Joseph Hirst


Joseph Henry Hirst 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 and Mary Ann Carr. He married Hannah Whitehead in 1890 in St Charles Catholic Church, Hull. They had the following children:
  • Captain Joseph Francis Xavier Hirst MC
  • William Leo Hirst
  • Irene Mary Hirst
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.

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 and was "the man who more than any other designed the face of the modern city".
He was responsible for some of Hull's best-known buildings, among them the City Hall, swimming baths, schools and housing estates.

Buildings designed by Joseph Hirst

Publications

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.The Armorial Bearings of Kingston Upon Hull. Hull: A. Brown & Sons.