Joseph Pickford
Joseph Pickford (bap. 1734–1782)[1] was an English architect, one of the leading provincial architects in the reign of George III.
Biography
Pickford was born in Warwickshire in 1736 but he moved as child to London when his father died. Pickford's initial training was undertaken under the stone mason and sculptor Joseph Pickford (his uncle), at his Hyde Park, London premises. Pickford worked with his uncle for about ten years, training first as a mason and then as an architect.[2] Pickford at one time had offices in both London and Derby. The architect moved to Derby in circa 1760, where he was the agent of Foremarke Hall architect David Hiorne of Warwick.[2] He married the Mary, the daughter of Thomas Wilkins, the principal agent of Wenman Coke of Longford Hall, Derbyshire,[2] which Pickford altered around 1762. The house he designed for himself, Number 41 Friar Gate, is now the Pickford's House Museum and also a Grade I listed building. However from April 2006 the building was only available to pre arranged groups.[3]
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).
Gallery of architectural work
-
St. Helen's House -
Mill, Chatsworth, Derbyshire -
Etruria Hall -
Pickford's House, Derby
References
- ^ "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ a b c Saunders, Edward (1984). "The Villas and Town Houses of Joseph Pickford of Derby (1736-82)". Architectural History. 27 (Design and Practice in British Architecture: Studies in Architectural History Presented to Howard Colvin). SAHGB Publications Limited: 308–319. JSTOR 1568473.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Protesters opposing museum cuts , BBC, 21 January 2006, accessed February 2011
Source
The principal published source for information on Pickford is Edward Saunders, Joseph Pickford of Derby A Georgian Architect (Alan Sutton, 1993)