Pause for a moment before this plaque. This is the George Edmund Street Plaque. It marks the London residence of a great architect.
George Edmund Street lived here. He was born in Woodford Essex in 1824. He died in London in 1881.
The George Edmund Street Plaque tells us he was an architect. The Greater London Council erected it in 1980. The George Edmund Street Plaque is at 14 Cavendish Place Marylebone.
Street was a leading architect. He championed the Victorian Gothic Revival style. He is best known for designing the Royal Courts of Justice. They stand on the Strand in London.
Street began his career with George Gilbert Scott. He worked for Scott for five years. In 1849 Street started his own practice.
Street became the architect for the diocese of Oxford in 1850. He moved to Wantage. He designed a vicarage there. He also worked on schools.
Street designed many churches. He built or restored 113 churches in the Oxford diocese. He reordered Jesus College Chapel.
Street used constructional polychromy. This is the use of varied colours in brickwork. All Saints Boyne Hill shows this style.
Street believed architects should be involved in decoration. He painted murals himself at Boyne Hill church. He moved back to London in 1855.
Street entered a competition to design Lille Cathedral. He won second prize. He also competed to design the Crimea Memorial Church. He won that commission.
Street was an active member of the Ecclesiological Society. He studied Gothic architecture across Europe. He published books on architecture. “Brick and Marble Architecture of Northern Italy” appeared in 1855. “The Gothic Architecture of Spain” was published in 1865.
These books promoted constructional polychromy. Some mocked it as “The Streaky Bacon Style”.
Street designed St James the Less in Westminster. He used red and black brick. The church has a tall tower inspired by Genoese style.
Street designed extensions at Dunecht House in 1867. These included a library and chapel. In 1868 he became Diocesan Architect of Ripon. He also held posts in York and Oxford. Later Winchester was added. He became Architect to York Minster. He later worked on Salisbury and Carlisle Cathedrals.
Street’s most famous building is the Royal Courts of Justice. He won the competition in 1868. The building was finished after his death.
Street designed many churches. These include St Margaret’s Convent and Cuddesdon Theological College. He also designed the American Cathedral in Paris.
Street was elected to the Royal Academy in 1866. He became a fellow in 1871. He lectured on medieval architecture. He was president of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Philip Webb and William Morris were Street’s apprentices. Frank Darling was also an apprentice.
Street married Mariquita Proctor in 1852. She died in 1874. His second wife was Jessie Holland. She died soon after their marriage.
Street was a churchwarden of All Saints Margaret Street. He insisted church seats should be free.
Overwork caused Street’s death in 1881. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
This George Edmund Street Plaque commemorates a significant figure. It marks the place where he lived. It reminds us of his contribution to architecture.