Catalogue description Architect's Plans

Architectural plans, prepared by the Wilks and Vaughan Ellis partnership of St. Germans, and their predecessors

Rice, Coad, Sansom of Liskeard.

The numbering scheme relates to shelving arrangement before deposit.

Missing numbers relate to plans not deposited.

Rice, Coad, Sansom, Liskeard, Cornwall, architects

Wilks and Vaughn Ellis, St Germans, Cornwall, architects

Accession 4210, deposited 2 October 1991

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE LISKEARD ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE OF RICE, COAD, SANSOM (c 1837 - 1921) (as at Nov.1988)

The three Architects who carried this Practice through the Victorian and Edwardian eras were:-

Henry Rice born 1808 (Liskeard) died 1876 (Liskeard).

Richard Coad born 1825 (Liskeard) died 1900 (London).

John Sansom born c1850 (St. Germans) died 1921 (St. Germans).

The first two Architects had strong associations with Sir George Gilbert Scott (who designed the first phase of the Liskeard Infirmary in 1837). It appears very probable that he asked Henry Rice to look after this job as the original drawings are amongst the Practice papers. Richard Coad is positively known to have been as assistant with Scott 1847 to 1864 and was office manager at the time when the Prince Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens was designed and built. Coad is also stated to have been Clerk of Works for the Albert Memorial and I have some papers from this job. Mr. Venning, who succeeded John Sansom in the Practice, referred to the trio as being part of the "Spring Gardens Group". (Scott's office was at 20 Spring Gardens) and the "Adelphi Clique" (Richard Coad's principal address was 3 Duke Street, The Adelphi).

A reasonable assumption is that both Coad and Sansom were originally articled to Rice and then left to become assistants with Scott, or in Sansom's case he may have gone to work with Coad who had set up on his own in 1864. Coad's parting with Scott was evidently quite amicable and Scott was happy to allow Coad to take with him the work at Lanhydroc House for Lord Robartes.

Although so far we have not found any drawings or papers of Coad's with the Liskeard address he left drawings of several projects with the Practice papers. Mr. Venning joined the Practice in 1896 when Sansom was the Liskeard principal but he told me that Coad was a frequent visitor to the office until his death. Coad was busy restoring St. Martin's Church, Liskeard, in 1870 and Rice ceased to practice in 1874, with Sansom known to be principal in 1884. Therefore another reasonable assumption is that Coad was principal from 1874 - 1884 with Sansom acting as his Liskeard manager.

A Robert Coad of Liskeard was a noted Surveyor in practice in Liskeard in the first half of the 19th century and Henry Rice states that he worked for him for 11 years before starting his own practice. We have not yet confirmed whether or not this Robert Coad was the father or uncle of Richard Coad, the Architect.

Following is a brief resume' of the known careers of the three Architects:-

Henry Rice 1808 - 1876. In practice at Liskeard as sole Principal 1837 - 1874. A gifted and sensitive architect responsible for a very substantial part of the older parts of Liskeard which we see today.

1837 - Toll Houses at Looe Mills and Maudlin.

1838 - Greenbank Methodist Church.

1838 - 47 - Dean Terrace.

1840 - Wesleyan Chapel, Windsor Place.

1845 - Wesleyan Chapel, Windsor Place burnt down and rebuilt.

1851 - East Cornwall Bank (now Barclays Bank).

1851 - Dean Villas.

1853 - 55 - Varley Terrace (originally Farley Terrace).

1859 - The Guildhall.

Other buildings by him or to which he made alterations but for which at present there are no dates, are:-

Trelawne, Pelynt: Herodsfoot Vicarage: at Liskeard - Westbourne House, Pendean House. Dean St. Surgery, Trewithen House, Manley Terrace, Several shops of which a number of the original fronts still survive, The Stag Hotel, Lloyds Bank, 6 West Street. He was also surveyor to the Liskeard Turnpike Trust.

Richard Coad 1825 - 1900. In practice on own account 1864 - 1900.

It is a fair assumption that in the mid 1840s he was articled to Henry Rice before joining G.G. Scott in 1847. He became Scott's chief assistant and as such travelled the whole Kingdom. Whilst with Scott he became involved with Lord Robartes concerning improvements to Lanhydroc House near Bodmin, and when he left Scott in 1864 there was a specific agreement that Coad would continue as Lord Robartes' architect. He was employed again by Lord Robartes to rebuild Lanhydroc after the disasterous fire of 1881. His very fine drawings of Lanhydroc have fortunately survived and are now in the possession of the National Trust. About 1884 he engaged J.R. MacLaren as assistant and then for a time the two were in partnership. MacLaren was a superb draughtsman and prepared many of the fine perspective drawings of Lanhydroc which were exhibited at the Royal Academy and appeared in various journals at the time. Henry Rice retired from the Liskeard practice in 1874 and Richard Coad appears to have controlled this practice until it was taken over by John Sansom in 1884 but Coad is remembered by Mr. Venning continuing his visits to the Liskeard office up until the end of the century. Some of his buildings and projects are:-

1864 - Additions & alterations at Lanhydroc House, Bodmin.

1865 - St. Peter in St.Ainby, Lincs..

1870 - Restoration St. Martin's Church, Liskeard.

1873 - Cocks Biddulph & Co., Bank buildings, Charing Cross, London WC.

1873 - 5 - St. Augustine's Church, Halifax.

1879 - Restoration St. Andrew's Church, Tywardreath (virtually a rebuild).

1881 - 84 - Restoration Lanhydroc House, Bodmin (after fire).

1883 - Alterations at Boconnoc, Cornwall.

1884 - Restoration St. Hyldren's Church, Lansallos, Cornwall.

1886 - New Wing Ledbury Park, Herefordshire with J. MacLaren.

1887 - Restoration of Bowringsleigh, S. Devon with J. MacLaren.

John Sansom 1850 - 1921. In practice in Liskeard 1884 - 1913.

Again very probably articled originally to Henry Rice and then joined Coad in London, only to return later to Liskeard to run the Liskeard office for Coad before becoming Principal in 1884. Reflecting the period in which he worked, Sansom's buildings have rejected any pretensions towards High Victorian Gothic and are fairly restrained with a leaning more to the Classic than Gothic. A large number of his middle-class houses remain in the East Cornwall area and his style is fairly easily recognised - a favourite feature being an octagonal tower.

His most noted contribution to Cornish Architecture is the Tower of Liskeard Church (approx. high) which was the subject of an Architectural Competition in the early 1900s. Behind that is the story of an epic Court case through the Ecclesiastical Consistory Court. His chief buildings were:-

- Victoria Hotel, Newquay.

- Porthminster Hotel, St. Ives.

1903 - Liskeard Church Tower.

- Several Schools, including Liskeard Grammar School.

- Churches for both C of E and Methodists at Merrymeet.

- Pencubitt House, Liskeard, now Country Castle Hotel.

- Extensions to Liskeard Hospital and Wesley Church.

- One of his best buildings was a small departmental store (Maggs Son & Deeble) in Liskeard which was completely destroyed by fire about 20 years ago.

The Practice was taken over by his chief assistant, Herbert Reed Venning, in 1913 but when Mr. Venning was away on War Service 1916 - 19 Mr. Sansom took control once more.

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