William Henry Crossland

{{Short description|English architect}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}{{Use British English|date=January 2021}}

{{Infobox architect

| name = William Henry Crossland {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=75%|FRIBA}}

| image = William_Henry_Crossland.jpg

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| birth_name =

| birth_date = 1835

| birth_place = Yorkshire, England

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|14 November 1908|May 1835}}

| death_place = London, England

| other_names =

| nationality = English

| alma_mater =

| spouse = {{marriage|Lavinia Cardwell Pigot|1859|1876|reason=died}}

| partner = Eliza Ruth Hatt (died 1892)

| children = Two (one illegitimate)Binns, p. 162.

| parents =

| awards = Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, 1867

| practice =

| significant_buildings = {{plain list|

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William Henry Crossland {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|FRIBA|sep=|size75%}}(Yorkshire, 1835 – London, 14 November 1908),{{cite ODNB |last= Elliott |first= John |title=Crossland, William Henry |date= 23 September 2004 |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/38393 }} known professionally as W.H. Crossland, was a 19th-century English architect and a pupil of George Gilbert Scott. His architectural works included the design of three buildings that are now Grade I listed – Rochdale Town Hall, Holloway Sanatorium and Royal Holloway College.

Early life and education

Crossland was born in 1835 to a family living in Huddersfield.Edward Law points out that as "despite extensive searches no record can be found of his baptism" his precise date and place of birth remain unknown.
Law, [http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawedd/WHC1.htm Part 1]. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
He was the younger son of Henry Crossland, who is recorded in the 1851 census as being a farmer and quarry owner, and his wife, Ellen (née Wilkinson).Law, [http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawedd/WHC1.htm Part 1]. Retrieved 18 February 2021. He had an elder brother, James, born in 1833.Binns, p. 1.{{Cite web |title=William Henry Crossland (1835–1908) |url=https://huddersfield.exposed/wiki/William_Henry_Crossland_(1835-1908) |date = 17 September 2019|access-date=2 February 2021 |website=Huddersfield Exposed}}

Crossland enrolled at Huddersfield College, where he excelled in writing and drawing.Binns, pp. 3–4. In the early 1850s Crossland became a pupil of George Gilbert Scott at his architectural practice in London. He worked with Scott on the design of the model village Akroydon, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, commissioned by the worsted manufacturer, Edward Akroyd.

Principal works

Crossland, who was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867,{{Cite web |last=Bull |first=Malcolm |date=22 December 2017 |title=Crossland, William Henry |url=https://sites.rootsweb.com/~calderdalecompanion/c.html#c2375 |access-date=8 February 2021 |website=Malcolm Bull's Calderdale Companion}} developed his own architectural practice, with offices in Halifax and Leeds, before moving to London{{cite web|url=https://www.lutterworth.com/wp-content/uploads/extracts//wh-crossland-ch2.pdf|access-date = 18 May 2022| title=Binns, pp. 10–11}} and then, in 1879, opening an office in Egham, Surrey.Binns, p. 168. More than 25 of the buildings he designed are listed by Historic England.

Crossland's three most important commissions, all now Grade I listed, were:

  • Rochdale Town Hall, which was built 1866–71 and is still in use as a municipal building in Rochdale, now in Greater Manchester, where it functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council. Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner described the building as possessing a "rare picturesque beauty".{{cite book|author1=Hartwell, Clare|author2=Hyde, Matthew|author3= Pevsner, Nikolaus|author-link3 = Nikolaus Pevsner|date = 2004|series = The Buildings of England |title=Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East |publisher = Yale University Press| page = 59|isbn =0-300-10583-5}} Its stained glass windows are credited as "the finest modern examples of their kind". Historic England describe it as "an important early departure from High Victorian heaviness"{{NHLE |num= 1084275|desc= Town Hall|date = 25 October 1951|access-date= 31 January 2021}} and say it is "widely recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the country".{{cite book|author=Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council|title= Metropolitan Rochdale Official Guide|publisher= Ed J Burrow & Co.|page=43}} Following a fire, Crossland's original clock tower was replaced in 1887 by a stone clock tower and spire designed by Alfred Waterhouse in the style of Manchester Town Hall.
  • Holloway Sanatorium at Virginia Water, Surrey,{{cite book| author=Elliott, John| title=Palaces, Patronage & Pills – Thomas Holloway: His Sanatorium, College & Picture Gallery| year=1996 | publisher=Royal Holloway, University of London | location=Egham, Surrey | isbn=0-900145-99-4 | pages=17–43}} which was built 1873–85.{{NHLE|num=1189632|desc= Former Holloway Sanatorium at Virginia Water|date = 17 November 1986|access-date=31 January 2021}} This was a project commissioned by the entrepreneur and philanthropist Thomas Holloway.{{Cite web |date=13 October 2020 |title=Surrey Greats: Who was Royal Holloway architect William H Crossland? |url=https://www.surreylife.co.uk/people/surrey-greats-william-henry-crossland-1-6850466 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=Surrey Life|author= Binns, Sheila}} Historic England describe it as "the most elaborate and impressive Victorian lunatic asylum in England, because it was the most lavish to be built for private patients... The quality of the external design and the decoration of the principal spaces is exceptional". It is the only example of a Sanatorium to be listed at Grade I. It was restored in 1997–98 and converted to luxury homes as part of a gated residential estate known as Virginia Park.{{Cite web |last=Richardson |first=Harriet |date=5 March 2016 |title=Holloway Sanatorium – garish or gorgeous? |url=https://historic-hospitals.com/2016/03/05/holloway-sanatorium-garish-or-gorgeous/ |access-date=1 February 2021 |website=Historic Hospitals}}
  • Royal Holloway College, Egham, Surrey, which was built 1879–87. A short distance away from the Sanatorium, it was also commissioned by Thomas Holloway.{{NHLE |num= 1028946|desc= Royal Holloway College|date = 17 November 1986|access-date= 31 January 2021}} Now known as Founder's Building, it is the main building of a major college of the University of London; its cafe/bar is named "Crosslands".{{Cite web |title=Crosslands |url=https://intranet.royalholloway.ac.uk/students/campus-life/find-places-to-eat-drink-and-shop-on-campus/crosslands.aspx |access-date=2 February 2021 |website=Royal Holloway, University of London}} Crossland's main floor plan for the college is on display in the Royal Holloway College Picture Gallery.{{Cite web |last=Wintour |first=Joan |date=July 2011 |title=The Royal Holloway College Picture Gallery |url=https://personal.rhul.ac.uk/uhyl/007/RHCpictgall.htm |access-date=18 February 2021 |website=Royal Holloway, University of London}}

The Holloway Sanatorium and Royal Holloway College were inspired by the Cloth Hall of Ypres in Belgium and the Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley, France, respectively and are considered by some to be among the most remarkable buildings in the south of England.

File:Rochdale Town Hall Plan.jpg|Crossland's plan of Rochdale Town Hall, published in The Builder in 1866

File:Rochdale Town Hall, 1874.png|Rochdale Town Hall (1874) with Crossland's original clock tower

File:Rochdale Town Hall, 2010.jpg|Rochdale Town Hall with tower as rebuilt (1887) to Alfred Waterhouse's design

File:HollowaySan1884front.jpg|Holloway Sanatorium, Virginia Water, Surrey (1884). Wood-engraving in the Illustrated London News, 5 January 1884

File:Virginia Park - geograph.org.uk - 134487.jpg|Holloway Sanatorium, now a private residential estate

File:Royal Holloway Building.jpg|South Quadrangle, Founder's Building, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey

File:Royal Holloway The quad.jpg|North Quadrangle, Founder's Building, Royal Holloway

Other significant works

In her biography of Crossland, published in 2020, Sheila Binns provides the most complete list yet of his architectural commissions, drawing on and supplementing earlier work by John Elliott,Binns, pp. 239–242. itself based on a compilation by Edward Law. Those that are listed by Historic England, many of them in Yorkshire, are included here.

=Berkshire=

class="wikitable sortable"
LocationDescriptionDatesListingNotesRefsImages
SunninghillSt Michael and All Angels Church1887–89Grade IICrossland designed the memorial chapel to Thomas Holloway (whose funeral had taken place at the church) and also the rebuilding of the vestry and chancel.{{NHLE|num=1119826|desc=Church of St Michael and All Angels|date = 10 August 1951|access-date=6 February 2021}}Binns, p. 217.

=Greater Manchester=

class="wikitable sortable"
LocationDescriptionDatesListingNotesRefsImages
RochdaleChurch of St Chad1870–72Grade II*13th century and beyond; south aisle, porch and belfry by Crossland{{NHLE |num= 1045812|desc=Church of St Chad|date= 25 October 1951 |access-date=18 February 2021}}120px

=North Yorkshire=

class="wikitable sortable"
LocationDescriptionDatesListingNotesRefsImages
HawnbyAll Saints Church1863Grade II*This was Crossland's first known church restoration.{{cite web|url=https://www.lutterworth.com/wp-content/uploads/extracts//wh-crossland-ch2.pdf|access-date = 18 May 2022| title=Binns, p. 31.}}{{NHLE |num= 1191164|desc= Church of All Saints|date = 4 January 1955 |access-date= 18 February 2021}}120px
KellingtonChurch of St Edmund King and Martyr12th century, restored by Crossland 1867–69Grade ICrossland's renovations included demolishing and rebuilding the north aisle and the south and east chancel walls and enlarging the chancel.Binns, pp. 73–74.{{NHLE |num= 1148402|desc= Church of St Edmund|date = 11 December 1967 |access-date= 18 February 2021}}120px
MiddlesmoorChurch of St Chad1865–66, replacing a 14th-century churchGrade IISheila Binns quotes a contemporary account in The Ecclesiologist as saying that in basing his design on that of the 14th-century church Crossland treated it "with much dignity".Binns, pp. 51, 53.{{NHLE |num=1174129|desc= Church of St Chad|date = 6 March 1967 |access-date= 21 February 2021}}120px
Sutton-in-CravenChurch of St Thomas1868–69Grade IIThis was a new church building. It memorialises Thomas Bairstow, a local benefactor. The tower was designed to carry a spire that was never added.Binns, pp. 84–86.{{NHLE |num= 1317021|desc= Church of St Thomas|date = 23 October 1984 |access-date= 8 February 2021}}File:Church of St Thomas, Sutton in Craven.jpg]]

=South Yorkshire=

class="wikitable sortable"
LocationDescriptionDatesListingNotesRefsImages
Hoylandswaine, near PenistoneChurch of St John the Evangelist1867–68Grade IIBinns describes it as a "small but substantial church, built to a high-quality of local stone for a small working class village".|{{NHLE |num= 1315075|desc= Church of St John the Evangelist|date = 27 April 1988|access-date= 1 February 2021}}Binns, p. 76.|
SheffieldChurch of St Mark, Broomhill1868–71Grade IIThe church building, except for the tower, was destroyed in the Second World War.{{Cite book |last1=Pevsner |first1=Nikolaus |title=Yorkshire: The West Riding |last2=Radcliffe |first2=Enid |series = The Buildings of England|publisher=Penguin Books |year=1967 |isbn=0-14-0710-17-5 |location=Harmondsworth |pages=458 |author-link=Nikolaus Pevsner}}{{NHLE |num= 1247190|desc= Church of St Mark|date = 28 June 1973 |access-date= 17 February 2021}}File:ST Marks Church Sheffield UK 2009.jpg]]

=West Yorkshire=

class="wikitable sortable"
LocationDescriptionDatesListingNotesRefsImages
AlmondburyAll Hallows ChurchDating from the 13th century, it was restored by Crossland 1872–76Grade IMuch of the work was funded by local landowner Sir John Ramsden.{{NHLE |num= 1225096|desc= Church of All Hallows|date = 3 March 1952|access-date= 18 February 2021}}Binns, pp. 121–129.120px
BirstallSt Peter's ChurchFounded c.1100 and rebuilt by Crossland 1863–70, except for the medieval towerGrade II*Historic England say that it "demonstrates well" Crossland's "preference for the Decorated style and taste for lavish decoration".{{NHLE |num= 1134648|desc= Church of St Peter|date = 29 March 1963|access-date= 2 February 2021}}File:St Peter's Church, Birstall - geograph.org.uk - 1657970.jpg]]
CopleySt Stephen's Church1861–65Grade II*This church building, commissioned by Edward Akroyd, is now redundant and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.{{NHLE |num= 1133985|desc= Church of St Stephen|date = 6 June 1983|access-date= 31 January 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.lutterworth.com/wp-content/uploads/extracts//wh-crossland-ch2.pdf|access-date = 18 May 2022| title=Binns, pp. 24–26}}Law, [http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawedd/WHC2.htm Part 2.] Retrieved 18 February 2021.{{cite web | url = https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/visit/church-listing/st-stephen-copley.html | title = St Stephen's Church, Copley, West Yorkshire | access-date = 18 October 2016| publisher = Churches Conservation Trust}}File:St Stephen, Copley (4632993212).jpg]]
EllandChurch of St MaryBuilt mainly in the 13th and 14th centuries and restored by Crossland 1865–66Grade IAs a child, Crossland had been baptised in this church.{{NHLE |num= 1184393|desc= Church of St Mary|date = 24 January 1988 |access-date= 2 February 2021}}Binns, pp. 53–54.File:St Mary, Elland (6737890053).jpg]]
Far Headingley, LeedsSt Chad's Church1864–68Grade II*Designed by Crossland and Edmund Beckett Denison (later 1st Baron Grimthorpe), the church was built on land given by the Beckett family of Kirkstall Grange who paid £10,000 towards it.{{Cite book |last1=Wrathmell |first1=Susan |title=Leeds |last2=Minnis |first2=John |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2005 |isbn=0-300-10736-6 |series=Pevsner Architectural Guides |pages=260–262}}{{NHLE |num= 1375301|desc= Church of St Chad|date = 26 September 1963 |access-date= 3 February 2021}}File:St Chad Headingley 6 August 2018 2.jpg, Leeds]]
Flockton|Church of St James the Great1866–67Grade IIAccording to Binns, "the church was built largely due to the efforts and at the personal expense of the incumbent at the time, the Reverend Robert Jackson French".{{NHLE |num= 1313327|desc= Church of St James the Great|date = 16 May 1984 |access-date= 17 February 2021}}Binns, pp. 65–67.120px
Huddersfield1–11 Railway Street and 20–26 Westgate (former Ramsden Estate Office)1868–74Grade IIThis was commissioned by Sir John Ramsden; the Ramsden family then owned much of Huddersfield.{{NHLE |num=1231474|desc= 1–11 Railway Street|date = 29 September 1978|access-date= 1 February 2021}}{{NHLE |num= 1224850|desc=20–26 Westgate|date= 25 March 1977 |access-date=1 February 2021}}{{Cite web |title=Railway Street: Ramsden Estate Office |url=https://buildings.huddersfieldhistory.org.uk/record/3906 |access-date=1 February 2021 |website=Buildings of Huddersfield}}Binns, p. 2.
HuddersfieldByram Buildings (now known as Byram Arcade) 10–18 Westgate1875–81Grade IIThis was commissioned by Sir John Ramsden.{{NHLE |num= 1224912|desc=The Byram Arcade|date= 29 September 1978 |access-date=1 February 2021}}{{Cite web |title=Westgate: The Byram Arcade 10–18 |url=https://buildings.huddersfieldhistory.org.uk/record/3975 |access-date=1 February 2021 |website=Buildings of Huddersfield}}Law, [http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawedd/WHCBLDG1868-71.htm Part 6.] Retrieved 18 February 2021.Binns, p. 241.File:Byram Arcade - geograph.org.uk - 358714.jpg
HuddersfieldKirkgate Buildings1877–85Grade IICommissioned by Sir John Ramsden, this was a speculative development of office space and shops, originally called Bulstrode Buildings.{{NHLE |num= 1415453|desc= Kirkgate Buildings|date = 29 March 2016|access-date= 31 January 2021}}Binns, pp. 180–186.
HuddersfieldLongley New Hall1870–75Grade IIThis rebuilding of a property built in the 1860s was commissioned by Sir John Ramsden as a house for his family; it became a school in the 1920s. Crossland also drew up plans for alterations to Longley Old Hall, on a nearby site.{{NHLE |num= 1390979|desc= Longley New Hall|date = 8 June 2004|access-date= 31 January 2021}}Binns, pp. 129–131.
HuddersfieldSt Andrew's Church, Leeds Road1869–70Grade IIThis church building was declared redundant in 1975. The Victorian Society included it on a list in 2017 of the top ten endangered Victorian or Edwardian buildings in England and Wales that have been neglected and are now at risk.{{NHLE |num= 1214957|desc= Former Church of St Andrew|date = 29 September 2018|access-date= 31 January 2021}}{{Cite web |date=12 September 2017 |title=Victorian Society marks 10 years of endangered buildings campaign with new top 10 list |url=https://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/news/victorian-society-marks-10-years-of-endangered-buildings-campaign-with-new-top-10-list |access-date=17 February 2021 |website=The Victorian Society}}File:Disused church, Leeds Road A62, Fartown, Huddersfield - geograph.org.uk - 785877.jpg
Bradley, HuddersfieldSt Thomas's Church1859–68Grade IIOne of Crossland's earliest commissions, the church building was declared redundant in 1975. Historic England say that the church "is notable for the vitality of detail typical of the decade" and "is carefully sited on sloping ground, with asymmetrical south tower and spire placed so as to maximise the effect of its silhouette".{{cite web|url=https://www.lutterworth.com/wp-content/uploads/extracts//wh-crossland-ch2.pdf|access-date = 18 May 2022| title=Binns, pp. 10–11}}{{NHLE |num= 1273979|desc=Former church of St Thomas|date = 26 April 1976|access-date= 2 February 2021}}{{Cite web |date=3 November 2019 |title=St. Thomas's Church, Bradley |url=https://huddersfield.exposed/wiki/St._Thomas%27s_Church,_Bradley |access-date=1 February 2021 |website=Huddersfield Exposed}}120px
HuddersfieldSomerset Buildings1881–83Grade IIHistoric England say that "its eclectic C19 Queen Anne styling displays a strong level of architectural flair, incorporating French and Flemish Renaissance influenced detailing to successful effect... it has strong group value with nearby listed buildings, a number of which were also designed by Crossland".{{NHLE |num= 1415451|desc= Somerset Buildings|date = 29 March 2016|access-date= 1 February 2021}}
HuddersfieldWaverley Chambers1881–83Grade IISoon after this commercial building was built, it became a temperance hotel and later was used as offices.{{NHLE |num= 1415452|desc=Waverley Chambers|date= 9 October 2013 |access-date=1 February 2021}}
Ossett, WakefieldChurch of the Holy Trinity1862–65Grade II*This was Crossland's first large church building.{{NHLE |num= 1184049|desc= Church of the Holy Trinity|date = 6 May 1988 |access-date= 1 February 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.lutterworth.com/wp-content/uploads/extracts//wh-crossland-ch2.pdf|access-date = 18 May 2022| title=Binns, pp. 28–29}}File:Trinity Church, Ossett.jpg, Wakefield]]
StaincliffeChrist Church1866–67Grade IIHistoric England describe the church building as "unfinished". Cuts to the budget meant that its exterior was not completed to Crossland's original designs.{{NHLE |num= 1134612|desc= Christ Church|date = 13 January 1984 |access-date= 1 February 2021}}{{Cite web |title=Christ Church, Staincliffe Hall Road |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/grants/visit/christ-church-staincliffe-hall-road-wf17-7qu/ |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=Historic England}}Binns, pp. 74–76.File:Christ Church, Staincliffe - geograph.org.uk - 1305612.jpg]]

Later life

Crossland's last entry in the RIBA's records was in 1894–95. There is no record of him undertaking any work after 1900, when he ceased to be architectural adviser to Royal Holloway.Binns, p. 232.

Personal and family life

File:Family vault of William Henry Crossland in Highgate Cemetery.jpg (east side)]]

On 1 October 1859,{{cite web|url=https://www.lutterworth.com/wp-content/uploads/extracts//wh-crossland-ch2.pdf|access-date = 18 May 2022| title=Binns, p. 11}} Crossland married Lavinia Cardwell Pigot (who died in Boulogne, France on 17 January 1876).Binns, p. 159.Although other sources claim that Crosswell's wife Lavinia died in 1879, Sheila Binns' research demonstrates that this date cannot be correct. The family plot in Highgate Cemetery (at Grave no. 23287, Square 70) was not bought until 1879 and Binns concludes that she must have been interred temporarily elsewhere.
Binns, p. 159.
They had one child – a daughter, Maud, who was born on 10 July 1860{{cite web|url=https://www.lutterworth.com/wp-content/uploads/extracts//wh-crossland-ch2.pdf|access-date = 18 May 2022| title=Binns, p. 16}} and died on 8 March 1900.Binns, p. 233. Crossland also had an illegitimate son, Cecil Henry Crossland Hatt (born 1877), with his second (common-law) wife, (Eliza) Ruth Hatt (née Tilley; 1853–1892). She became a well-known actress, using the stage name Ruth Rutland,Binns, pp. 219–225. and they lived together in a bungalow on the Royal Holloway site, designed by Crossland and built in 1878 as a home for himself and his family while he oversaw Holloway College's construction.Binns, pp. 169–170.{{Cite web |title=Crossland's Bungalow, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham |url=https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/content/crossland%E2%80%99s-bungalow-royal-holloway-university-of-london-egham |access-date=20 February 2021 |publisher= Surrey Archaeological Society}}

Crossland died at 57 Albert Street, Camden, London on 14 November 1908 following a stroke.Binns, pp. 235–236. His wife Lavinia, his brother James Crossland, his common-law wife Eliza Ruth Hatt,Although there is no evidence that Crossland married Hatt, the inscription on her grave reads "Ruth, wife, companion, friend of W H Crossland...".
Law, [http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawedd/WHC3.htm Part 3.] Retrieved 18 February 2021.
his daughter Maud Lart, his parents-in-law and his stepson Benjamin Tilley Hatt are buried in a family vault at Highgate Cemetery. Although Crossland's will specifically stated that he and his son should be interred there, neither of them is in the family vault.Binns, p. 236. Crossland's place of burial is unknown.Law, [http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawedd/WHC3.htm Part 3.] Retrieved 18 February 2021.

Crossland was survived by his son Cecil (by then known as Cecil Hatt Crossland) and two granddaughters – Maud and her husband William Lart's daughter Dorothea Maud (born 1881),Binns, p. 173. and Cecil and his wife Lucy's daughter Beryl Joan (born 1905).Binns, p. 234.

Notes

{{reflist|group="nb"}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Sources

  • Binns, Sheila (2020). W.H. Crossland: An Architectural Biography. The Lutterworth Press. 258pp. {{ISBN|978 0 7188 9548 8}}.
  • {{Cite web |last=Law |first=Edward |url=http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawedd/WHC1.htm |title=William Henry Crossland, biography and works |work = Huddersfield & District History|year=1992|access-date = 18 February 2021}}