George Smith (28 September 1782 – 5 January 1869) 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 ...

and surveyor of the early 19th century, with strong connections with central and south-east

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Life and work

Smith was born on 28 September 1783 at

Aldenham Aldenham is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, north-east of Watford and southwest of Radlett. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is one of Hertsmere's 14 conservation areas. The village has eight pre-19th-century listed build ...

in Hertfordshire. He was articled to Robert Furze Brettingham, and later worked for

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806. Early life W ...

Daniel Asher Alexander Daniel Asher Alexander (6 May 1768 – 2 March 1846) was an English architect and engineer. Life Daniel Asher Alexander was born in Southwark, London and educated at St Paul's School, London. He was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools i ...

, and then

Charles Beazley Charles Nightingale Beazley (1834–97), was a British architect. His work spans the period 1853–97. Career Beazley was articled to William Wardell in 1853 and was an RIBA student 1854–56. In 1856–58 he was an assistant to G.E. Street, w ...

, before eventually setting up in practice on his own account in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. He was appointed District Surveyor of the southern division of the City in 1810, and was elected Surveyor to the

Mercers' Company The Worshipful Company of Mercers is the premier Livery Company of the City of London and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. It is the first of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies. Although of even older origin, the c ...

in 1814, holding both appointments until his death. He also held the post of Surveyor to the Coopers' Company, and later served as their master. His works included St Paul's School, then sited at the east end of St Paul's Churchyard (replacing a building demolished in 1824), and

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ove ...

in Basinghall Street (opened in 1843). For the Mercers' Company he built the Whittington Almshouses (1822) at

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

, in a Gothic style:

John Summerson Sir John Newenham Summerson (25 November 1904 – 10 November 1992) was one of the leading British architectural historians of the 20th century. Early life John Summerson was born at Barnstead, Coniscliffe Road, Darlington. His grandfather wo ...

noted that the company had sufficient wealth at its disposal to afford "a great many crockets". On the previous site of the almhouses, in College Hill, in the City, he built the

Mercers' School The Mercers' School was an independent school in the City of London, England, with a history going back at least to 1542, and perhaps much further. It was operated by the Worshipful Company of Mercers and was closed in 1959. History After the diss ...

. At the Royal Exchange he replaced the wooden tower and entrance with a stone one. In collaboration with A.B. Clayton he built the New Corn Exchange in Mark Lane (1827), with a Doric colonnade, echoing that of George Dance's neighbouring exchange of 1749-50. At

Hornsey Hornsey is a district of north London, England in the London Borough of Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner Lo ...

in 1832-3 he replaced the body of the church with a white brick Gothic structure, leaving only the medieval tower standing. His Gothic church of St Michael and All Angels at Blackheath Park (1828-9) on the Cator estate was built in white brick with stone facings, and has what the ''

Buildings of England The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of Great Britain and Ireland. Begun in the 1940s by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the original Buildings of England series were published b ...

'' guide describes as "a fanciful thin east spire", sometimes called "the Needle of Kent". A house called "Brooklands" (1825), designed for himself survives nearby. For the Cator family, Smith also rebuilt

Woodbastwick Hall Woodbastwick Hall is a country house at Woodbastwick in Norfolk. History The house dates back to circa 1600. In 1807 the house and estates were acquired for £76,000 from the trustees of Thomas Allday Kerrison by John Barwell Cator (nephew of Joh ...

in Norfolk, following its damage by fire in 1819. Smith later built later another house for himself, called "Newlands", at Copthorne, in Sussex. He was also surveyor to the South East Rail Company and

Morden College Morden College is a long-standing charity which has been providing residential care in Blackheath, south-east London, England for over 300 years. It was founded by philanthropist Sir John Morden in 1695 as a home for 'poor Merchants... and su ...

and his other works included: * "Bellefield" (No. 26 Blackheath Park / 3 Foxes Dale, London SE3) * Greenwich railway station (1840) * Blackheath railway station (1849) * Housing estate centred on Pelton Road and Christchurch Way, east

Greenwich, London 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 Gree ...

Works in his native Hertfordshire include the church of St. Peter,

London Colney London Colney () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. It is located to the north of London, close to Junction 22 of the M25 motorway. It is near St Albans and part of the City and District of St Al ...

, a very early example of the Norman revival style (1825) and the neoclassical

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

at St Albans (1829), with a giant portico of four Ionic columns. He was a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, of which he was elected a Fellow in 1834, a member of the Surveyors' Club from 1807, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1801 and 1829.

Notes

References

''Dictionary of Scottish Architects''
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, George 1782 births 1869 deaths 19th-century English architects People from Aldenham Architects from London