Sir James Allanson Picton (2 December 1805 – 15 July 1889) was an English
antiquary
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifacts, archaeological and historic si ...
and architect who played a large part in the public life of
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. He took a particular interest in the establishment of
public libraries
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.
There are five fundamen ...
.
James Picton was born in Liverpool to William Picton, a joiner and timber merchant, and entered his father's business at the age of 13. He later joined the office of Daniel Stewart, an architect and surveyor, eventually taking over the business. Picton designed some important buildings in Liverpool, including the
corn exchange and Richmond Buildings, an office block, now demolished.
[C. W. Sutton, ‘Picton, Sir James Allanson (1805–1889)’, '']Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...
, 200
accessed 11 January 2009
He became a member of the town council in 1849, and in 1851 a member (and later chairman) of the
Wavertree
Wavertree is a district of Liverpool, England. It is a ward of Liverpool City Council, and its population at the 2011 census was 14,772. Located to the south and east of the city centre, it is bordered by various districts and suburbs such as ...
local board. He started to campaign for a public library for the borough and in 1852 an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliame ...
was obtained to allow the raising of a penny rate for a public library and museum.
William Brown provided the buildings for the library and museum in 1860. In 1879 the corporation added to the library a reading room which was called the
Picton Reading Room, modelled on the
British Museum Reading Room
The British Museum Reading Room, situated in the centre of the Great Court of the British Museum, used to be the main reading room of the British Library. In 1997, this function moved to the new British Library building at St Pancras, London, ...
. Picton was the first chairman of the library and museum committee, which was founded in 1851, and he remained in this position until his death.
[
Picton married Sarah Pooley. Their son also ]James Allanson Picton
James Allanson Picton (8 August 1832 – 4 February 1910) was a British independent minister, author, philosopher and Liberal politician. Picton promoted a philosophy known as Christian pantheism.
Life
Picton was born at Liverpool, the eldes ...
eschewed his father's architectural practice and was eventually elected as MP for Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
.
Architectural works
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Picton, James
1805 births
1889 deaths
19th-century English architects
Politicians from Liverpool
Architects from Liverpool