John Welch

• Born                      1810 Overton, Flintshir
• Died                       1855 Preston Lancashire

John Welch was born 1810, Overton, Flintshire; the younger brother of Edward Welch and first moved to the Isle of Man in 1830 as assistant to his brother Edward and Joseph Aloysius Hansom. It was this later partnership, after many successes in North Wales and Northern England that had been invited to design King Williams College on the island. Shortly afterwards however this partnership was bankrupted by problems associated with the building of Birmingham Town Hall. Although John was probably involved, he escaped bankruptcy. Edward Welch left the Island before the completion of King William's College but John Welch remained, claiming to have altered the design of the tower.

The Manx Advertiser 18 Nov 1834 and subsequent issues carried the following advertisement for his services: John Welch Architect Begs respectfully to inform the Public that he has prepared a number of designs for Cottages, Villas &c in a variety of styles to which he has endeavoured to combine Economy of Arrangement and Design with a degree of Taste and Appearance. To the Gentlemen who would so honour him by a call they are open for inspection at his office, Athol Court, every day from 10 to 4

In 1836 he had an address on North Quay, Douglas, and advertised his services as 'architect, civil engineer and general surveyor'. He entered into partnership with John Moore, a builders' merchant who went into bankruptcy in 1837 (a letter in Manx Liberal 19 Dec 1840 complained re non-payment of debts 'It is now three years since the firm of Welch and Moore was dissolved and the latter been insolvent...'). Again in 1838 he entered into partnership under the style Welch and Webbe, with a Mr Webbe (about nothing is known) acting as resident architect.

By this time John Welch had moved to St Asaph in North Wales, visiting the Isle of Man only occasionally. About 1842 he moved to Preston where he died in 1855. Financial difficulties persisted and he was again insolvent in 1848, when the London Gazette (17 March 1848, page 1136) recorded the appearance in court of John Welch architect, surveyor and civil engineer, of Preston.

Address
1830-1837    Isle of Man
1834        Athol Court Douglas
1837        North Quay Douglas
1838        Welch and Webbe, architects Old Bank, Douglas
1838-1842    St Asaph Clwyd
1842-1854    Preston

Residence
1848        34 Chaddock Street Preston  (London Gazette 17 March 1848 p1136)
1848        43 Great Avenham Street Preston (London Gazette 17 March 1848 p1136)
1848        Occasional lodger at Bridge Inn Salford (London Gazette 17 March 1848 p1136)

References
A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600 1840 3rd Ed, H. Colvin; Yale University Press 1995