So Who Was Isaac Charles Gilbert?

  

An A-Z of Architects of Loughborough

For a complete list of the A-Z posts please head over to the bloglist.

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Oh dear, here I am, cheating again, and using a forename rather than a surname! Hopefully, you will forgive me when you read this interesting story!

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Short biography of Isaac Charles Gilbert

Isaac Charles Gilbert was born in Hull in 1822, to the Reverend Joseph Gilbert, a Congregational Minister, and his second wife, Ann, née Taylor. Joseph’s first wife, Sarah Chapman whom he had married in 1805 died in 1812, and he had married Ann in 1813 in Ongar, Essex. after their marriage, the newly-wed couple had moved to Rotherham, before moving to Hull by the time of the birth of their third child, Joseph Henry, in 1817. Apparently, when Joseph Henry was born, Ann had wanted to name him Isaac after Ann’s brother and father, but this was not to be. Between the birth of Joseph and the baby eventually called Isaac - the focus of this article - came another daughter, Jane Jeffreys, followed by our Isaac.

Life at Hull proved busy and taxing for father, Joseph, and the family moved to Nottingham for a somewhat quieter life! By the time the 1841 census was taken, Isaac was aged 15, and working as an architect’s clerk in Lendal, York. It is likely that the architect he was working for was James Pigott Pritchett, who in 1841 was aged about 50, and had moved to York in around 1813, but also had an architectural practice in London. Pritchett’s oldest son (born somewhere around 1815) was a congregational minister, and another two sons were also architects, as was one of his nephews.

On 7 January 1851, Isaac, aged about 29, married Annie Gee, aged about 22, in the parish church of St Nicholas, Nottingham. Isaac was living at St James Street, Nottingham and was an architect, while Ann was living on Granby Street, Nottingham. The couple made their home at 13 Clinton Street, Nottingham, and Isaac was listed on the census return as an architect and surveyor. Daughter Annie Louise was born the following year, and in 1856, the family welcomed baby Jane Taylor. In 1861 they continued to live on Clinton Street, and four more children came along.

By the time of the 1871 census, the family had moved to Arthur Street in Nottingham, where Isaac was listed as a 49-year-old architect, his wife, Annie was 42, and five children were still living with them, along with two servants. When the 1881 census was taken, Isaac was visiting his brother, Joseph Henry, and his second wife, Maria, in Harpenden. Joseph was a noteworthy chemist, focussing on improving agriculture, and he was awarded a knighthood for his services, in 1893. Isaac’s wife Annie had taken up teaching, and stayed behind at the family home at 6 Arthur Street, Nottingham, with daughters Annie Louise and Alice who were assistant teachers, Madeline who was a governess, and Isabel who was a scholar.

On 4 March 1885, Isaac Charles Gilbert, gentleman of 6 Arthur Street, Nottingham, died. His will was proved on 22 May 1885, and his personal estate was valued at £1,565 0s. 7d. His widow, Anne continued to run her successful school at the Arthur Street house until her own death on 27 May 1908. Her effects amounted to £2,248 8s. 3d.. Her obituary suggested she was responsible for the education of many of those of whom the city of Nottingham had reason to be proud.

I have been unable to trace many buildings that were designed by Isaac, but those I have found seem to be centred around Nottinghamshire, with a few at Ongar, which was where his mother was from.

His work in Loughborough was the Girls’ High School, designed in collaboration with Sidney Stevenson, the building being constructed by Clipsham, who was based just outside Newark. This is how the building was described in the Leicester Daily Mercury of October 1879, at the official opening of the building:

“The building cannot be assigned to any particular style of architecture, as it is made up of a variety of styles, chiefly of ancient date, the Elizabethan being particularly noticeable, and altogether presents a heavy appearance from the exterior. The school is built of red bricks pointed with black mortar, and relieved with white stone dressings. There are two front entrances, reached by four steps each, one being the entrance to the schools, and the other the private entrance to the mistress's house. The roof is of ancient Gothic build, high, and covered with small Broseley tiles.

Internally the schools are all that can be desired, the latest improvements having been brought into use in every department. At the north end is a large schoolroom, 44ft. by 22ft., and 13ft. high; a well-lighted and lofty room, excellently adapted for the purpose which it is intended to fulfil. This and all the rooms are ventilated by means of Tobin's system of ventilation, and heated chiefly by means of stoves. The woodwork throughout is of pitch pine varnished.

There are two corridors on the ground floor, and on the right of the large one, leading to the south, are three classrooms, each 18ft. by 14ft. and the same height as the schoolroom. At the end of these is the dining room, which is 32ft. 6in. long by 18ft. wide. On this floor are lavatories, cloak rooms, water closets, and other conveniences.

The mistress's house occupies the south end of the building, and is a very convenient and excellently fitted residence. The upper rooms are reached by means of a staircase leading from the south end of the large corridor, and here the dormitories are particularly noticeable. They are seventeen in number, the majority of them being 17ft. by 10ft., and 13ft. high, but two are larger. Each cubicle is fitted with gas, water, and lavatory basin, and all are heated by gas fires. These are fitted up with the most recent inventions, and are certainly a very commendable feature, the arrangements for ventilation and comfort being equal to any similar establishment in the country. A bathroom is built at each end of the dormitories on the left side, and the baths are supplied with water by the patent Geyser gas system, a recent invention which, though not yet much in use, is sure to become highly popular. At the extreme north end of the upper floor is a large room adapted for a cloak room, while water closets are placed at each end of the dormitories.

Another useful feature is a building in the south end of the school yard, some distance from the mistress's house, which will answer the double purpose of a laundry and a sick room. It will be used as a laundry except in case of an outbreak of any contagious sickness among the boarders, when it will be utilised for isolating the patients. There is also a large plot of ground at the back of the building which will be adapted as a recreation ground. The entrance to the schools will be from Victoria-street, through the end of the New-walk [now known as Burton Walks], where a great improvement has been effected. The plans for the building were prepared by Messrs. Gilbert and Stevenson architects, of Nottingham, and the schools erected at a cost of £4,300 by Mr. Clipsham, builder, of Norwell ... As a whole the new schools are a credit to the town, and capitally suited for the purpose for which they are erected.”

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What follows is a selection of buildings designed by Isaac Charles Gilbert

Note: this is a selective, not a comprehensive listing.

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Sole Designs

*Corn Exchange, Worksop (1851)

*Ongar Congregation Chapel Sunday School (1865)

*College, on College Street, Nottingham (1846)

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Joint Designs

*Loughborough Girls’ High School (1878) with Sidney Stevenson

*Cemetery Chapels at Ongar (1866) with Watson Fothergill

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Basic facts

Architect – Isaac Charles Gilbert

Parents: Joseph Gilbert, an independent minister, and Ann Taylor, known for hymn writing

Date and place of Birth: c.1822, Hull

Siblings: Josiah (b.1814), Anne Taylor (b.1816), Joseph Henry Gilbert (later Sir) (b.1817), Edward William (b.1818, d.1827), Jane Jeffreys (b.1820), Caroline (b.1823), and James Montgomery (b.1825)

Spouse: Annie Gee (m.1851, St Nicholas, Nottingham)

Children: Ann Louise (b.1852) Jane Taylor (b.1856), Alice May (b.1863), Magdaline (b.1864), Charles Humphreys (b.1866), Isabel (b.1868)

Death: 4 March 1885, Nottingham

Places lived: Hull; Nottingham; York; 13 Clinton Street, Nottingham; 6 Arthur Street, Nottingham

Place of work/Offices: Not known

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I’m taking part in the April A-Z Blogging Challenge!

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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