John Henry Brett
John Henry Brett | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1835[1] |
| Died | 1920[1] |
| Nationality | British / Irish (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) |
| Other names | John H. Brett |
| Occupation(s) | Surveyor, Architect, Builder |
| Known for | County surveyor, architect, builder |
John H. Brett (1835–1920) was an Irish architect, builder, and county surveyor for counties Limerick (Western Division), Kildare and Antrim, active in late-nineteenth to early twentieth-century Ireland.[2] He was notable in being a prolific designer of utilitarian structures as a county surveyor, with many practical schemes proposed. His designs, however, were often flamboyant in practicing a Ruskinian Gothic blend of Victoian Italianate and Venetian Renaissance styles, heavily influenced by the writer John Ruskin (1819–1900).[1]
Career[edit]
Brett's first employment was for William Dargan on the railways, then he was appointed county surveyor for the western division of County Limerick (1863), County Kildare (1869), County Antrim (1885).[2] During the late 1860s, he also practiced with his father as Henry Brett & Son, which was joined by his brother Charles Henry Brett and they continued the business after their father's death in 1882 as John H. & H.C. Brett.[2] He was elected a member of the Architectural Association in Ireland November 1872, ICEI in 1874, and Association of Municipal and County Engineers in 1891.[2] Brett retired February 1914 and was made a JP for County Antrim.[2][3]
Personal life[edit]
He was born 1835 in Tobercurry, County Sligo, the son of builder Henry Brett and was the brother of Charles Henry Brett.[2] He was educated at Waterford Academy.[2] Brett married Mary Josephine Brady around 1876 in Dublin and have a daughter and five sons.[2] His last address was at 3 Alexandra Gardens, Fortwilliam Park, Belfast.[2]
Works[edit]
- County Kildare Court House, Naas, County Kildare, Main Street South (1871-1873 for repairs & improvements; 1876 for addition of record court)[2]
- Sewerage, Naas, County Kildare (1875–1879) Proposal (rejected on grounds of cost)[2]
- County Wicklow Court House, Wicklow, County Wicklow (1876 for repairs and addition of new record court, estimated cost: £1,800.[2]
- Military Barracks, Newbridge, County Kildare, Main Street (1879 for sewerage scheme)[2]
- Mercer's Hospital, Mercer Street, Dublin (1880-1888 for competition-winning design of a new wing, containing offices, 3 new wards, lecture theatre, and accommodation for doctors, students and nurses. With W. M. Mitchell.)[2]
- FBD Insurance (former National Bank of Ireland branch bank), 1 Great George's Street / Sargent's Lane, Waterford, County Waterford (1887)[1]
- Sewerage scheme in Ballymena-Cullybackey, County Antrim (1901)[2]
- Weir, Toomebridge, County Antrim (1910 repair with C. L. Boddie)[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Jane Fenlon and Hugh Maguire (writers), An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Waterford, Revised Edition, (Dublin: Wordwell Press / Government of Ireland, Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government, National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, 2010). p.70-71.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p See Brendan O'Donoghue, The Irish County Surveyors 1834-1944 (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2007), p.115-117. Cited in Irish Architectural Archive, Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720-1940.John Henry Brett(Accessed 12 April 2011)
- ^ R.M. Young, Belfast and the Province of Ulster in the 20th Century (1909), p. 594