Henry Darbishire Explained

Henry Astley Darbishire (15 May 1825 – 4 June 1899) was a British architect, best known for working on philanthropic schemes. He worked on projects for Angela Burdett-Coutts, and was the architect for the Peabody Trust from 1863 until 1885,^[1] when he was succeeded by Victor Wilkins.^[2]

He was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Lancashire,^{[3] [4]} the son of James Darbishire and his wife, Mary Roberts.^[5] He qualified as a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1856, and finally retired from practice in 1894.^[4]

In 1858, Darbishire married Eliza Paget, sister of Sir Ernest Paget.^[6] They had three children: Frederic Astley Darbishire (3 November 1859 – 15 March 1926); Eilie Gwendoline Darbishire (1863–1936); and Harry Vernon Darbishire (2 August 1864 – 29 February 1949) and.^[5]

He died in 1899 at Oakdene, Edenbridge, Kent.^[7]

Notable works

• Columbia Square, Bethnal Green (1857–60), demolished
• Baroness Burdett Coutts Drinking Fountain, Victoria Park, London (1862)
• Peabody dwellings, Commercial Street, Spitalfields (1864)
• Holly Village, Highgate, London (1865)^[8]
• Peabody Estate, Islington (1865)
• Columbia Market, Bethnal Green (1866), demolished
• Peabody Estate, Shadwell (1866)
• Guilford Place drinking fountain (1870)
• Peabody Square, Blackfriars Road, Bermondsey (1871)
• Peabody Estate, Pimlico (1876)
• Peabody Estate, Whitechapel (1881)

Further reading

• Book: Davidovici, Irina . Renewable principles in Henry Astley Darbishire's Peabody estates, 1864 to 1885 . Peter . Guillery . David . Kroll . Mobilising Housing Histories: learning from London's past . London . RIBA Publishing . 2017 . 9781859466315 . 57–73 .
• Book: Adolf K. . Placzek . Henry Astley Darbishire . Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects . London . Collier Macmillan . 1982 . 1 . 0029250005 . 502 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: housing association | History of estates | London . Peabody . 2016-11-05.
2. Web site: In praise of the Peabody Estates . Apollo-magazine.com . March 2016. 2016-11-05.
3. 1871 England Census
4. Davidovici 2017, p. 62.
5. Book: Fox-Davies . Arthur Charles . Armorial Families: A Directory of Some Gentlemen of Coat-armour, Showing which Arms in Use at the Moment are Borne by Legal Authority . 1899 . T.C. & E.C. Jack . 224 . 14 October 2024 . en.
6. Book: Fletcher . William George Dimock . Leicestershire Pedigrees and Royal Descents . 1887 . Clarke and Hodgson . 17 . 14 October 2024 . en.
7. News: Deaths . . 6 June 1899 . 1.
8. Web site: Darbishire, Henry Astley - Dictionary definition of Darbishire, Henry Astley | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary . Encyclopedia.com . 2016-11-05.