Edward Holl

Edward Holl (c1765-1823) was an architect to the Navy Board (from 1804), then Surveyor of Buildings to the Board of Admiralty of the Royal Navy.

Major Works

• 1804–1824 Chatham Dockyard: Offices, Chapel; Smithery, sawmills (with Marc Isambard Brunel, lead and paint mills, pumping station (with John Rennie).
• 1806–1807 Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda and Commissioner's House (now used by Bermuda Maritime Museum)
• 1809–1811 St. Nicholas Naval Hospital, Great Yarmouth (closed in 1993 and converted into apartments in 1996)
• 1812 Devonport Dockyard, East Ropery building (formerly the spinning house)

Aspects of Holl's Work

Holl was the first to make large scale use of iron in building construction in HM dockyards, intially in his 1806 church at Chatham, where he used fluted cast iron columns to support the gallery.

He soon made more extensive use of iron, for example with his rebuilding of the Devonport Dockyard: Spinning House as a fireproof building. It had cast iron floor beams and columns, iron roof trusses, iron window frames and shutters.

Holl saw the advantages of iron construction for overseas establishment, allowing prefabrication and straightforward reassembly, as well as immunity from rapid decay and insect attack. The first application was for the hospital for the Sick and Hurt Board at Port Royal, Jamaica, built between 1818 and 1822. It had iron columns and floors. The Mansard roof had iron trusses spanning the full 52 ft width of the building. Most of the members were cast iron, apart from three vertical wrought iron tie rods. Photos of the hospital here, one of which shows the maker's name on a column - I. Sturges and Co, Bowling Iron Works, near Bradford. The 200-year old building still stands, despite earthquakes and hurricanes.

Death

1823 November 02nd. Died at Chelsea age 58.

See Also

Loading...

Sources of Information

• [1] Wikipedia entry
• 'Support for the Fleet: Architecture and engineering of the Royal Navy's Bases 1700-1914', by Jonathan Coad, English Heritage, 2013