Thomson Plevins

Plevins as born in July 1825, the son of a builder, Joseph Plevins, of the firm Pashby and Plevins,{{cite news |title=Obituary |work=The Building News and Engineering Journal |date=5 November 1897 |page=648, column 2 |url=https://archive.org/details/buildingnewsengi7321unse/page/648/mode/1up}}{{cite book |title=Directory of British Architects, 1834-1900 |date=1993 |publisher=Mansell |isbn=978-0-7201-2158-2 |page=429}} and his wife Frances.{{cite web |title=Plevins window |url=https://www.astonnechellscofe.org.uk/history_aston/joseph-plevins |access-date=21 November 2024}} Joseph is commemorated by a window in the Church of SS Peter & Paul, Aston.

After education Plevins trained as a surveyor and architect with his father's company. From the age of 21, following the death of his father, he developed an architectural practice in his father's old offices at 8 Waterloo Street, Birmingham, where he remained until his own death.

Some of his work was undertaken in the name of the architectural partnership of Plevins & Norrington.

He also worked extensively as an advisor in legal cases regarding building laws, and as a negotiator in land sales.

He had little involvement in civic life, but in 1865 and 1866 at least, served as president of the Birmingham Architectural Society, in which role he drew up a model contract to minimise potential disputes between architects, builders and clients.{{cite news |title=The Builder |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_building-uk_1865-01-14_23_1145/page/32/mode/1up |volume=23 |issue=1145 |publisher=Building (Publishers) Ltd. |date=14 January 1865 |page=32 }}{{cite news |title= Building Contracts |work=The Builder |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_building-uk_1866-12-15_24_1245/page/914/mode/1up |volume=24 |issue=1245 |date=15 December 1866 |pages=914–915 }} He was elected an Honorary Member of the Birmingham Architectural Association, as it then was, in December 1882.{{cite news |title=The Architect & Building News |url=https://archive.org/details/architectbuildin2821unse/page/404/mode/1up |date=2 December 1882 |page=404}}

The architect Ralph Heaton was articled to Plevins in 1875.

In 1890 he wrote to The Birmingham Daily Post, lobbying for the adaptation of flushing toilets to improve sanitation in Birmingham.{{cite news |title=The Building News and Engineering Journal |url=https://archive.org/details/buildingnewsengi5921unse/page/634/mode/1up?q=%22Thomson+Plevins%22https://archive.org/details/buildingnewsengi5921unse/page/634/mode/1up |date=31 October 1890 |page=634, column 2}}

File:Old Market Hotel Birmingham.jpg

Plevins' extant buildings in Birmingham include:

• Midland Hotel (1867-1875; now The Burlington Hotel), New Street{{cite web |title=The Burlington Hotel - A Birmingham Gem! |url=https://www.birminghamgems.com/KMS/dmart.aspx?strTab=ProjectTimeline&PageType=item&filter_SurveyId=106679 |website=Birmingham Gems |access-date=21 November 2024}}
• The White House, 111 New Street (1874-1875; later remodelled){{cite web |title=The White House - A Birmingham Gem! |url=https://www.birminghamgems.com/kms/dmart.aspx?strTab=ProjectTimeline&PageType=item&filter_SurveyId=106423 |website=Birmingham Gems |access-date=21 November 2024}}
• The Grand Hotel, (1879; Grade II* listed){{cite web |title=Grand Hotels And Tiny Toll Houses - Inspiring Stories From SAVE Britain's Heritage Buildings At Risk Register. |url=https://www.savebritainsheritage.org/campaigns/item/629/Grand-Hotels-And-Tiny-Toll-Houses-Inspiring-Stories-From-SAVE-Britains-Heritage-Buildings-At-Risk-Register |publisher=Save Britain's Heritage |access-date=21 November 2024}}
• The Crown, (1881, Grade II listed){{cite web |title=The Victorian Society celebrates the listing of the Market Hotel on Station Street Birmingham |url=https://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/national-news/the-victorian-society-celebrates-the-listing-of-the-market-hotel-on-station-street-birmingham/ |website=The Victorian Society |access-date=21 November 2024 |date=20 November 2024}}
• Market Hotel, Station Street (1883, Grade II listed){{cite web |title=Former Market Hotel, Non Civil Parish - 1491218 |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1491218?section=official-list-entry |publisher=Historic England |access-date=21 November 2024 }} The building features Plevins' initials in a decorative plaque.
• The Victoria (1883), corner of John Bright Street and Station Street{{cite web |title=Your Place Your Space |url=https://www.birminghamweare.com/kms/dmart.aspx?strTab=ProjectTimeline&PageType=item&filter_SurveyId=106390 |website=Birmingham We Are |access-date=21 November 2024}}

File:Old Friends' Meeting House, Birmingham (cropped).jpg

Lost buildings (in Birmingham unless stated) include:

• The Friends' Meeting House (1857; demolished 1933), Bull Street{{cite news |title=The British Friend |url=https://archive.org/details/britishfriend00smeagoog/page/103/mode/1up |volume=15 |issue=4 |date=April 1857 |page=103 }}{{cite web |title=The Old Meeting House |url=https://theironroom.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/the-old-meeting-house/ |website=The Iron Room |publisher=Birmingham Library Services |access-date=21 November 2024 |date=23 March 2017}}
• Birmingham and Staffordshire Gas Company, Old Square{{cite book |title=Stranger guide through Birmingham : being an account of all the public buildings |date=1867 |publisher=Cornish Brothers |location=Birmingham |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.06529/page/99/mode/1up}}
• Colmore Chambers, Newhall Street
• Union Chambers, Temple Row
• St. George's Mill, Birmingham Screw Company, Smethwick{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Edgar |title=A History of GKN, Volume 1 |date=1987 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-34594-8 |page=154 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofgkn0000jone/page/172/mode/1up}}

Plevins died at his home in Eaton Road, Coventry, on 31 October 1897. He was survived by his wife, Kate Evelyn Plevins, and four children, Thomas, Mabel, Noel and Morris,{{cite news |title=The Illustrated London News |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_illustrated-london-news_1899-06-24_114_3140/page/934/mode/1up |volume=114 |issue=3140 |publisher=Illustrated London News |date=24 June 1899 |page=934 }} as well as brother, Charles Henry Plevins (died 1899).

Obituaries were published in The Birmingham Post (reprinted in The Builder),{{cite news |title=Obituary |url=https://archive.org/details/gri_33125007023035/page/403/mode/1up |work=The Builder |date=13 November 1897 |page=403, column 3}} and in The Building News and Engineering Journal.

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Category:19th-century British architects

Category:Date of birth missing

Category:Date of death missing

Category:1825 births

Category:1897 deaths