Joseph Kay (17751847) was an English architect, particularly active in the early years of the 19th century, and associated with the layout of central

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

and with

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

. He was one of the original members 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 supp ...

, and was elected a fellow in 1834.

Early career

Kay was a pupil of

Samuel Pepys Cockerell Samuel Pepys Cockerell (1753–1827) was an English architect. He was a son of John Cockerell, of Bishop's Hull, Somerset, and the elder brother of Sir Charles Cockerell, 1st Baronet, for whom he designed the house he is best known for, Sezinc ...

, and studied European architecture during a trip (1802-1805) alongside Robert Smirke. In 1807, he married Sarah Henrietta Porden (1785-1859), the eldest daughter of architect

William Porden William Porden (c. 1755 – 1822) was a versatile English architect who worked for the 1st Earl Grosvenor and the Prince Regent. Life Born in Kingston upon Hull, (Subscription required) he trained under James Wyatt and Samuel Pepys Cock ...

; he was assistant to Porden during the building of the second Eaton Hall near Chester, Cheshire (1804–1812). One of his earliest work in his own right was interior design of the Assembly Rooms in Clifton,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, c.1811.

Professional practice

In London, as surveyor to the Foundling Hospital, he designed houses on the east side of

Mecklenburgh Square Mecklenburgh Square is a Grade II listed square in Bloomsbury, London. The square and its garden were part of the Foundling Estate, a residential development of 1792–1825 on fields surrounding and owned by the Foundling Hospital. The square was ...

(1810–21), and, as clerk of works to Greenwich Hospital, he remodelled the town centre (creating Nelson Street, College Approach and the Market) in

(1829); the nearby Trafalgar Tavern (1837) is also his work. In

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

he designed the Post Office in Waterloo Place. His masterpiece was Pelham Crescent with the Church of St Mary-in-the-Castle in the centre, in

, Sussex (1824–1828), built for

Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester PC, PC (Ire), FRS (28 April 1756 – 4 July 1826), styled The Honourable Thomas Pelham from 1768 until 1783, The Right Honourable Thomas Pelham from 1783 to 1801, and then known as Lord Pelham until 1805, ...

; Colvin described it: :"The church is top-lit and has an Ionic prostyle portico, while beneath the terrace in front of the whole composition is an ingenious structure intended for shops and services." Other buildings by Kay in Hastings also survive, including the Cupola and Belmont House. He was also responsible for laying out the Thornhill Estate in Barnsbury, Islington from 1813 onwards.

Family

Kay and his wife had at least eight children (two boys and six girls). Their eldest son, William Porden Kay (1809–1897) also became an architect, emigrating to Australia in 1842 to become a Director of Public Works, and designing Hobart's

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

. The second son, Joseph Henry Kay (1815-1875), became a naval officer and one of Australia's first

geophysicists Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' so ...

, a foundation member of the

Royal Society of Tasmania The Royal Society of Tasmania (RST) was formed in 1843. It was the first Royal Society outside the United Kingdom, and its mission is the advancement of knowledge. The work of the Royal Society of Tasmania includes: * Promoting Tasmanian historic ...

and a fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

(elected on 26 February 1846 for his work on geomagnetism).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, Joseph (architect) 19th-century English architects 1775 births 1847 deaths