Essex, James, 1722-1784 (architect and antiquary)
Dates
- Existence: 1722 - 1784
Biography
James Essex (1722-84), Cambridge architect and surveyor, designed many Cambridge buildings in Classical style, and was a pioneering Gothic revivalist. He was the first practising architect to take an antiquarian interest in medieval architecture, and his knowledge of Gothic construction remained unique until the ecclesiological movement of the early nineteenth century (H.M. Colvin, A biographical dictionary of British architects 1600-1840 (London, 1978)). He was the restorer of the cathedrals of Ely and Lincoln, and surveyor of Winchester.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
James Essex: Personal professional accounts
Account book. Includes references to work at, and visits to, the cathedrals of Ely, Lincoln and Winchester., and all three occur in this account book. The volume contains references also to Essexs money-lending activities. Also includes credit and debit accounts, 1769-76, mixed personal and professional transactions. Miscellaneous later notes in two different hands. From the back: Account of all the land wch I occupy, some apparently at Boxworth, Cambs.