Doncaster Architects – William Hurst

Some architects, born in Doncaster, have moved elsewhere to establish their practices; other architects, born outside the town, have established practices in Doncaster. However, William Hurst, the subject of this article, was not only born in the town, carried on a successful practice in the town, and was buried at St. George’s, but he also had the distinction of being the Mayor of the town in 1829.

William Hurst was born in 1787, his father being the landlord of the Salutation Inn. William Hurst was articled, as a young man, to a respected local architect, William Lindley, of the Pillared Houses, South Parade. William Lindley had been an assistant to John Carr of York for many years before he moved to Doncaster to establish his own practice. From about 1810 William Lindley was in partnership with John Woodhead. After William Lindley died, in 1818, the practice became known as Woodhead and Hurst and was employed extensively throughout Yorkshire and the neighbouring counties.

William Hurst exhibited two drawings at the Royal Academy in 1811 and in 1815 became a partner in the firm of Lindley and Woodhead. In 1836 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and became one of the first Yorkshiremen to achieve this distinction.

An early local work was at Doncaster Racecourse in 1824. The town had been famous for racing for many years and as its popularity increased the accommodation at the Grandstand became inadequate. The Stand was considerably enlarged to the firm’s designs, the principal improvements being the addition of a verandah, further steps on top of the stand, and extensions to the lower balconies. This work may no longer be seen, however, as the majority of the old stands were demolished in 1968 to make way for the present Grandstand and Exhibition Centre.

The visitors of the 1820’s sought not only accommodation at the Racecourse but also facilities for gambling and gaming.  Local inns and other public places had previously met this demand, but in 1826 the Betting or Subscription Rooms were erected in the High Street to designs by Woodhead and Hurst. The term ‘subscription’ is a reference to the membership fee of one guinea.  Appealing to the wealthier client, this private venture was enormously successful – there were 200 members at the first race-meeting and extensions to the building because necessary at a later date. Victorian descriptions of the Rooms inform us that in addition to facilities for gambling, members were able to dine, obtain newspapers and write letters. The interior must have been splendid – The Annals of Yorkshire (1852) state the building was “lighted in the daylight by spacious domes and at night …… with three brilliant chandeliers of richly-cut glass”. The Rooms fell into disrepute however, and finally closed in 1892. Later the building was used for numerous purposes, including a cinema and a shop.  Most of it was demolished a few years ago, but the fine portico, with its Ionic columns and pilasters, taken from the plan of a small Greek temple, has been handsomely restored and once again graces the High Street. This restoration won a Doncaster Civic Trust award in 1977.

Christ Church, on Thorne Road, was built to the designs of Woodhead and Hurst 1827 – 1829. Doncaster was expanding during these years and the building of a new church, near to the fashionable quarter of the town became necessary. The financial generosity of business John Jarratt made this possible.

Christ Church was built on the site of an old sand-pit, and it is interesting to try to image it in its original environment when it was, literally, on the edge of town, the development of Thorne Road being still some years away. An additional contribution by William Hurst was that, as Mayor, he laid the top stone of the spire on 26^th June, 1829. Since then the spire has been replaced, and the chancel enlarged, but neither of these changes has spoilt the elegant appearance of the church. This year Christ Church celebrates its 150^th anniversary and a full account of the building – “one of the assets that the town should seek to conserve” – may be found in the Doncaster Civic Trust Newsletter, March 1979.

A few months previously Woodhead and Hurst had designed the new Borough Gaol, and in April the foundation stone was laid by William Hurst. This rather forbidding structure once stood at the junction of Factory Lane and West Laithe Gate. It was demolished about 1880 for the construction of Station Road, a thoroughfare which has since made way for the Arndale Centre.

William Hurst seems to have been particularly busy with civic affairs at this time – he was involved in far more than stone-laying ceremonies. The Corporation records show that his interests were wide and varied, covering subjects from navigational improvements to preparing a list of the Corporation debts and assets. Even after the expiry of his term of office as Mayor (1828/29) he appears on every committee for the two succeeding years.

The site of Priory Place had formed part of a Carmelite Priory, but by the 19^th century the land belonged to one Alderman Sheardown, who agreed to sell it to the Corporation for a new street linking High Street to Printing Office Street to be called Priory Place. We know that Woodhead and Hurst designed the buildings for it is recorded that William Hurst showed the plans to the Corporation in December, 1830. The well proportioned three storeyed houses originally had bow windows at ground floor level, but unfortunately all except one of these are now lost. It is regrettable that the Post Office demolished four of these houses a few years ago, thereby causing an unsightly gap. Despite these changes Priory Place is still a pleasing, dignified street on a domestic scale, and one hopes that its character will be retained in the future.

At the top of the street Woodhead and Hurst designed the Wesleyan Chapel (now Priory Methodist Church) in 1832. It was opened on 17^th July 1833 and originally accommodated 1,000 persons. In 1839 the Chapel was lengthened by taking in the school room space. After years of uncertainty over its future, the building will now remain, and major alterations to the interior have recently been completed. As a piece of townscape, notably the terminal feature of Priory Place, it is invaluable, and its planned removal would have been most regrettable.

In1831 Woodhead and Hurst were involved in planning improvements to the Mansion House. The main alterations were the provision of a saloon and raising the ceiling of the card room. The architects estimated £1,500 for this work, but the final total came to £4,000. It is interesting to note that the building work was carried out by Anelay’s, a firm which also constructed a number of other buildings for the Corporation. This company is still in existence although now based at York.

In 1838 John Woodhead retired and William Hurst entered into partnership with a Scotsman, William Lambie Moffatt. This period has less local interest as much of the practice’s work involved churches and public buildings elsewhere. One local problem which did interest William Hurst, however, was the future of Doncaster’s Market.

In his day this area was a rather confused collection of buildings from various periods, and the market itself was totally inadequate, resulting in frequent complaints from farmers. The Corporation were aware of the problem and decided to resolve it. Hurst then wrote to them outlining his scheme – a new Corn Market, clearance of most of most of the area including the Town Hall, construction of other market buildings, and the making of two new roads to open up the area – one from French-gate to St. George-gate, and another from the bottom of Hall-gate to the Old George Hotel in the Market Place.  At length only the Corn Market was constructed in 1870. William Hurst died on 8^th December 1844.

William Hurst owned a number of houses in Doncaster, and a brief examination of these may be of some interest. His own house was No. 6 Regent Terrace, where he lived for many years with his wife, Charlotte, children (seven in the 1841 census), groom and servants. The property is now occupied as offices, but, externally at least, it is little changed.  Across the road he owned a terrace of five Georgian properties, now numbers 9 – 12a South Parade. Originally Hurst worked from the Pillared Houses, but later he converted the ground floor of nos. 10/11 South Parade into offices. After Hurst’s death Moffatt continued to work there, and Hurst’s wife moved to another part of the building, leasing the Regent Terrace house to a soldier, Captain Cook. Hurst also owned land at Black Bank, Hyde Park, and two houses in Brunswick Terrace (Bennetthorpe).  Probably his most valuable asset, however, was the Salutation Inn, where on 26thSeptember 1856, after Mrs Hurst’s death, all the above mentioned property was sold by auction. In 1849 William Lambie Moffatt had set up an additional office in his native Edinburgh. Two years after the auction, in1858, he left Doncaster altogether moving his household to Edinburgh. He continued to run a successful practice until shortly before his death in 1882.

The buildings of Woodhead and Hurst contribute a great deal to the character of the town. All those discussed are within conservation areas which should help to secure their future.

Peter Coote  

This article was written in 1979. Since then much more research has been carried out, notably on John Woodhead. Previously where credit was given to William Hurst only this has been altered to Woodhead and Hurst. The role each of them had remains uncertain but Woodhead probably had much more involvement on the architectural side of the practice than was previously thought. All updating of this this article was carried out in January 2023.

THE WORKS OF WOODHEAD AND HURST 

Doncaster  –  Town Centre

• Doncaster Newsroom and Library, 1819-21 (demolished 1912)
• Doncaster Racecourse – provision of Booths, 1823 (demolished)
• Doncaster Racecourse – additions to Grandstand, 1824 (demolished  1968)
• Doncaster Gas Works, 1826-27 (demolished)
• Subscription Rooms,  1826  (demolished, except portico, 1974)
• Christ Church, 1827-29
• Doncaster Gaol, 1829  (demolished  1880)
• Priory Place, 1830
• Mansion House – alterations   1830
• Priory Place Chapel, 1832
• Clock Corner – alterations,  1836 (demolished  1893)
• Christ Church  – reconstruction of spire, 1836 (removed)
• Corn Market, 1837 (not executed)      

Doncaster  –  District  

• Firbeck Park – alterations, 1820;  lodges 1820 (?)
• Firbeck Chapel – rebuilding, 1820 
• Armthorpe Church – north aisle, 1826 (demolished 1885)
• Wadworth Hall  –  rebuilding kitchen and miscellaneous works,  c. 1829
• Wadworth Church – alterations, enlargement, re-roofing,  1829
• Carr House – alterations and additions,  1830 (?), (demolished 1930)
• Old Cantley  – new parsonage house, 1820’s (?)
• Warmsworth Church – rebuilding, before 1830 
• Arksey Hall – additions
• Auckley Chapel, 1838
• Loversall Church  –  addition of spire to existing tower (not executed)

THE WORKS OF HURST AND MOFFATT

Doncaster  –  Town Centre

• Union Workhouse, 1839  (demolished)
• Savings Bank,  High Street, 1842
• Corn Market and re-construction of Market with two new roads, 1843 (not executed)

N.B  For a list of commissions undertaken by the practice in other areas please see H.M.Colvin’s “Dictionary of Architects”.