with Frederick Sandham Waller, he designed, reconstructed or extended a number of churches in Gloucestershire. He is known for designing the former psychiatric asylum at Denbighshire (1842-1844) in Jacobean style and the Gloucester Court of Probate (1858) in the Gothic style. He also designed a barrage across the River Severn, which was never built. He built Foscombe house for his own use in Ashleworth, Gloucestershire, which has been classified as a grade II* heritage building.

Early life and family

Thomas Fulljames was born in

Walworth Walworth () is a district of south London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross. Major streets in Walworth include the Old ...

,Thomas Fulljames England and Wales Census, 1851.
Family Search. Retrieved 27 March 2019.

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. ...

, now in Greater London, on 4 March 1808, to Trophimus Fulljames (died 1864), a land surveyor, and Margaret Fulljames. He was baptised at

Hasfield Hasfield is a civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, and lies south-west of Tewkesbury and north of Gloucester. It is situated on the west bank of the River Severn; as much of its land resides below the 50-foot contour, it is subject to regu ...

, Gloucestershire, on 15 September 1808. He had an older brother, also Trophimus, born around 1805.

Career

Fulljames studied with his uncle, the surveyor

Thomas Fulljames Thomas Fulljames FRIBA (4 March 1808 – 24 April 1874) was an architect active in Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the ...

(died 1847), who had established a practice in Gloucestershire by the 1790s, and from 1821 was apprenticed to the architect

Thomas Rickman Thomas Rickman (8 June 17764 January 1841) was an English architect and architectural antiquary who was a major figure in the Gothic Revival. He is particularly remembered for his ''Attempt to Discriminate the Styles of English Architecture'' ...

, a position arranged by Fulljames's uncle Thomas. He first practised in his own name from around 1830 when he opened an office at 1 Barton Street. He was appointed county surveyor in 1831. In 1838 he was elected a fellow of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

. In 1846 the firm became Fulljames & Waller after he formed a partnership in that year with Frederick Sandham Waller (1822–1895) who had been articled to him in 1839. He also taught the architect

James Piers St Aubyn James Piers St Aubyn (6 April 1815 – 8 May 1895), often referred to as J P St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations. Early life St Aubyn was born at Powick Vicarag ...

. In 1847 the office moved to College Green.

Church architecture

Fulljames was diocesan surveyor in Gloucestershire from 1832 until 1870, as Fulljames & Waller from 1846, and in that time they completed a great deal of church architecture in the county. Among his designs was the Church of St Luke,

High Orchard High Orchard was an industrial area of the city of Gloucester in England that was developed in the 19th century on the former orchard of the Priory of Llanthony Secunda (1136). The area was closely associated with Gloucester Docks immediately ...

(1841), St Matthew's Parish Church,

Twigworth Twigworth is a small village near Gloucester in Tewkesbury (borough), the Borough of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. The population of Twigworth Parish was 340 people in mid-2014 in 170 households. A planning application for 725 new homes ...

(1841–42), adding a north aisle to

(1849–50), and the reconstruction of the Church of St Lawrence, Sandhurst (1857–58), and the Church of St Mary & Corpus Christi,

Down Hatherley Down Hatherley is a civil parish and village in the Tewkesbury Borough, between Cheltenham and Gloucester, Gloucestershire. It has approximately 165 houses and a population of 450, reducing to 419 at the 2011 census. The village is situated ...

(1859–60). After Frederick William Waller became a partner in 1868 the firm was renamed Waller & Son.

Severn Barrage

In 1849, Fulljames proposed a barrage across the River Severn from

Beachley Beachley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, near the border with Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located on a peninsula at the confluence of the rivers Wye and Severn, where the Severn Bridge ends and the smaller secondary bridge over the ...

Aust Aust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, about north of Bristol and about south west of Gloucester. It is located on the eastern side of the Severn estuary, close to the eastern end of the Severn Bridge which carries the M48 ...

(now the site of the first

Severn Bridge The Severn Bridge ( cy, Pont Hafren) is a motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and Wale ...

), a span of just over . Since this was before commercial electricity production, the first proposals were based on the desire for a large shipping harbour in the Severn Estuary, road and railway transport, and flood protection.Carne, Brian
"Thomas Fulljames, 1808–74: Surveyor, Architect, and Civil Engineer"
'' Transactions of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society'', Volume 113, 1995, pp. 7–20.

Other architecture

Other projects by Fulljames in Gloucester include the Albion Hotel (1831) in

Southgate Street Southgate Street is one of the ancient streets in the City of Gloucester, so named because its southern end was originally the location of the south gate in the city's walls. The part beyond the gate as far as Severn Street was sometimes known as ...

, later known as Albion House; Norfolk Buildings (1836) in

Bristol Road Bristol Road in the City of Gloucester dates from the medieval period. It runs between Southgate Street in the north and Quedgeley in the south where it joins the Bath Road and the A38 road, A38. It contains a number of listed buildings and oth ...

; and the "picturesque Gothic" Gloucester Court of Probate (1858) on the corner of

Pitt Street Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sec ...

and Park Street, probably as a result of the

Court of Probate Act 1857 The Court of Probate Act 1857 (20 & 21 Vict. c. 77) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It transferred responsibility for the granting of probate, and letters of administration, from the ecclesiastical courts of England and Wal ...

which removed probate proceedings from the ecclesiastical to the civil courts. Around 1860 he built Foscombe, a country house in the

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 ...

style in Ashleworth for his own use. It is now a

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 ...

building. Plans relating to the

Gloucestershire Royal Infirmary The Gloucestershire Royal Infirmary was a hospital in Southgate Street, Gloucester. History The hospital was originally established at a public house in Westgate Street 1755 but moved to more permanent premises, which were designed by Luke Single ...

and Second County Asylum are held by Gloucestershire Archives.

Personal life

In 1840, Fulljames married Catherine Kirkes at Lancaster. This led to him designing the Custom House Arcade at Liverpool. At first they lived at

Maisemore Maisemore is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the A417 road 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Gloucester, on the west bank of the River Severn. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 488, reducing ...

, Gloucestershire but from 1847 to 1863, he was living with his wife at

Hasfield Court Hasfield Court is a Grade II* listed building in Hasfield, Gloucestershire, England. Hasfield Court was the site of a medieval manor house, the home of the Pauncefoot family from about 1200. It includes Tudor panelling with the initials of Ric ...

in Gloucestershire and was described as an "Architect & Landed Proprietor" in the 1851 census. Three relatives were living with them and the family employed seven servants. In the 1861 census, they were described as employing six servants.

Death and legacy

Fulljames died on 24 April 1874 at Foscombe in Ashleworth. His will was proved by his wife Catherine and the executors John Jackson Myers of Huyton, and James Wintle of Newnham. He left less than £12,000.1874 Probate Calendar
p. 161. There is a monument to him in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary, Hasfield. In 1970 and 1987, records relating to Fulljames were among those deposited in the Gloucestershire Archives by the Astam Design Partnership where they had been stored in the attic of the firm's former offices in

College Green College Green or The College Green may refer to: * College Green, Adelaide outdoor venue at the University of Adelaide * College Green, Bristol, England * College Green (Dartmouth College), New Hampshire, primarily known as "the Green" * College ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulljames, Thomas 1808 births 1874 deaths People from Walworth Architects from Gloucestershire Ecclesiastical architects Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects