- Joseph Hansom
Infobox Architect
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name =Joseph Aloysius Hansom
nationality =English
birth_date =26 October 1803
birth_place =York
death_date =29 June 1882
death_place =Fulham
alma_matter =
practice_name =
significant_buildings=Birmingham Town Hall, 1831
significant_projects =inventor of the Hansom Cab, 1834
significant_design =
awards =Joseph Aloysius Hansom (born
26 October ,1803 ; d.29 June 1882 ) was a prolific Englisharchitect working principally in theGothic Revival style, who invented theHansom cab and was one of the founders of the eminent architectural journal, "The Builder ", in 1843.Career
Hansom was born at 114
Micklegate ,York (now the Brigantes pub) to aRoman Catholic family and baptised as Josephus Aloysius Handsom(e). He was the brother of the architectCharles Francis Hansom and the uncle ofEdward J. Hansom . He was apprenticed to his father as a joiner, but showing an early aptitude for draughtsmanship and construction, he was permitted to transfer his apprenticeship to a local architect named Mr Philips.About 1825 he settled in
Halifax , Yorkshire, and in the same year he married Hannah Glover atSt. Michael le Belfrey in York. He took a post as assistant to John Oates and there befriendedEdward Welch , with whom he formed his first architectural partnership in 1828. Together they designed several churches in Yorkshire and Liverpool, and also worked on the renovation ofBodelwyddan Castle inDenbighshire . In 1831 their designs forBirmingham Town Hall were accepted; however, the contract led to their bankruptcy, as they had stood surety for the builders. The disaster led to the dissolution of the partnership and may have contributed to Hansom becoming a radical socialist.On
December 23 ,1834 he registered the design of a 'Patent Safety Cab' on the suggestion of his employer. Distinctive safety features included a suspended axle, while the larger wheels and lower position of the cab led to less wear and tear and fewer accidents. He went on to sell the patent to a company for £10,000; however, as a result of the purchaser's financial difficulties, the sum was never paid. The firstHansom Cab travelled downHinckley 's Coventry Road in 1835. The Hansom cab was improved by subsequent modifications and exported worldwide to become a ubiquitous feature of the 19th-century street scene.In 1843 Hansom founded a new architectural journal known as "The Builder", another venture which was to flourish through the century; renamed "
Building (magazine) " in 1966, it continues to this day. However, neither he nor his partner Alfred Bartholomew (1801-45) profited from the enterprise, because they were compelled to retire for lack of capital.Between 1854 and 1879 Hansom devoted himself to architecture, designing and erecting a great number of important buildings, private and public, including numerous churches, schools and convents for the Roman Catholic church. Buildings from his designs are to be found all over the United Kingdom, as well as in Australia and South America.
Hansom practised in a succession of architectural partnerships. From 1847 to 1852 he practised in
Preston ,Lancashire , working briefly in association withAugustus Welby Northmore Pugin towards the end of the latter's life. After the practice moved toLondon , he took his brother Charles Francis Hansom into partnership in 1854. But this partnership was dissolved in 1859 when Charles established an independent practice in Bath with his son Edward Joseph Hansom as clerk.In 1862 Joseph Hansom formed a partnership with
Edward Welby Pugin , which broke up acrimoniously in 1863. Finally (1869) he took his son Joseph Stanislaus Hansom into partnership.Hansom moved to manage an estate at
Caldecote Hall . He retired on 31 December 1879 and died at 399Fulham Road , London, on 29 June 1882.Surviving works
Hansom designed around 200 buildings, including St George's Catholic Church in York;
Mount St Mary's College , nearSheffield ;St Walburge's Church inPreston (with the tallest church spire in England); theChurch of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manchester (1871); and St Mary's Priory,Fulham Road (1876). The museum building inLeicester , formerly a Baptist chapel, is in Hansom's Classical style.Sources
*Johnson, Michael A., 'The architecture of Dunn & Hansom' (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: University of Northumbria, MA Dissertation, 2003)
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