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Thomson Plevins

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Thomson Plevins
BornJuly 1825 Edit this on Wikidata
Died31 October 1897 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 71–72)
Coventry Edit this on Wikidata
OccupationArchitect Edit this on Wikidata

Thomson Plevins (1825-1897) was an English architect, active in Birmingham, England. A number of his buildings are extant, and some have been given listed status, giving them legal protection from unauthorised alteration or demolition.

Early life

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Plevins as born in July 1825, the son of a builder, Joseph Plevins, of the firm Pashby and Plevins,[1][2] and his wife Frances.[3] Joseph is commemorated by a window in the Church of SS Peter & Paul, Aston.[3]

Professional life

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After education Plevins trained as a surveyor and architect with his father's company.[1] From the age of 21, following the death of his father, he developed an architectural practice in his father's old offices at 8 Waterloo Street, Birmingham, where he remained until his own death.[1][3]

Some of his work was undertaken in the name of the architectural partnership of Plevins & Norrington.[4]

He also worked extensively as an advisor in legal cases regarding building laws, and as a negotiator in land sales.[1]

He had little involvement in civic life,[1] but in 1865 and 1866 at least, served as president of the Birmingham Architectural Society, in which role he drew up a model contract to minimise potential disputes between architects, builders and clients.[5][6] He was elected an Honorary Member of the Birmingham Architectural Association, as it then was, in December 1882.[7]

The architect Ralph Heaton was articled to Plevins in 1875.[2]

In 1890 he wrote to The Birmingham Daily Post, lobbying for the adaptation of flushing toilets to improve sanitation in the then town of Birmingham.[8]

Works

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Extant

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Market Hotel (now Comfort Inn) Birmingham

Plevins' extant buildings in Birmingham include:

  • Midland Hotel (1867-1875; now The Burlington Hotel), New Street[9]
  • The White House, 111 New Street (1874-1875; later remodelled)[10]
  • The Grand Hotel, (1879; Grade II* listed)[11]
  • The Crown, (1881, Grade II listed)[12]
  • Market Hotel, Station Street (1883, Grade II listed)[4][12] The building features Plevins' initials in a decorative plaque.[4]
  • The Victoria (1883), corner of John Bright Street and Station Street[13]

Lost

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The old Friends' Meeting House, Birmingham, demolished in 1933

Lost buildings (in Birmingham unless stated) include:

  • The Friends' Meeting House (1857; demolished 1933), Bull Street[14][15]
  • Birmingham and Staffordshire Gas Company, Old Square[16]
  • Colmore Chambers, Newhall Street[1]
  • Union Chambers, Temple Row[1]
  • St. George's Mill, Birmingham Screw Company, Smethwick[17]

Death

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Plevins died at his home in Eaton Road, Coventry, on 31 October 1897.[1][2] He was survived by his wife, Kate Evelyn Plevins, and four children, Thomas, Mabel, Noel and Morris,[1][18] as well as brother, Charles Henry Plevins (died 1899).[18]

Obituaries were published in The Birmingham Post (reprinted in The Builder)[19], and in The Building News and Engineering Journal.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Obituary". The Building News and Engineering Journal. 5 November 1897. p. 648, column 2.
  2. ^ a b c Directory of British Architects, 1834-1900. Mansell. 1993. p. 429. ISBN 978-0-7201-2158-2.
  3. ^ a b c "Plevins window". Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Former Market Hotel, Non Civil Parish - 1491218". Historic England. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  5. ^ "The Builder". Vol. 23, no. 1145. Building (Publishers) Ltd. 14 January 1865. p. 32.
  6. ^ "Building Contracts". The Builder. Vol. 24, no. 1245. 15 December 1866. pp. 914–915.
  7. ^ "The Architect & Building News". 2 December 1882. p. 404.
  8. ^ "The Building News and Engineering Journal". 31 October 1890. p. 634, column 2.
  9. ^ "The Burlington Hotel - A Birmingham Gem!". Birmingham Gems. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  10. ^ "The White House - A Birmingham Gem!". Birmingham Gems. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Grand Hotels And Tiny Toll Houses - Inspiring Stories From SAVE Britain's Heritage Buildings At Risk Register". Save Britain's Heritage. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  12. ^ a b "The Victorian Society celebrates the listing of the Market Hotel on Station Street Birmingham". The Victorian Society. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Your Place Your Space". Birmingham We Are. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  14. ^ "The British Friend". Vol. 15, no. 4. April 1857. p. 103.
  15. ^ "The Old Meeting House". The Iron Room. Birmingham Library Services. 23 March 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  16. ^ Stranger guide through Birmingham : being an account of all the public buildings. Birmingham: Cornish Brothers. 1867.
  17. ^ Jones, Edgar (1987). A History of GKN, Volume 1. Macmillan. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-333-34594-8.
  18. ^ a b "The Illustrated London News". Vol. 114, no. 3140. Illustrated London News. 24 June 1899. p. 934.
  19. ^ "Obituary". The Builder. 13 November 1897. p. 403, column 3.
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