John Langham

• Born                      Oct-Dec 1853 Leicester
• Died                       26 March 1926 at 24 Church Lane Prestwich
• Burial                     St Mary’s Church, Prestwich

John Langham was born in Leicester in 1853 and was in partnership with James Tait (1834/5-1915) of Leicester from about 1874 until 1880. By 1881 he had moved to Manchester as an Architect’s Managing Assistant before setting up practice on his own account at 9 Albert Square Manchester in 1884 as an architect and draughtsman (later architect and artist).

It was his skill as a draughtsman, particularly in producing perspective drawings for architectural competitions and Illustration that would define his career. In a number of competitions, he acted as “Joint Architect” – presumably sharing in the winnings on a no win no fee basis – with a number of Manchester architects.  These included I R E Birkett (Waterloo Church); Henry Ross of Accrington (Church of St. Mary Magdalen, Accrington); and most famously with Woodhouse and Willoughby (London Road Fire Station, Board School, Oldham, Branch Bank Ashton Old Road, Stockport Town Hall)

About 1880 he published “Studies in English architecture,“ a  folio of twenty photo-lithographic  plates from his drawings containing perspective views and measured drawings of mediaeval churches and sixteenth century domestic architecture, mostly in the East Midlands, including Whitby Abbey, Furness Abbey, Thorney Abbey Church, Cambridgeshire, Saint Leonard's Priory Church, Stamford, Whaplode Church, Lincolnshire, Moulton Church, Lincolnshire, Barnack Church, Northamptonshire, Irthlingborough Church, Northamptonshire, West Walton Church, Norfolk, churches at Hallaton, Brentingby, Brookesby and Gaddesby, Leicestershire, and at Whissendine, Manton, Little Casterton, Rutland, Beauchamp Chapel, Warwick, Queen's Eleanor Cross, Geddington, Northamptonshire, Wingfield Manor, Derbyshire, Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire, Rakedale Old Hall, Leicestershire. The best known domestic building featured is Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire (shown on three of the plates). All the illustrations are by J. Langham and one carries the date 1877. There is no accompanying text and no list of plates, the objective presumably being to show off Langham’s talents as an architectural draughtsman.

He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy between 1874 and 1912 and was in partnership with Alfred Rowland Parker from about 1912.

John Langham died at his residence, 24 Church Lane Prestwich on 26 March 1926 and was buried a short distance away in St Mary’s churchyard. He never married.

Address
1874    28 Friar Lane Leicester
1876    93 High Street Leicester
1884    John Langham architect and draughtsman Scottish Provident Buildings, 9, Albert Square
1886    John Langham architect and draughtsman Scottish Provident Buildings, 9, Albert Square
1895    John Langham architect and draughtsman Scottish Provident Buildings, 9, Albert Square
1908    John Langham    Scottish Provident Buildings, 9, Albert Square
1908    John Langham    Scottish Provident Buildings, 9, Albert Square

Residence
1861    Chancery Street Leicester (census)
1879    77 Southfield Cottages Leicester
1881    George’s terrace Church Lane Prestwich (Census)
1886    George’s terrace Church Lane Prestwich (Slater)
1895    24 Church Lane Prestwich (Slater)
1901    John Langham architect and artist. Prestwich (Census)
1911    24 Church Lane Prestwich (Slater)

Obituary   Builder 16 April 1926 page 626