Albert Winstanley
- Birth date January-March 1878 at Southport
- Christening 22 April 1876 at Holy Trinity, Southport, Lancashire
- Marriage 1912
- Death date 24 June 1943 at The Royal Infirmary Preston Lancashire
A prolific designer of theates and cinemas, Alfred Winstanley was born in North Meols, Southport in 1876, the only child of Henry Winstanley and his second wife, Elizabeth. He was articled to C O Ellison and Son of Liverpool in 1894 and remained as assistant while attending the Victoria School of Art. He was later assistant in the Surveyor of Taxes Office. West Derby, Liverpool and in the Scarisbrick Estate Office, Southport before joining Arnold England as assistant/partner. They later practised with Thomas England, Arnold’s brother, under the style of England, Winstanley and England, Architects, Valuers and Civil Engineers, at Carlton Chambers, 13 St Andrews Road South, St Anne’s.
With offices at 49 Deansgate, Manchester and at Imperial Chambers, 5a West Crescent, St Anne’s, Albert Winstanley was working alone by 1907, the “Cheltenham Palace” Music Hall, High Street, Cheltenham being one of his earliest works. He was elected LRIBA, on 19 December 1910 proposed by J D Hawkes.
In 1912 he married Harriet Ann Deakin (nee Ellis), a milliner, widowed by the age of 29. Harriet died on 21 June 1926, aged 54. There were no children. He was a prominent Conservative actively associated with St Anne’s Conservative Club, which he had designed in 1922 and was at one time its Chairman.
In his later years, Albert suffered from poor health and increasing blindness, possible contributing factors in his death. On 30 May 1943 he was waiting on the platform of Kirkham railway station when he fell into the path of an oncoming train. The accident left him with brain injuries and his left leg badly crushed, requiring amputation at Preston Royal Infirmary, where he died three weeks later, on 24 June 1943. A verdict of misadventure was recorded at the inquest.
Winstanley bequeathed most of his estate to the Manchester Society of Architects to provide scholarships in architecture. The Winstanley Scholarship is still awarded by the MSA to students from Lancashire.
Address:
1909: Rochdale, Lancashire,?
1910-1925: 49 Deansgate Manchester
1926-1936: A Winstanley LRIBA 15 Great Ducie Street, Manchester
1910-1936: A Winstanley LRIBA 5a Imperial Chambers, The Crescent St Annes
Residence
1881 : 7, Victoria Street North Meols, (Southport) Lancashire (Census)
1901 : Poulton Bare & Torrisholme (Census) Holiday at Morecambe?
1910 : St Albans Road St Anne’s
1924-1943: A Winstanley LRIBA 53 Orchard Road, St Anne’s
References
Who’s who in architecture 1914, 1923 and 1926
British Architectural Library Biography File
Richard Gray Cinemas in Britain London 1996
Ed Iain MacIntosh & Michaell Sell Curtains: or new life for old theatres London 1982
The Manchester City News. 7 February 1925. Page 8
Dictionary of Scottish Architects