James Piers St Aubyn

James Piers St Aubyn (6 April 1815 – 8 May 1895), often referred to as J P St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations.

Early life St Aubyn was born at Powick Vicarage, Worcestershire, in the English Midlands, the home of his maternal grandfather, on 6 April 1815. He was the second son of the Rev Robert Thomas St Aubyn and his wife, Frances Fleming St John, and a cousin of John St Aubyn, 1st Baron St Levan, of St Michael's Mount, Cornwall. He was known to his family and friends by his second Christian name of Piers (sometimes spelt Pearse). He was educated at Penzance Grammar School before beginning his studies in architecture.

He married Eliza Phillpott in 1852 at Stoke Damerel, Devon. Eliza was born in Ceylon in 1816 and died on 13 September 1881 at their home, 108 Cambridge Street, Hanover Square, London.

Actor James Bolam is descended via his maternal line from St. Aubyn.

Career He was articled to Thomas Fulljames (1808–1874) in Gloucester and acted as clerk of works for the latter's Edwards College, South Cerney (Glos) in 1838–39. He was elected to the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1837, on the nomination of George Basevi, Edward Blore and William Railton, and became a Fellow of the Institute in 1856, proposed by Benjamin Ferrey, Giles Gilbert Scott, and Francis Penrose. He twice served on the Council of the Institute (in 1858–1860 and 1870–1872). He was Surveyor to the Middle Temple in London from 1851 until 1885, and practised from Lambe Buildings in the Temple for much of his career. From about 1885 onwards, when he seems to have semi-retired, St. Aubyn worked in partnership with Henry John Wadling (d 1918), who entered his office as a pupil in 1858 and remained as his assistant and managing clerk. St Aubyn died on 7 May 1895 at Chy-an-Eglos, Marazion (Cornwall), and is buried on St Michael's Mount. H J Wadling succeeded to his practice, and continued to trade as "St Aubyn & Wadling".

St Aubyn was undoubtedly assisted in developing his career by his family's prominence in Devon and Cornwall, and particularly in Devonport, where they were the major landowners. He practised chiefly in London and developed a practice which extended all over southern England, but he also kept an office in Devonport for part of his career, and he was employed particularly extensively in Devon and Cornwall. Apart from this local connection, there are clusters of his work in Gloucestershire (no doubt deriving from his years in Fulljames' office), Kent, Reading, Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire.

He was primarily a church architect, building a considerable number of new churches and undertaking even more restorations. His church work was firmly in the Gothic Revival mainstream of his time, rarely departing from the forms and decoration of the Decorated period, and lacks much originality or flair. His churches at All Saints, Reading and St Mary, Tyndalls Park, Bristol, are notably similar. His restorations often amounted to wholesale or partial rebuilding, and were seen by later generations as unnecessarily brutal; Sir John Betjeman was among St Aubyn's 20th-century detractors. St Aubyn also designed a number of country houses, mostly in a rather cheerless early Gothic style. The one whimsical building he is known to have designed is the clock tower in the grounds of Abberley Hall, c 1883. His greatest professional disappointment was his failure to secure the commission to build Truro Cathedral, which he lost by one vote to John Loughborough Pearson; his designs for the Cathedral were published in Building News, 20 December 1878. His most notable achievement was the restoration of St Michael's Mount, described by Nigel Nicolson as: "among the greatest achievements of 19th-century architecture".

List of works 1840s

Berkeley Cottages, Collingwood Road, Stoke Dameral, Plymouth: 1847 St Illogan's Church, Illogan, Cornwall: 1846 Old Rectory, Siddington, Gloucestershire: 1847 Holy Trinity Church, Cerney Wick, Gloucestershire: 1847–48 Church of St Agnes, St Agnes, Cornwall: 1848 Old Rectory, Stoke Canon, Devon: 1848–51 St Paul's Church, Devonport, Devon: 1849; destroyed by enemy action, 1941 St John the Baptist Church, Godolphin Cross, Cornwall: 1849–51 St James the Great Church, Keyham, Devon: 1849–51; damaged by enemy action, 1941; demolished 1958

1850s

St Michael's Mount, Cornwall: addition to South Court, for Sir J St Aubyn, 1850 St Mary's Church, Devonport, Devon: 1850 Vicarage, Horsley, Gloucestershire: 1850–52; altered by A W Maberly, 1874 St Stephen's Church, Devonport, Devon: 1852 Market House, Devonport, Devon: 1852 Holy Trinity Church, Penponds, Cornwall: 1854 St James the Less Church, Plymouth, Devon: 1854–61 St John's Church, Enfield, Middlesex: 1857 Christ Church, Latchingdon, Essex: 1857 Delamore House, Devon: for Admiral George Parker, 1859–60 and 1876

1860s

All Saints Church, Marazion, Cornwall: 1861 Middle Temple, London: Goldsmith's Building, 1861 St Martin and St Meriadoc’s Church, Camborne: restoration,1861–62 Temple Church, London: restoration, 1862 St Andrew's Church, Thringstone, Leicestershire: 1862 St Mary's Church, Widford, Essex: 1862 Church of All Hallows, South Cerney, Gloucestershire: 1862 Pentre, Pembrokeshire: remodelling for Col A H Saunders-Davies at a cost of £5,000, 1863; mostly demolished; service wing survives St Bartholomew's Church, Cross-in-Hand, Sussex: 1863–64; enlarged 1901 Midelney Place, Somerset: for E B Cely-Trevilian, 1863–66 Trevince House, Cornwall: rebuilt for Henry Beauchamp Tucker, 1863–66 Haddington Road Bible Christian Chapel, Devonport, Devon: 1864 St Mark's Church, Gillingham, Kent: 1864–6 Berkley Rectory, Berkley Nr Frome, Somerset: extension,1865 The Abbey, Ditcheat, Somerset: attributed: refronting and internal alterations for Rev William Leir, 1864–68 St Stephen's Church, Redruth, Cornwall: 1865 St Peter's Church, Selsey, Sussex: 1865 Holy Innocents Church, Tuck Hill, Shropshire: 1865 All Saints Church, Reading, Berkshire: 1865–74 St John the Evangelist Church, St Ives, Cornwall: 1866 Holy Trinity, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire: addition of chancel, 1866 Holy Trinity Church, Barkingside, Middlesex: 1867 St Clement Church, Kensington, Middlesex: 1867–69 St Mary, Kilmington, Wiltshire: addition of N aisle and S transept, 1868

1870s

All Saints Church, Harrowbarrow, Cornwall, 1870 Puddleduck Hall, Hardwicke, Gloucestershire: formerly known as Glebe House, 1870 St Materiana's Church, Tintagel, Cornwall: 1870 St Mary the Virgin Church, Tyndalls Park, Bristol: 1870–81, notably similar to All Saints, Reading Chapel, Maristow, Devon: 1871 Greenhurst, Surrey: for Thomas Lambert, 1871–74 Chalcot House, Dilton Marsh, Wiltshire, alterations and extensions, 1872–76 Loggia, Mersham-Le-Hatch, Kent: 1872 St Michael and All Angels Church, Galleywood Common, Essex: 1873 St Giles' Church, Reading, Berkshire: rebuilding, 1873 St Mary's and St Julian's Church, Maker, Cornwall: restoration and addition of south aisle, 1873–74 St Gregory's Church, Dawlish 1873-75 enlargement St Michael's Mount, Cornwall: addition of southeast wing for Sir J St Aubyn, 1874–80; further extended c 1930 St Peter's Church, Belsize Park, Middlesex: addition of chancel and tower, 1875 St Luke's Church, Southampton, Hampshire: chancel, 1875 St Giles' Church, Marston Montgomery, Derbyshire: nave, 1875–77 St Andrew's Church, Ampthill, Bedfordshire: alterations, 1877 St Peter and St Paul's Church, Clare, Suffolk: 1877–1883 Vicarage, Clare, Suffolk: 1878 St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch: rebuilt, 1878 St Martin and St Meriadoc’s Church, Camborne: enlargement 1878–79 Truro Cathedral, Truro, Cornwall: surveys of former St Mary’s church and competition designs (unexecuted), 1878–80 Pentre, Pembrokeshire: private chapel as memorial to A H Saunders-Davies, 1879; the font and pulpit now at Manordeifi church Rousham House, Oxfordshire: extension and restoration for Clement Upton-Cottrell-Dormer, 1870s St Mawnan and St Stephen's Church, Mawnan restoration 1879–80

1880s

Essex Street; no 33, Westminster, Middlesex: 1880, built in imitation of a house of c 1720 St Peter's Church, Noss Mayo, Devon: 1880–82, as replacement for Revelstoke church St John's Church, Penzance 1880-81 St Andrew's Church, Eakring 1880–1881, restoration Church of St Mary the Virgin, Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire, 1880 restoration Theological College, Ely, Cambridgeshire: 1881, now part of King's School Pencalenick House, Truro, Cornwall: 1881 St John's Church, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: 1881–83 Middle Temple, London: new chambers on north side of Brick Court, 1882, Tudor; altered c.1950 after bomb damage St Luke's Church, Reading, Berkshire: 1882 Church, St Gluvias, Cornwall: 1882–83 St Peter's Church, Rose Ash, Devon: 1882–92 (with Wadling) Abberley Hall, Worcestershire: alterations and clock tower for John Joseph Jones, c.1883 Oakhampton House, Worcestershire: remodelling for John Henry Crane, 1883 Mission Church, Ashton, Cornwall: 1884 St Michael's Church, Silverstone, Northamptonshire: 1884 Middle Temple, London: Garden Court, 1884–85, neo-Jacobean Church, Gamlingay Heath, Cambridgeshire: 1885 Mission Church of All Saints, Trythall, Gulval, Cornwall: 1885

After 1885, in partnership with Henry J Wadling

St Sylvester's Church, Tetworth, Huntingdonshire: 1886 Muntham, Itchingfield, Sussex: for Marquess of Bath, 1887 St Matthew's Church, Moulmein, Burma: 1887 St Peter-in-Ely, Ely, Cambridgeshire: 1890 St Peter's Church, Sheringham, Norfolk: 1895, completed by Henry Wadling after his death St Margaret's Church, Halstead, Kent: north aisle and vestry, 1897

Date unknown Anstie House, Cornwall St Barnabas's Church, Devonport, Devon

Church restorations listed by counties chronologically Bedfordshire: Ampthill, 1877

Buckinghamshire: Weston Turville, 1879; Marsh Gibbon, 1879–80; Maids Moreton, 1882–87; Stone, 1883–90

Cambridgeshire: Soham, 1879–80; Gamlingay, 1880–81; Castle Camps, 1882; Little Abington, 1885; Little Gransden, 1885–88; Teversham, 1888–92

Cornwall: Sennen, 1847; St Agnes, 1848; Godolphin, 1849–51; Mawgan-in-Meneage, 1855; Kenwyn, 1860–62; Lesnewth, 1862–65; Lanivet, 1865; Egloshayle, 1867; St Keyne, 1868–77; Minster, 1869–71; Tintagel, 1870; St Anne's Church, Hessenford, 1870–71; St Minver, 1870–75; Tuckingmill, 1875–79; St Breock, 1880–82; St Piran's Church, Perranarworthal, 1884; Ludgvan, 1887–88; Mevagissey, 1887–88; Stratton (1888); Werrington (at the time in Devon), 1891; St Germans, 1891–93; Gulval, 1892; Callington, date unknown; St Issey, date unknown; Mabe date unknown (after 1866). St Aubyn's work always included a footscraper outside the porches: John Betjeman knew this and often failed to visit churches where these could be found.

Derbyshire: Duffield, 1846; St Andrew's Church, Cubley, 1872–74

Devon: Stoke Fleming, 1871; Dawlish, 1874; St. Giles-on-the-Heath, 1878

Gloucestershire: Daglingworth, 1845–51; Church of All Hallows, South Cerney, 1861–62; Standish, 1867; Owlpen, 1874–75; Dursley, 1888–89

Hampshire: Sherborne St John, 1854, 1866–84

Herefordshire: Cusop, date unknown

Kent: Cliffe, 1864; Boughton-under-Blean, 1871; Lympne, 1878–80; Harbledown, 1880; Sheldwich, 1888

Leicestershire: Whitwick, 1848–50; Holy Trinity, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 1866; Ashby Parva, 1866; Appleby Magna, 1870–72; St Helen, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 1878–80

Lincolnshire: Theddlethorpe All Saints, 1885

Northamptonshire: Maidwell, 1891

Nottinghamshire: Eakring, 1880–81

Suffolk: Little Glemham, 1857–58; Woolverstone, 1888–89; Sternfield, date unknown

Surrey: Addington, 1876