James Pigott Pritchett Jr
British architect
James Pigott Pritchett (14 May 1830 – 22 September 1911), known as J P Pritchett junior or J P Pritchett of Darlington, was a British architect.
Biography
Early life
He was born in York, the son of architect James Pigott Pritchett senior (1789–1868) and his second wife Caroline Benson. He was educated at St Peter's School, York, before being articled to his father's architectural firm in 1845. He travelled in Europe, the Near East and Africa.
Career
In 1854, he succeeded to the architectural practice of his brother-in-law John Middleton in Darlington, where he would continue to work until his retirement.
The same year, his father's firm, Pritchett & Sons of York, won a competition to design two chapels, a lodge and entrance gates for the new Boston Cemetery in Lincolnshire, but it was Pritchett junior who attended the meeting in July 1854 and was commissioned to prepare plans. He provided the layout for the grounds and plans for twin chapels and a lodge, all in the gothic style, which were constructed by 1855 when the Anglican chapel was consecrated and the first interment took place. The layout of the cemetery, lodge and Anglican chapel remain intact, though the identical nonconformist chapel was demolished in 1961.
Also in 1854, Pritchett was engaged to renovate the medieval St Nicholas Church, Durham, and when the building was found to be beyond repair he was commissioned to design a replacement. The new church was opened in 1858 and described by the Illustrated London News as "the most beautiful specimen of church architecture in the north of England".
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