George William Potter (1831 – 14 April 1919) was a builder,

estate agent An estate agent is a person or business in the United Kingdom that arranges the selling, renting, or managing of real estate, properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a Letting agent, letting or manag ...

and

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

in Hampstead, London, whose firm contributed to the modern development of Hampstead and Hampstead Garden Suburb. As a builder, he constructed the houses in Gayton Crescent and Gayton Road. Late in life he wrote two books of recollections of the history of Hampstead.

Early life and family

George Potter was born in

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a Ford (crossing), ford on ...

in 1831 to George Potter, a carpenter, and his wife Rebecca. He married Elizabeth and they had daughters Edith, Elizabeth, Frances and Helen, and sons Herbert, William, and

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

(Frank). Francis went on to become a fellow 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 suppl ...

. Herbert worked as a "Surveyors Auctioneer", probably in the family firm. In 1881, the family were living at 27 Gayton Road, Hampstead. In 1891 they were living at

Gardnor House Gardnor House is a house in Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden at the junction of Flask Walk and Gardnor Road. It has been listed Grade II* on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) since August 1950. It was built for Thomas Gardn ...

, built by Thomas Gardnor around 1736. In 1901 they were at 4 Gayton Crescent.1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription.
Retrieved 15 February 2016.

Career

Census returns show Potter as a builder and later an estate agent and surveyor. From 1871 he was responsible for building the houses in Gayton Road and Gayton Crescent, Hampstead, where he also lived, on land belonging to the Norfolk barrister

George Nathan Best George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Giorg ...

. In 1909, the firm of Potter were described as having "carried on business as Land and Estate Agents in Hampstead for upwards of 50 years" in a book published to promote the

Hampstead Garden Suburb Hampstead Garden Suburb is a suburb of London, north of Hampstead, west of Highgate and east of Golders Green. It is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations. It is an example of early twentieth-century ...

which was then under construction. Unwin, Raymond & M.H. Baillie Scott (1909
''Town planning and modern architecture at the Hampstead Garden Suburb''.
London: T. Fisher Unwin. p. 95. Frank Potter created designs for houses in the garden suburb.

Local history

Potter was a trustee of the Wells and Camden Charity and a member of the

Hampstead Antiquarian and Historical Society The Hampstead Antiquarian and Historical Society was a local history society devoted to the history of Hampstead, London. Founded in 1897, the society first met at Hampstead Town Hall. The group was active until at least 1940 and published a jour ...

. His book on Hampstead wells was described by ''

The Antiquary ''The Antiquary'' (1816), the third of the Waverley novels by Walter Scott, centres on the character of an antiquary: an amateur historian, archaeologist and collector of items of dubious antiquity. He is the eponymous character and for all prac ...

'' as of "considerable original value" as he had drawn it up not from the usual anecdotal sources, but from personal recollection and researches into leases and the pleadings in lawsuits. It included 13 illustrations from sketches done by the author.

Death

Potter died at Stowe March, Barnet Lane,

Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, which follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...

, on 14 April 1919. He was buried in Elstree and left an estate of £19,205.1920 Probate Calendar.
Gov.uk Retrieved 17 February 2016.

Selected publications

*''Justice, Murdered, Rises from the Dead'', 1918 *''Hampstead wells: A short history of their rise and decline''. George Bell & Sons, London, 1904. *''Random recollections of Hampstead''.

Eyre & Spottiswoode Eyre & Spottiswoode was the London-based printing firm established in 1739 that was the King's Printer, and subsequently, a publisher prior to being incorporated; it once went by the name of Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & co. ltd. In April 1929, it ...

, London, 1907.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, George William British estate agents (people) British surveyors Historians of London Hampstead 1831 births 1919 deaths People from Hampstead People from Hertford People from Elstree 19th-century British businesspeople