John Wills (architect)

John Wills (1846 - 20 June 1906) was an architect based in Derby.

Personal life

He lived at Dodbrook, 136 Whitaker Road, Derby, a house he designed himself.

For many years he was president of the Derby and Derbyshire Band of Hope Union, and treasurer of the South Derbyshire Liberal Association. He was also a councillor on Derby Town Council for the Becket Ward in the 1880s. He was a trustee of Green-hill Chapel in Derby.

He died in Salcombe, Devon on 20 June 1906.^[1]

Career

He formed a partnership with his sons William Francis Wills (b. 1877) and John Ross Wills (b. 1882). His practice was based at Victoria Street Chambers in Derby.^[2] He was responsible for building many non-conformist chapels in the Midlands and in the southeastern counties of Sussex, Middlesex, Essex and Kent. He has been called the "pre-eminent architect" of Baptist chapels in Kent, where his designs ranged from expensive, large chapels in towns to small wayside chapels in rural areas.^[3] His Baptist church at Holland Road in Hove has been called one of the most important Nonconformist chapels of the Victorian era in Sussex.^[4]

He was the author of Hints to Trustees of Chapel Property and Chapel Keepers’ Manual which was in its 3rd edition by 1884.

Buildings

• 1878 Futhergate Congregational Chapel, Blackburn^[5]
• 1879 Primitive Methodist Chapel, Cross Keys.
• 1881 Victoria Baptist Church, Deal, Kent^[6]
• 1882 Chesterfield Primitive Methodist Chapel^[7]
• 1883 Unitarian Chapel, Llandysul.
• 1885 Ceylon Place Baptist Church, Eastbourne^[8]
• 1886 Park Street Wesleyan Methodist, Blaenavon.
• 1886 Brasted Baptist Chapel, Brasted, Kent^[6]
• 1886 Vine Baptist Chapel, Sevenoaks, Kent^[6]
• 1887 Fowey Congregational Chapel, Cornwall^[9]
• 1887 Holland Road Baptist Church, Hove^[10]
• 1887 Townend Memorial Methodist Chapel, Knockholt, Kent^[6]
• 1888 Normanton on Soar Wesleyan Chapel^[11]
• 1889 Baptist Tabernacle, New Brompton, Kent^[6]
• 1891 St Paul's Wesleyan Methodist, Penmaenmawr.
• 1892 Yalding Baptist Chapel, Yalding, Kent^[6]
• 1895 Prichard Memorial Baptist, Llangollen^[12]
• 1895 Hove Methodist Church, Hove^[13]
• 1896 Brimington Wesleyan Chapel, Derbyshire^[14]
• 1897 Wesleyan Chapel, St Lawrence, Ramsgate, Kent^[6]
• 1898 Wesleyan Church and schools, Firth Park Road, Sheffield
• 1898 Babington Buildings, St. Peter's Street, Derby for the Public Benefit Boot & Shoe Company
• 1899 Cornerstone Methodist Church, Worthing^[15]
• 1899 Cavendish Baptist Schools, Ramsgate, Kent^[6]
• 1899 Fitzwalter Road Wesleyan Chapel, Sheffield^[16]
• 1900 Bucks Road Primitive Methodist Chapel, Douglas, Isle of Man
• 1900 Wesleyan Methodist, Milford Haven.
• 1900 Queen's Road Methodist Church, Beeston, Nottingham
• 1900 Borrowash Methodist Church
• 1901 Victoria Road Congregational Church, Portsmouth^[17]
• 1902 Osmaston Wesleyan Church, Derbyshire^[18]
• 1903 Waltham Abbey Wesleyan Church and Sunday School, Essex
• 1904 Walmer, Kent
• 1905 Wealdstone Baptist Church
• 1905 Bethel Methodist Church, Brighouse, West Yorkshire^[19]
• 1913 Pellon Baptist Church, Halifax, West Yorkshire

References

Bibliography

• Elleray, D. Robert (1981). The Victorian Churches of Sussex. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 0-85033-378-4. 
• Elleray, D. Robert (2004). Sussex Places of Worship. Worthing: Optimus Books. ISBN 0-9533132-7-1. 
• Homan, Roger (1984). The Victorian Churches of Kent. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 0-85033-466-7.