Joseph Pickford

Joseph Pickford (1734-1782) was an English architect, one of the leading provincial architects in the reign of George III.

Pickford's initial training was undertaken under the sculptor Joseph Pickford (his uncle), at his Hyde Park, London premises. The architect moved to Derby in circa 1759, where the house he designed for himself, Number 41 Friar Gate, is now the Pickford's House Museum and also a Grade I listed building.

Pickford worked extensively throughout the Midland counties of England, primarily designing town and country houses in the Palladian style. A significant number of his friends and clients were members of the influential Lunar Society, including the potter Josiah Wedgwood, the painter Joseph Wright of Derby, and the inventors Matthew Boulton and John Whitehurst.

Principal works

*St Helen's House, King Street, Derby, Derbyshire (1766-67) for John Gisbourne.
*Hams Hall, Coleshill, Warwickshire for CB Adderely (1768, now demolished).
*Etruria Hall, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire for Josiah Wedgwood (1768-70, now comprises part of a hotel).
*St Mary's Church, Birmingham, West Midlands (1773-4, now demolished).

ource

The principal published source for information on Pickford is Edward Saunders, "Joseph Pickford of Derby A Georgian Architect" (Alan Sutton, 1993)