William Gay (1814–1893)
was a British
landscape gardener
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...
and
surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
, and designed parks and cemeteries.
Career
William Gay moved to
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
where in 1849 he was clerk of work at Welford Road Cemetery then in 1852 registrar.
While at Leicester, William was approached by the Bradford Cemetery Company to become
Bradford Cemetery's first registrar.
William moved from Leicester to Bradford
to design and layout
Undercliffe Cemetery over the years 1852 to 1854 and later became the cemetery's secretary.
[
]
The surveyor of
Chorley
Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth came pr ...
cemetery James Derham, consulted William Gay who went on to prepare the design of the cemetery grounds using his favourite devices of a
promenade,
viewing platform
An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclosed ...
, and raised and sunken
terraces.
In 1855 William Gay won a competition to design the grounds of
Toxteth Park Cemetery,
Toxteth, Liverpool.
The cemetery was opened in 1856.
Philips Park Cemetery,
Manchester was designed by William Gay, with architects Paull and Ayliffe.
The cemetery opened in 1866 and was completed in 1867.
In 1867 William laid out Belfast City cemetery in the form of a bell, possibly reflecting the Bel in
Belfast and the cemetery opened on 1 August 1869.
William also designed and laid out
Roberts Park, Saltaire for (Sir)
Titus Salt and this opened in 1871.
William landscaped
Lawnswood Cemetery
Lawnswood is a small suburb in the north west of the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. As such it is north north east of the West Yorkshire Urban Area. The suburb falls within the Adel and Wharefdale Ward of the City of Leeds Council.
...
in
Adel, Leeds
Adel is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. To its immediate south is Weetwood, to the west are Cookridge and Holt Park, to the east are Alwoodley and Moortown, and to the north are Bramhope, Arthington and Eccup.
It forms part of the ...
and assisted architect
George Corson with building design.
The cemetery opened in 1874.
Horton Park, Bradford was designed by William Gay.
Development started in 1873 and the park opened in 1878.
William was architect for Pudsey Cemetery in
Pudsey with John Senior responsible for laying out the grounds.
Personal life
William Gay moved from Leicester to Bradford
to design and lay out
Undercliffe Cemetery
and he lived at 43 Charnwood Road,
Undercliffe.
William died in 1893 and is buried in
Undercliffe Cemetery, Bradford on 11 March 1893.
His monument describes his occupation as 'former landscape gardener and surveyor'.
References
Further reading
Biography at Undercliffe Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay, William
1814 births
1893 deaths
English landscape and garden designers
People from Bradford