Joseph Hirst





Joseph Henry Hirst (1863–1945) was a leading architect of the post-Victorian era based in Kingston upon Hull.
Life
He was born in 1863 in South Milford, Yorkshire, the son of William Hirst (1833-1918) and Mary Ann Carr (1839-1883). He married Hannah Whitehead (1852-1951) in 1890 in St Charles Catholic Church, Hull. They had the following children:
- Captain Joseph Francis Xavier Hirst MC (1891-1978)
 - William Leo Hirst (1896-1983)
 - Irene Mary Hirst (1900-1973)
 
During the Second World War his home in Hymers Avenue, Hull was damaged in an air raid. He moved to Selby where he died aged 82.[1]
Career
He started his career as a surveyor under Colonel William H. Wellsted.
He was appointed first City Architect for Kingston upon Hull on 1 January 1900, and he retained this until retirement on 1 July 1926[2] and was "the man who more than any other designed the face of the modern city".[3] He was responsible for some of Hull's best-known buildings, among them the City Hall, swimming baths, schools and housing estates.[4]
Buildings designed by Joseph Hirst
- East Hull Baths, Holderness Road, Hull 1897-98
 - Crematorium, Hedon Road Cemetery, Hull 1899-1901[5]
 - Council Houses, Steynburg Street and Rustenburg Street, Hull 1902-03
 - Bob Carvers Fish and Chip Restaurant and Trinity Market Hall, North Church Side, Hull 1902-04[6]
 - Police Station, 20 Parliament Street, Hull 1902-04[7]
 - Empress Hotel, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull 1903[8]
 - Lodge, East Park, Hull 1903
 - Fountain House, Fountain Road, Hull 1904
 - Public Baths, Beverley Road, Hull 1905[9]
 - Carnegie Library, Anlaby Road, Hull 1905[10]
 - City Hall, Hull 1903-09[11]
 - Pickering Almshouses, Hessle Road, Hull 1909
 - Sewage Pumping Station, Hessle Road, Hull 1909[12]
 - Lodge, West Park, Hull 1910
 - Southcoates Lane School, Hull 1910-11[13][14]
 - Sidmouth Street School, Hull 1911-12[15][16]
 - Chapel, Northern Cemetery, Hull 1912[17]
 - Museum of Fisheries and Shipping, Hull 1912
 - School for Fishermen, Boulevard, Hull 1914[18]
 - Newland School for Girls, Cottingham Road, Hull 1914[19]
 - Central Fire Station, Worship Street, Hull 1927[20]
 - Residences on Hymers Avenue, Hull, near Hymers College[21]
 
Publications
- (1913) The block houses of Kingston-upon-Hull and who went there: A glimpse of catholic life in the penal times and a missing page of local history. Hull: A. Brown & Sons.
 - (1916) The Armorial Bearings of Kingston Upon Hull. Hull: A. Brown & Sons.
 
References
- ^ "Built City Hall". Hull Daily Mail. England. 15 May 1945. Retrieved 22 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
 - ^ "City Architect Retires". Hull Daily Mail. England. 24 March 1926. Retrieved 22 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
 - ^ "History - Trinity Market". Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
 - ^ "Undercover shopping a mainstay of city history | This is Hull and East Riding". www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
 - ^ Historic England, "Former Chapel and Crematorium at Hedon Road Cemetery (1197740)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "The Market Hall and Bob Carvers Fish and Chip Restaurant (1283105)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "No. 20 Parliament Street (1197711)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "Empress Public House (1207633)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "Beverley Road Swimming Centre (1297036)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "Former Carnegie Public Library (1197652)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Neave, David; Neave, Susan (2010). Pevsner Architectural Guides. Hull. Yale University Press. p. 65. ISBN 9780300141726.
 - ^ Historic England, "Sewage Pumping Station 10 metres west of Pickering Homes (1209557)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "Southcoates Lane Education Centre (1197661)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "Southcoates Lane Primary School (1197662)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "Sidmouth Street School East Block (1283099)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "Sidmouth Street School West Block (1219200)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "Chapel at Northern Cemetery (1197629)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "The Boulevard Centre (1389675)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ Historic England, "Newland School for Girls (1208622)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 23 July 2023
 - ^ "Hull's Fire Station". Hull Daily Mail. England. 7 April 1927. Retrieved 22 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
 - ^ "5 bedroom house for sale in Hymers Avenue, HULL, HU3 1LN, HU3". Rightmove.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
 
External links
- Hirst's 1911 census record
 - Reminiscence of the War, largely relating to his son, who served in France as a 2nd Lieutenant with the East Yorkshire Regiment
 - Individual and family records at Hull Local History Centre.