Joseph Pickford um 1770 - Portrait von Joseph Wright of Derby

Joseph Pickford (bap. 1734–1782) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

, one of the leading provincial architects in the reign of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

Biography

Pickford was born in Warwickshire in 1734 but he moved as child to London when his father died. Pickford's initial training was undertaken under the stonemason and sculptor Joseph Pickford (his uncle), at his

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Pa ...

premises. Pickford worked with his uncle for about ten years, training first as a mason and then as an architect. Pickford at one time had offices in both London and Derby. The architect moved to

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

in circa 1760, where he was the agent of

Foremarke Hall Foremarke Hall is a Georgian-Palladian country house and manor house. Completed in 1762, the Hall is located at the manor (hamlet) of Foremark, near the hamlets of Ingleby, Ticknall, Milton, and the village of Repton in South Derbyshire, Engla ...

architect David Hiorne of Warwick. He was married to Mary, daughter of Thomas Wilkins who was the principal agent of Wenman Coke of Longford Hall, Derbyshire which Pickford altered around 1762. The house he designed for himself, Number 41 Friar Gate, is now the

Pickford's House Museum Pickford's House Museum of Georgian Life and Costume is in Derby, England. It is named after architect Joseph Pickford, who built it as his family home in 1770. It was opened as a museum in 1988. The building is Grade I listed. History Pickford ...

and also a Grade I

listed building 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 ...

. Pickford worked extensively throughout the Midland counties of England, primarily designing town and country houses in the

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

style. A significant number of his friends and clients were members of the influential

Lunar Society The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a British dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 ...

, including the potter

Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the indust ...

, the painter

Joseph Wright of Derby Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution". Wr ...

, and the inventors

Matthew Boulton Matthew Boulton (; 3 September 172817 August 1809) was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century, the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engine ...

and

John Whitehurst John Whitehurst FRS (10 April 1713 – 18 February 1788), born in Cheshire, England, was a clockmaker and scientist, and made significant early contributions to geology. He was an influential member of the Lunar Society. Life and work Whit ...

. In early 2013 Derby City Council and Derby Civic Society announced they would erect a

Blue Plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

as a memorial on Pickford's House in Derby.''Derby Evening Telegraph'', 12 Feb 2013, "List Of Derbeians To Be Honoured"
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Principal works

* St Helen's House, King Street, Derby, Derbyshire (1766–67) for John Gisbourne. *Hams Hall, Coleshill, Warwickshire for CB Adderely (1768, now demolished). *

Etruria Hall Etruria Hall in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England is a Grade II listed house and former home of the potter Josiah Wedgwood. It was built between 1768–1771 by Joseph Pickford. The hall was sold by the Wedgwoods in the 19th century an ...

, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire for Josiah Wedgwood (1768–70, now comprises part of a hotel). * St Mary's Church, Whittall Street, Birmingham (1773-4, demolished 1920s).

Gallery of architectural work

File:Sthelensh1.jpg, St. Helen's House File:Out House in Chatsworth Estate - geograph.org.uk - 11642.jpg, Mill, Chatsworth, Derbyshire File:Etruria Hall.jpg, Etruria Hall File:Pickford expo.jpg, Pickford's House, Derby File:St Mary's Church, Gun Quarter, Birmingham.jpg, St Mary's Church, Whittall Street, Birmingham

References

Sources

The principal published source for information on Pickford is Edward Saunders, ''Joseph Pickford of Derby A Georgian Architect'' (Alan Sutton, 1993)

External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickford, Joseph 1734 births 1782 deaths 18th-century English architects British neoclassical architects People associated with Derby Museum and Art Gallery