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Basic Biographical Details
| Name: | Hubert James Austin |
| Designation: | Architect |
| Born: | 13 March 1841 |
| Died: | 22 March 1915 |
| Bio Notes: | Hubert James Austin was born on 13 March 1841 at Redmarshill, County Durham, the son of the Rev Thomas Austin whose church there had been restored by the Lancaster architect-historian Edmund Sharpe. Hubert was educated at Richmond Grammar School and articled in 1860 to his elder half-brother, Thomas (Tom) Austin of Newcastle, a pupil of Sharpe best known for his sensitive restoration of the priory church at Brinkburn. On completion of his articles Hubert joined the staff of Sir George Gilbert Scott in London where he remained until 1867 when he was taken into partnership by Edward Graham Paley, the connection being through Sharpe, with whom Paley had worked in partnership between 1845 and 1951 and whose much younger sister Frances had married Paley. Austin won the Pugin studentship in 1866, and married Sharpe's niece. In 1871 Paley was admitted FRIBA, his proposers being Professor T Roger Smith and his partner Charles Foster Hayward of London and Thomas Worthington of Manchester. Austin did not seek membership. In 1877 Paley's eldest son Henry Anderson Paley was articled to the firm, and having spent some time in London in the office of Thomas Edward Collcutt's to obtain wider experience, he returned to the family firm in 1882 or early 1883 and was taken into partnership in 1886, the practice then adopting the style of Paley, Austin & Paley. Edward Graham Paley died in January 1895, the practice name becoming Austin & Paley. Hubert James Austin died in 1915. His sons Geoffrey, Bernard and Henry became architects but only Geoffrey became a partner and then only briefly in 1915-16. Throughout their partnership the elder Paley and Austin were extremely accomplished Gothic designers, markedly influenced by Scott from the time Austin joined the practice in 1867. In their later years they adopted a refined English Perpendicular akin to the work of Bodley & Garner, but in the secular work of the younger Paley the influence of Collcutt was marked from at least 1887 onwards. |
Private and Business Addresses
| The following private or business addresses are associated with this architect: | |||||
| Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | |
 | Lancaster, Lancashire, England | Business | |||
| The Knoll, Lancaster, Lancashire, Scotland | Private | 1915 * | ||
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and Training
Employers
| The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this architect (click on an item to view details): | |||||
| Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | |
| (Sir) George Gilbert Scott | c. 1865 | 1867 | Assistant(?) | |
| Paley & Austin | 1867 | 1886 | Partner | |
| Paley, Austin & Paley | 1886 | 1895 | Partner | |
| Austin & Paley | 1895 | 1915 | Partner | |
Buildings and Designs
| This architect was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | |||||||
| Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | |
| 1875 | St John's Episcopal Church | Greenock | Renfrewshire | Scotland | ||
| 1884 | Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, first competition | Liverpool | England | Shortlisted competition design | ||
| 1901 | Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, second competition, second limited stage | Liverpool | England | |||
References
Periodical References
| The following periodicals contain references to this architect: | |||||
| Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | |
| Builder | 2 April 1915 | Obituary | ||
| Building News | 28 May 1890 | Austin | ||
| Building News | 1915 | Obituary Check date | ||
Images
© All rights reserved. Building News 23 May 1890