John Giles was a British architect. He was born in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

, probably in 1830, and his family came from Branston near Lincoln. He was articled to the Lincoln architect Pearson Bellamy. He had moved to London by 1859 and with Pearson Bellamy entered a number competitions for major public buildings. Of these only one, for

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

Town, was successful. In London he was responsible for a number of major projects including the

Langham Hotel The Langham, London, is a 5-star hotel in London, England. It is situated in the district of Marylebone on Langham Place and faces up Portland Place towards Regent's Park. History The Langham was designed by John Giles and built by Luca ...

. He also started in 1869 on the design of hospitals with the Infirmary to Hampstead Union Workhouse. After a short period of partnership with Lewis Angel, when Stratford Town Hall was built and with Edward Biven, by 1873 he was in partnership with Albert Edward Gough. They were joined in the practice by J E Trollope and they became involved in the design of

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

housing in London's west end. Giles had business interests in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

and was noted in 1867 as being a Director of the Imperial Guardian Life Insurance Company.

Works

Giles initially worked with

Bellamy and Hardy Bellamy and Hardy was an architectural practice in Lincoln, England, that specialised particularly in the design of public buildings and non-conformist chapels. Pearson Bellamy had established his own architectural practice by 1845 and he ent ...

of Lincoln. In 1859 they submitted plans in a competition for the

Manchester Assize Courts The Manchester Assize Courts was a building housing law courts on Great Ducie Street in the Strangeways district of Manchester, England. It was tall and from 1864 to 1877 the tallest building in Manchester. Widely admired, it has been referred t ...

in Great Ducie St. Manchester, but the competition was won by Sir

Alfred Waterhouse Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905) was an English architect, particularly associated with Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known for his designs ...

with a notable building in the

Venetian Gothic Venetian Gothic is the particular form of Italian Gothic architecture typical of Venice, originating in local building requirements, with some influence from Byzantine architecture, and some from Islamic architecture, reflecting Venice's trading ...

style. Giles and Bellamy and Hardy's proposed building was in the Palazzo revival style. Then in 1861 they were successful in a competition to design

Grimsby Town Hall Grimsby Town Hall is a municipal building in Town Hall Square in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. The building, which is the meeting place of North East Lincolnshire Council, is a Grade II listed building. History The first town hall in Grimsby ...

. Giles' practice was first at 2 Verulam Buildings, London in 1864 and he was to move to 28 Craven Street, Charing Cross by 1868. A notable architect articled to Giles was

Charles Bell Sir Charles Bell (12 November 177428 April 1842) was a Scottish surgeon, anatomist, physiologist, neurologist, artist, and philosophical theologian. He is noted for discovering the difference between sensory nerves and motor nerves in the ...

who came from

Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...

in Lincolnshire. Following this Giles was working by himself and his most notable buildings were: *

Langham Hotel, London The Langham, London, is a 5-star hotel in London, England. It is situated in the district of Marylebone on Langham Place and faces up Portland Place towards Regent's Park. History The Langham was designed by John Giles and built by Luca ...

, built between 1863 and 1865 *Petersham Hotel, Petersham completed in 1865 *Torwood, Wimbledon Park, Surrey, a house illustrated in '' The Builder'' *

Hillfield House Hillfield House is a grade II listed house in Denmark Road, Gloucester, in England. The building, in the Italianate architecture, Italianate style popularised by Charles Barry, is faced in ashlar Bath stone, with a centrally placed tower and a ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

, a mansion faced in

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

Bath stone and built in 1867-69 for the timber merchant Charles Walker. It is in the Italianate style popularised by

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was an English architect best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsi ...

with a centrally placed tower and an impressive

porte-cochère A porte-cochère (; ; ; ) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which originally a ...

entrance. Pevsner describes it as the ''most elaborate Victorian house in Gloucester''. For some years, it housed local government offices. In 2014 it was sold for use as a residence and was extensively renovated. *

New End Hospital New End Hospital was a hospital in Hampstead, north London. It was founded in 1869 as the infirmary for the Hampstead Union workhouse, and operated until 1986. The buildings have now been redeveloped as housing. History New End Hospital was foun ...

Hampstead, founded in 1869 as the infirmary for the Hampstead Union workhouse, and operated until 1986. The site has been redeveloped but the converted Giles building on Upper Walk remains.

Giles and Angell

For a short time he worked with Lewis Angell, who was the District Surveyor for West Ham. They submitted a design for Stratford Town Hall (now known as Stratford Old Town Hall), beating thirty competing entries. The building was completed in 1869 and extended by Angell in 1881. The building is described as a ''confidently Victorian version of arched

Cinquecento The cultural and artistic events of Italy during the period 1500 to 1599 are collectively referred to as the Cinquecento (, ), from the Italian for the number 500, in turn from , which is Italian for the year 1500. Cinquecento encompasses the st ...

''with rusticated stone ground floor with square headed window openings beneath an upper storey of round arched windows, divided by

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

. ''Carried off with considerable panache'' with an asymmetrical 100 ft domed tower. The balustraded parapets are decorated with allegorical figures.

Giles and Biven

By 1866 Giles was in partnership with Edward Biven at 28 Craven Street, when they designed an Infirmary for the St. Pancras Guardians of the Poor. This building is now part of the Highgate Wing of the

Whittington Hospital Whittington Hospital is a district general hospital, district general and teaching hospital of UCL Medical School and Middlesex University School of Health and Social Sciences. Located in Archway, London, it is managed by Whittington Health NH ...

Giles and Gough

By 1873 Giles was in partnership with Albert Edward Gough (died 1908) at Craven Street. The partnership increasingly specialised in asylum, hospital and workhouse architecture. Work by them includes: *The extension wings to the Georgian

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

Cleveland Street, London Cleveland Street in central London runs north to south from Euston Road (A501 road, A501) to the junction of Mortimer Street and Goodge Street. It lies within Fitzrovia, in the W postcode area, W1 post code area. Cleveland Street also runs al ...

in 1873 * Cavendish College, Cambridge (now part of

Homerton College Homerton College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of English Dissenters, Protestant dissente ...

) in 1876–8. Homerton College, from London, moved into the buildings in 1894. Large, red-brick, Tudor, with asymmetrical Gothic tower, and Gothic Hall windows. *Fulham Workhouse Infirmary. In 1883 Giles and Gough erected a pavilion-plan infirmary at the north of the workhouse site facing onto St Dunstan's road. It was a military hospital in the First World War. Now demolished to make way for the

Charing Cross Hospital Charing Cross Hospital is district general hospital and teaching hospital located in Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approxim ...

. * Christ Church, Gipsy Hill, London *

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

Giles, Gough and Trollope

By 1888 Giles and Gough were joined by John Evelyn Trollope, an architect who had trained under Sir

Arthur William Blomfield Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...

. Trollope was to continue the practice at 28 Craven Street after Gough's death in 1908. Trollope died in 1912. The practice expanded considerably at this time, particular building hospitals and mental asylums. Also they built housing in London, in the Queen Anne revival style, normally in red brick and using

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

decorative panels. Much of this housing appears to have been designed by John Evelyn Trollope. Buildings by Giles, Gough and Trollope: *

Leicester General Hospital Leicester General Hospital (LGH) is a National Health Service hospital located in the suburb of Evington, about three miles east of Leicester City Centre, and is a part of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. It has approximately 430 beds ...

The 62-acre site between Crown Hills and Evington village was purchased for £6,920 in 1902, with construction of the hospital beginning on 2 April 1903. The building, designed by Giles, Gough and Trollope, was completed at a cost of £79,575. Main block with a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

revival central entrance, flanked by long separate wings. *

Hammersmith Hospital Hammersmith Hospital, formerly the Military Orthopaedic Hospital, and later the Special Surgical Hospital, is a major teaching hospital in White City, London, White City, West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the ...

. Du Cane Road. (1904), ''A handsome brick and stone building'' in Queen Anne style, four storeys with pedimented windows on the two lower storeys, canted corner bays and raised centre with an elegant clock turret.

Houses

*Aldford House, 63 South Audley Street, London W1 (1890) by J.E. Trollope of Giles, Gough & Trollope. *1-8 Carlos Place, London W1(c1897) by J.E. Trollope of Giles, Gough & Trollope. A four-story quadrant block of houses . . . in free English/Flemish Renaissance style, constructed in red brick, with lavish

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...

dressings with canted bay windows, balustraded parapets and gables, enlivened on alternate houses by bands of red terracotta Renaissance decorative ornament.

Giles and the building of asylums

Following Giles' innovative design for the Coney Hill Hospital in Gloucestershire, Giles became one of the most successful asylum architects, winning eight of the sixteen competitions he entered and coming second in four. Examples of work undertaken by his partnership are: * Coney Hill Hospital, Gloucester. Built as the second Gloucestereshire County Asylum. Giles and Gough won a competition to build this in 1879 and it was built in 1881–1883. It was the first asylum to be built in true echelon plan, but was never fully completed. Only the administrative block now survives. * St Augustine's Hospital, Chartham, Kent. The asylum was opened on 5 April 1875. The buildings were completed in 1876 at a total cost of £211,852. Originally built to house 870 patients. * St Edward's Hospital, Cheddeleton, Staffordshire. (Giles, Gough and Trollope) Opened 18 August 1899. Echelon layout. It closed in 2002 and has now been converted to housing. Tone Vale Hospital and clock tower

* Tone Vale Hospital, Cotford, Somerset. Tone Vale was founded as the second Somerset County Asylum in 1892, the first Somerset County Asylum near Wells having become overcrowded. The competition to design the asylum was won by Giles Gough and Trollope, and the first patient was admitted in May 1897. * Talgarth Hospital, Powys. The building, designed by Messrs Giles, Gough and Trollope of London, followed the compact echelon or arrow plan and was built at a cost of £126,000. It was opened with public ceremony on 18 March 1903.Save
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Gallery

Town Hall, Grimsby (geograph 2691275).jpg, Town Hall, Grimsby (1861-3) Petersham Hotel - geograph.org.uk - 974200.jpg, alt=Petersham Hotel, Petersham Hotel,

Petersham, London Petersham is a village in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the east of the bend in the River Thames south of Richmond, London, Richmond, which it shares with neighbouring Ham, London, Ham. It provides the foreground of the sce ...

(1865) The Cavendish Building, Cambridge (Homerton College) 2012.jpg, alt=Cavendish Building, Homerton College, Cambridge, Cavendish Building,

Homerton College, Cambridge Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the col ...

(1878)