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. Devo ...

, and educated at

Kingsbridge Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the ab ...

Grammar School. He was articled to the 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 Leonard Aloysius Scott Stokes (1858 – 25 December 1925) was an English architect and artist. Leonard Stokes was born in Southport (then in Lancashire) in 1858 the son of Scott Nasmyth Stokes, a school inspector. He trained in London and tra ...

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 (OBE) in the 1919 Birthday Honours.

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 Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...

, but are bolder, balder, and less subtle or more frank depending on one's point of view." His work was often criticised by

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

architects. In his acceptance speech when he was awarded the

RIBA 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 supp ...

Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is gi ...

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 pur ...

in 1942. He died in Bath in 1971 and is buried in the village of Chaffcombe, Somerset.

Important works

University of Exeter , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

Streatham Campus The Streatham Campus in Exeter, Devon, is the largest campus of the University of Exeter. The centre of the campus is occupied by teaching, administrative and service buildings. Most of the university's student halls of residence, and some acco ...

: 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,

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

, 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 Sheffield City Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Sheffield, England in Barker's Pool, one of the city's central squares. It was built and is owned by Sheffield City Council but is now managed by the Sheffield City Trust, under a 99-year l ...

(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 ...

, London (1926) * Braintree Town Hall 1928 *

Leeds Civic Hall Leeds Civic Hall is a municipal building located in the civic quarter of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It replaced Leeds Town Hall as the administrative centre in 1933. The Civic Hall houses Leeds City Council offices, council chamber and a b ...

(competition 1926 built 1931–33) *

Manchester Central Library Manchester Central Library is the headquarters of the city's library and information service in Manchester, England. Facing St Peter's Square, it was designed by E. Vincent Harris and constructed between 1930 and 1934. The form of the building ...

(competition 1927 built 1930–34) * Sugworth Hall,

Sheffield Sheffield is a 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 historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, (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 Manchester Town Hall Extension was built between 1934 and 1938 to provide additional accommodation for local government services. It was built between St Peter's Square, Manchester, St Peter's Square and Lloyd Street in Manchester city centre, ...

(competition 1927 built 1934–38) *County Hall,

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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 ...

(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, 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,

(1920–34) File:Leeds Civic Hall.jpg,

(1931–33) File:Manchester Central Library.jpg,

(1930–34) File:County Hall, Taunton.jpg,

County Hall, Taunton County Hall is a municipal building in The Crescent, Taunton, Somerset, England. The structure, which is the offices and meeting place of Somerset County Council, is a Grade II Listed building. History During the early part of the 20th century ...

(1935) File:Bristol council house.jpg,

Council House, Bristol City Hall (formerly the Council House) has been the seat of local government in Bristol, United Kingdom, since 1956 (before then the seat was in the Old Council House on Corn Street). It is situated on College Green, opposite the Cathedral a ...

(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