Emanuel Vincent Harris (26 June 1876 – 1 August 1971), often known as E. Vincent Harris, 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 ...

who designed several important public buildings in traditional styles.

Early life

He was born in Devonport,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, and educated at Kingsbridge Grammar School. He was articled to the

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

architect James Harvey in 1893;Julian Holder (2007), ''Emanuel Vincent Harris and the survival of classicism in inter-war Manchester'', in: Clare Hartwell & Terry Wyke (editors), ''Making Manchester'', Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, in 1897 he moved to London, where he assisted E. Keynes Purchase, Leonard Stokes and Sir William Emerson. From 1901 to 1907 he worked for the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

before setting up in private practice. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

1919 Birthday Honours The 1919 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

Work

He was primarily a

classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

; A. Stuart Gray wrote: "Some of his buildings suggest the influence of Sir Edwin Lutyens, but are bolder, balder, and less subtle or more frank depending on one's point of view." His work was often criticised by modernist architects. In his acceptance speech when he was awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 1951 Harris is reported to have said: "Look, a lot of you here tonight don't like what I do and I don't like what a lot of you do ...". He became an

Associate of 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 purpo ...

in 1942. He died in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in 1971 and is buried in the village of

Chaffcombe Chaffcombe is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north east of Chard in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 229. History The name of the village probably comes from a Saxon settler and means "' ...

, Somerset.

Important works

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

Streatham Campus: site plan; Washington Singer Building (1931); Mardon Hall (1933); Roborough Library (1938);

Mary Harris Memorial Chapel of the Holy Trinity The Mary Harris Memorial Chapel of the Holy Trinity is the Anglican Chaplaincy's chapel on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter. It is located at the heart of the campus, beneath Queen's Building and adjacent to the Old Library and th ...

(1958) *

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

, London (competition 1914) * Glamorgan County Hall,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

(competition 1908 opened 1912) *Duke Street art gallery, London (1910–12) * Sheffield City Hall (competition 1920 opened 1932) * Nottingham County Hall (competition 1925 construction 1939–1954) * Atkinsons Building,

Old Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

, London (1926) * Braintree Town Hall 1928 * Leeds Civic Hall (competition 1926 built 1931–33) * Manchester Central Library (competition 1927 built 1930–34) *

Sugworth Hall Sugworth Hall is an English country house on Sugworth Road in Bradfield Dale, near Sheffield, England. It is situated approximately west from Sheffield City Centre. The hall is a Grade II listed building which stands within the Peak District N ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, (Tower and battlements) c.1930 * Somerset County Hall,

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

(1932) * Manchester Town Hall Extension (competition 1927 built 1934–38) *County Hall,

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

(Council chamber & foyer) * Bristol Council House (1938–56) (Renamed City Hall in November 2012) *

Ministry of Defence Main Building The Ministry of Defence Main Building or MOD Main Building, also known as MOD Whitehall or originally as the Whitehall Gardens Building, is a Listed building, grade I listed government office building located on Whitehall in London. The building w ...

(1938-1959) *Fergusson building,

St Mary's College, Durham St Mary's College is a college of Durham University in England. Following the grant of a supplemental charter in 1895 allowing women to receive degrees of the university, St Mary's was founded as the Women's Hostel in 1899, adopting its present nam ...

(1950s) *

(1956–58) *

Kensington Central Library Kensington Central Library is a Grade II* listed building on Hornton Street and Phillimore Walk, Kensington, London. It was built in 1958–60 by the architect E. Vincent Harris on the site of The Abbey, a Gothic house which had been construc ...

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, London (1958–60)

Gallery of works

File:Burlington Gardens 1 (5820512459).jpg, Atkinsons Building, London (1926) File:Braintree Town Hall, 1992. 01.jpg, Braintree Town Hall (1928) File:Sheffield City Hall.JPG, Sheffield City Hall (1920–34) File:Leeds Civic Hall.jpg, Leeds Civic Hall (1931–33) File:Manchester Central Library.jpg, Manchester Central Library (1930–34) File:County Hall, Taunton.jpg, County Hall, Taunton (1935) File:Bristol council house.jpg, Council House, Bristol (1938–56) File:Ministry of Defence MoD Main Building, London MOD 45152986.jpg,

, Whitehall, London (1959) File:Nottinghamshire County Hall - geograph.org.uk - 2397196.jpg, County Hall, Nottinghamshire,(1954) File:Kensington Central Library 10.JPG,

, London W8 (1960)

Early life

Work

Important works

Gallery of works

References

Further reading