Isaac Hildreth

Isaac Hildreth (174116 September 1807) was an 18th century British architect, surveyor, and master builder.

Early life Isaac Hildreth was born in 1741 in Ellerton-on-Swale, Yorkshire, England, Kingdom of Great Britain. After time in Jamaica, Hildreth arrived with other Loyalists at Shelburne in the Colony of Nova Scotia in 1783. He received a 360-acre land grant in the county and established a carpentry firm. In 1797, Hildreth was tasked with the first survey and report when a committee was appointed to explore the possibility of a canal connecting Dartmouth Cove to Minas Basin by way of the Shubenacadie lakes. A report from the feasibility study, completed with the help of Theophilus Chamberlain, a surveyor from the Preston area, was published on 15 November 1797, estimating a 4-foot navigation would cost £3,202 and 17 shillings. The total expense for the survey and report was £208 and 13 shillings. The masonry for the building was led by chief mason John Henderson. The original design is thought to originate from Peter Harrison, following John Wentworth's request for plans for a governor's mansion in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Following the completion of the Government House, Hildreth was recognized for his contributions to the building project through a formal certificate issued by the Committee of Assembly in January 1807.

Death Isaac Hildreth died on 16 September 1807 in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada.