Isaac Hildreth (1741 – 1807) was an 18th century English architect, civil engineer, and master builder.
Isaac Hildreth | |
|---|---|
| Born | Isaac Hildreth 1741 |
| Died | 1807 |
| Nationality |  English |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | Government House (Nova Scotia) |
| Projects | Halifax Town Clock |
Early life
editBorn in 1741 in Yorkshire, England, Isaac Hildreth was a loyalist who moved to Virginia in 1770 and contributed to military defenses at the beginning of the Revolution.[1]
Career
editHildreth, who spent the war years in England and Jamaica, arrived with other Loyalists at Shelburne, Nova Scotia, in 1783.[1] Hildreth, a builder by trade, quickly secured work and was commissioned in 1788 to construct Christ Church, Shelburne.[2]
In addition to building King's Collegiate School (now King's-Edgehill School) in Windsor, adapted from Peter Harrison's plans, he worked on sections of the Shubenacadie Canal, which spans Halifax to the Bay of Fundy.[2] In 1797, Hildreth was tasked with the first survey and report when a committee was appointed to explore the possibility of a canal connecting Dartmouth Cove to Minas Basin by way of the Shubenacadie lakes.[3] A report from the feasibility study, completed with the help of Theophilus Chamberlain, a surveyor from the Preston area, was published on 15 November 1797, estimating a 4-foot navigation would cost £3,202 and 17 shillings.[4][5] The total expense for the survey and report was £208 and 13 shillings.[6]
Eventually settling in Halifax by 1800, Hildreth designed the Government House, the official residence of the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia. On 11 September 1800, the first stone was laid by Nova Scotia Governor Sir John Wentworth.[6] The masonry for the building was led by chief mason John Henderson.[7] The original design is thought to originate from Peter Harrison, following John Wentworth's request for plans for a Governor's Mansion in Portsmouth, Virginia.[2]
In 1802–03, the Halifax Town Clock, a clock tower ordered by Prince Edward, was built under the supervision of Hildreth following a design by architect Captain William Fenwick of the Royal Engineers.[8]
Following the completion of the Government House, Hildreth was recognized for his contributions to the building project through a formal certificate issued by the Committee of Assembly in January 1807.[9]
Death
editIsaac Hildreth died in 1807 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Kornwolf, J. D., Kornwolf, G. W. (2002). Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial North America. United Kingdom: Johns Hopkins University Press.
- ^ a b c Millar, J. F. (2014). The Buildings of Peter Harrison: Cataloguing the Work of the First Global Architect, 1716-1775. United States: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.
- ^ Doughty, A. G., Shortt, A. (1914). Canada and Its Provinces: Atlantic provinces. Canada: Brook.
- ^ Lawson, W. (1893). History of the Townships of Dartmouth, Preston, and Lawrencetown: Halifax County, N.S.. Canada: Morton & Company.
- ^ Grantmyre, B. L. (1975). The River that Missed the Boat. Canada: Petheric Press.
- ^ a b Murdoch, B. (1867). A History of Nova-Scotia, Or Acadie. Canada: J. Barnes.
- ^ Americana Illustrated. (1918). United States: National Americana Society.
- ^ Kalman, H. (2000). A Concise History of Canadian Architecture. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
- ^ Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society. (1976). Canada: Nova Scotia Historical Society..