Edward Cresy FSA (7 May 1792 – 12 November 1858) was an English architect and civil engineer.

Life

Cresy was born at

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, and was educated at Rawes's academy at

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

in the same county. He became a pupil of James T. Parkinson, architect, of Ely Place, who, in addition to a moderate private practice, was entrusted at that time with the laying out of the Portman estate. After the termination of his articles, with the object of perfecting himself in the financial branches of his profession, he served two years with George Smith of Mercers' Hall, and in 1816, accompanied by his friend and colleague

George Ledwell Taylor George Ledwell Taylor (31 March 1788 – 1 May 1873) was an architect and landowner who lived in London. Life Taylor was born on 31 March 1788 and educated at Rawes's academy, Bromley. He became a pupil of the architect James Burton (proper ...

, he undertook a walking tour through England for the purpose of studying, measuring, and drawing the cathedrals and most interesting buildings. The next three years found Cresy and Taylor engaged in similar pursuits on the continent; chiefly on foot, they journeyed through

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, to

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

and

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, and back again by

and

home. The chief aim of their studies was to present the dimensions of each building in English measurements, and the foliage and ornaments one quarter of the real size. Having returned to England the two friends published ''The Architectural Antiquities of Rome, measured and delineated by G. L. Taylor and E. Cresy'', (2 vols. fol., London, 1821–22; new edition, including the more recent discoveries dited by A. Taylor fol., London, 1874); and a few years later ''Architecture of the Middle Ages in Italy illustrated by views … of the Cathedral, &c. of Pisa'' (fol., London, 1829). A third work on the architecture of the Renaissance was to have followed, but after the publication of two parts, was abandoned from want of encouragement. Cresy hastily accepted an engagement in Paris, where he designed the Square d'Orléans, which although successful interfered with his professional prospects at home. His practice was almost exclusively private, as he considered the system of open competition to be injurious to art. In his capacity of a superintending inspector under the general board of health Cresy did good work in a branch of engineering then all but unknown, and gave evidence before the Health of Towns and Metropolitan Sanitary Commission. He became a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1820, and was also a member of the

British Archaeological Association The British Archaeological Association (BAA) was founded in 1843 and aims to inspire, support and disseminate high quality research in the fields of Western archaeology, art and architecture, primarily of the mediaeval period, through lectures, co ...

Publications

Cresy furnished materials for the ''Appendix to Report on Drainage of Potteries'', 1849, &c., and wrote the ''Report as to the Fall of the Extension of the Main Sewer from the Ravensbourne to the Outlet'', 1855, both of which were embodied in the reports of the Metropolitan Commission of Sewers. Among his other works are: *''A Practical Treatise on Bridge Building'' (fol., London, 1839). *''Illustrations of Stone Church, Kent, with an historical account'', published for the

London Topographical Society The London Topographical Society was founded as the Topographical Society of London in 1880 to publish "material illustrating the history and topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of ...

)London, 18400. *''An Encyclopædia of Civil Engineering'' (8vo, London, 1847; 2nd ed. 8vo, London, 1856). *(With Cuthbert William Johnson) ''On the Cottages of Agricultural Labourers'' (London 847.

Death

Cresy died at South Darenth, Kent, on 12 November 1858 (Gent. Mag. 1858, v. 654).

Family

By his marriage, on 17 March 1824, to Eliza, daughter of W. Taylor of Ludgate Street (ib. xciv. pt. i. p. 367), he left two sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Edward, followed his father's profession, and became principal assistant clerk at the Metropolitan Board of Works, and architect to the fire brigade. He died at Alleyn Road, Dulwich, on 13 October 1870, in his 47th year (Times, 14 October 1870; obituary). Mrs. Cresy is known by her translation, ''with Notes and Additional Lives'', of Milizia's ''Memorie degli Architetti antichi e moderni'', 2 vols. 8vo, London, 1826.

References

* This article incorporates text from See also: * Gordon Goodwin, ‘Cresy, Edward (1792–1858)’, rev. Diana Cressy Burfield, first published 2004, 730 words. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cresy, Edward 1792 births 1858 deaths Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London 19th-century English architects 19th-century English engineers Architects from Kent