Grand Hotel, King's Road, Brighton (IoE Code 482017)

John Whichcord, Jr. (11 November 1823 – 9 January 1885) was an English architect, who designed several office buildings in

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, also, the

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

in Brighton.

Life and work

He was born in

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

in 1823, the son of

John Whichcord Snr John Whichcord Sr. (1790–1860) was a British architect who worked in Maidstone, Kent and designed many public and institutional buildings in the town. Life Whichcord, the son of a surveyor, was born in Devizes, Wiltshire. He was articled t ...

, an architect who had designed several public buildings in Kent. John Jnr., after education at Maidstone and at

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King G ...

, became, in 1840, assistant to his father, and in 1844 a student at the Royal Academy, London. After a period of travel in Europe and the Middle East (1846–1850), and a tour in France, Germany, and Denmark (1850), he went into partnership (until 1858) with fellow architect Arthur Ashpitel. With Ashpitel he carried out additions (1852) to Lord Abergavenny's house in

Birling, Kent Birling is a village and civil parish in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England, about seven miles west of Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically impo ...

, and in 1858 built fourteen houses on the Mount Elliott estate at Lee in the same county (now in London). His subsequent work consisted largely of office premises 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 f ...

, such as 9

Mincing Lane Mincing Lane is a short one-way street in the City of London linking Fenchurch Street to Great Tower Street. In the late 19th century it was the world's leading centre for tea and spice trading. Etymology Its name is a corruption of Mynchen ...

, 24 Lombard Street and 8

Old Jewry Old Jewry is a one-way street in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. It is located within Coleman Street ward and links Poultry to Gresham Street. The street now contains mainly offices for financial companies. The ...

; and Mansion House Chambers, the New Zealand Bank and the National Safe Deposit (all three in

Queen Victoria Street, London Queen Victoria Street, named after the British monarch who reigned from 1837 to 1901, is a street in London which runs east by north from its junction with New Bridge Street and Victoria Embankment in the Castle Baynard ward of the City of Londo ...

), and Brown Janson & Co.'s bank, 32 Abchurch Lane. He designed the

in Brighton and the Clarence Hotel in Dover (the latter demolished in 1949 after sustaining bomb damage during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

), as well as St. Mary's Church and parsonage at

Shortlands Shortlands is a suburb of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It has been part of Greater London since 1965, and was previously part of the historic county of Kent. It is located between Beckenham and Bromley, to t ...

, near Bromley, Kent, where he also laid out the estate for building. One of Whichcord's best-known works was St Stephen's Club, Westminster (built 1874, demolished 1994), a classical building with boldly corbelled projections, facing Westminster bridge. He designed the internal fittings for the House of Parliament at

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa. Whichcord was often employed as arbitrator in government matters, and he was one of the surveyors to the railway department of the Board of Trade. From 1854, he held the post of district surveyor for

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

, and from 1879 to 1881, was president of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

, where he delivered various addresses and papers, and was largely instrumental in the establishment of the examination system. In 1865, Whichcord unsuccessfully contested the constituency of Barnstaple for the Conservatives. He became in 1869 captain in the 1st Middlesex Artillery Volunteers, for which he raised a battery mainly composed of young architects and lawyers. He was elected in 1848 a fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

. He died on 9 January 1885, and was buried at

Kensal Green cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

. He had married Marian Emma Thomas in 1860. His portrait was painted by

Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (; born Lourens Alma Tadema ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom becoming the last officially recognised denizen in 1873. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, ...

and exhibited at the Royal Academy, London in 1882.Henry James. ''The painter's eye: notes and essays on the pictorial arts'', p. 210. Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1989.

Publications

*
History and Antiquities of the Collegiate Church of All Saints, Maidstone with illustrations: together with observations on the polychromatic decoration of the middle ages
' (J. Weale, 1845). *Arthur Ashpitel, John Whichcord. ''An essay on the erection of fire-proof houses in flats'' (Weale, 1855). *Arthur Ashpitel, John Whichcord. ''Observations on baths and wash-houses, with an account of their history'' (Weale, 1852).

References

External links

John Whichcord
(

RIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

). {{DEFAULTSORT:Whichcord, John, Jr. 1823 births 1885 deaths Alumni of King's College London People from Maidstone 19th-century English architects Presidents of the Royal Institute of British Architects Architects from Kent Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London