- Lucas Brothers, Builders
Lucas Brothers was a leading British
building business based inLondon .Early history
The business was founded by Charles Thomas Lucas (1820-1895) and Thomas Lucas (1822-1902). They were the sons of James Lucas (1792-1865), a builder, of
St Pancras , London who started work on the Liverpool Street to Norwich railway, working for SirSamuel Morton Peto and progressed to rebuilding his house,Somerleyton as well as hisLowestoft premises, including the railway, the station, the Esplanade, St John’s church and several hotels.At their works in
Lowestoft the brothers pre-fabricated huts for the navvies who built the Crimea railway. Their centre of operations then moved toLondon where they built various public buildings.Building contracts
Perhaps their most famous building contract was the
Royal Albert Hall although as well as that they built Covent Garden Opera House and the Floral Hall,King's College Hospital ,Charterhouse School , The Junior Carlton Club, TheAlexandra Palace , The Star and Garter Home at Richmond,Woolwich Arsenal and Colchester Army camp as well as work at Aldershot and Shorncliffe. Private houses includedCliveden , Henham, Rendlesham and Normanhurst and the South Kensington Exhibitions of 1867 and 1871 with Sir John Kelk.Collaboration with Sir John Aird
In the
1860 's the brothers collaborated withJohn Aird & Co. and formed acivil engineering business known as "Lucas & Aird".About the founders
Charles Thomas Lucas married Charlotte Tiffin and had five sons and two daughters. He lived in London and then at Warnham in Sussex. He was created a Baronet in 1887.
Thomas married first Jane Golder and had a daughter and then after her death, married secondly Mary Amelia Chamberlin, daughter of Robert Chamberlin of Norwich and had six sons and four daughters. He lived in London, Ascot and briefly at Ashtead in Surrey.
Demise of the business
In
1895 following the death of Sir Charles Thomas Lucas the business was dissolved.References
*The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
*Burke's Peerage
*The Civil Engineer
*"The Master Builders" by Robert Middlemas,
*"Sir Samuel Morton Peto" by Rev Dr Edward C Brooks.
*"Deptford, Toronto and Kingston" by Peter Stirling-Aird
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