Albert Estcourt

Albert Estcourt (c. 1832 – 18 February 1909) was a builder in Gloucestershire, England, in the 19th century who with his brother, and later on his own, constructed a number of notable buildings in the county and across southern England.

Albert Estcourt
Bornc. 1832
Painswick, Gloucestershire
Died18 February 1909
Gloucester
NationalityBritish
OccupationBuilder
Known forConstructing:

Some of his buildings are Hillfield House in Gloucester (1867–1869), now grade II listed; major restoration work at St Mary's Church, Cheltenham (1877); the Oxford University Cricket Club Pavilion (the Parks Pavilion) to a design by Thomas Graham Jackson (1880–1881); and Clouds House in Wiltshire (1881–1886).

Early life and family

Albert Estcourt was born in Painswick, Gloucestershire, around 1832 to William and Maria Estcourt. He was christened on 27 May 1832 at Painswick.[1] The 1851 census shows him as a stone mason, lodging at St Mary's Square in Gloucester with the publican Joseph Gardner.[2] In the 1861 census he was in Painswick with his wife Ellen.[3]

Career
The former Gloucester Court of Probate, built by Oliver Estcourt in 1858[4]
Hillfield House, Gloucester, built by Albert Estcourt, 1867–1869[5]
Clouds House, Wiltshire, built by Albert Estcourt, 1881–1886 (shown after reconstruction following a fire)[6]

Albert Estcourt was at first in partnership with his brother Oliver Estcourt who died in 1871.[7] Oliver was responsible for the construction in 1858[4] of the grade II listed Gloucester Court of Probate by Thomas Fulljames of Fulljames & Waller.[8]

Estcourt worked with leading architects on buildings throughout Gloucestershire[9] and across southern England. His works include Hillfield House in Gloucester (1867–69) to a design by John Giles for the timber merchant Charles Walker, now grade II listed and described as the "most elaborate Victorian house in Gloucester";[5][10] major restoration work at St Mary's Church, Cheltenham (1877);[11] and in 1880–1881 the Oxford University Cricket Club Pavilion (the Parks Pavilion) to a design by Thomas Graham Jackson.[12]

A major work was the construction in 1881–1886 of Clouds House in Wiltshire,[6] now grade II* listed with Historic England.[13]

Personal life

Estcourt married Ellen[14] who was born at Coaley.[15] At the time of the 1871 census he was living in South Hamlet, on the southern edges of Gloucester, with Ellen, four children and one servant. He was described as a "builders manager".[16] In the 1881 and 1891 censuses he and his wife were recorded as living in Barton Street in Gloucester with seven children and two servants.[14][17]

In 1897 he owned the Middletown estate in Upleadon which he sold in 1898.[18]

Death and legacy

Estcourt died on 18 February 1909. His address at the time of his death was Falkland House, Denmark Road, Gloucester. He left an estate of £55,987 and probate was granted to George Oliver Estcourt, builder, and Charles William Estcourt, timber merchant.[19]

The Escourts are remembered in Estcourt Road, Gloucester, built in the 1930s near Albert's home in Denmark Road.[20]

References
  1. Albert Estcourt England Births and Christenings, 1538–1975. Family Search. Retrieved 9 April 2018. (subscription required)
  2. Albert Escourt England and Wales Census, 1851. Family Search. Retrieved 9 April 2018. (subscription required)
  3. Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1861. Family Search. Retrieved 9 April 2018. (subscription required)
  4. Jordan, Christine. (2015). Secret Gloucester. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. pp. 38–39. ISBN 978-1-4456-4689-3.
  5. Historic England. "Hillfield House (1271659)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  6. Dakers, Caroline. (1993). Clouds: The Biography of a Country House. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 63–64. ISBN 978-0-300-05776-8.
  7. "Oliver Estcourt, Deceased", The London Gazette. 8 August 1871. p. 3528.
  8. Historic England. "3 & 4, Pitt Street (1245683)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  9. Gloucester, 1835–1985: Economic development to 1914. British History Online. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  10. Verey, David & Alan Brooks. (2002). The Buildings of England Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and the Forest of Dean (3rd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 501. ISBN 9780300097337.
  11. Cheltenham, St Mary: Anglican Parish. National Archives. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  12. University Parks. University of Oxford. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  13. Historic England. "Clouds House (1131142)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  14. Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1891. Family Search. Retrieved 9 April 2018. (subscription required)
  15. Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1901. Family Search. Retrieved 10 April 2018. (subscription required)
  16. Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1871. Family Search. Retrieved 11 April 2018. (subscription required)
  17. Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1881. Family Search. Retrieved 11 April 2018. (subscription required)
  18. Manor and Estates: Upleadon Manor; Other Estates. Upleadon Village. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  19. 1909 Probate Calendar, p. 139.
  20. Gloucester, 1835–1985: Topography. British History Online. Retrieved 9 April 2019.

Media related to Albert Estcourt at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.