Kenton Couse (1 March 1721 – 10 October 1790) 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 ...
. He was apprenticed to
Henry Flitcroft whose patronage obtained him posts in the
Office of Works
The Office of Works was established in the English royal household in 1378 to oversee the building and maintenance of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it became the Works Department forces within the Office of Woods, Forests, Land Reven ...
. Couse subsequently became Secretary to the Board of Works from 1775 to 1782. His most famous work as an architect was a remodelling of
10 Downing Street from 1766 to 1775.
Biography
Couse was born on 1 March 1721, the eldest son and only surviving child of Josias Couse (1693?–1755), a
goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...
and
linen draper of
Cheapside
Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, which forms part of the A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St. Martin's Le Grand with Poultry. Near its eastern end at Bank junction, where ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, and his wife, Margaret (1698–?), daughter of Alexander Kenton, master mariner.
In 1756, politician
Charles Townshend ordered Couse to renovate the door of 10 Downing Street, resulting in an unassuming and narrow
Georgian style
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Geor ...
doorway, consisting of a single white stone step leading to a modest brick front. It was probably not completed until 1772. Additionally he was co-designer of the
Richmond Bridge, surveyor of
Chertsey Bridge in
Surrey, designer of the since demolished
Normanton Hall in
Rutland, and the architect of
Holy Trinity Church, Clapham, which was consecrated in 1776.
References
*
H.M. Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840'' (1997)
1721 births
1790 deaths
18th-century English architects
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