Samuel Burleigh Gabriel
Architect & Surveyor
(1816-1865, Bristol)
Samuel Burleigh Gabriel came from a family without any ties to the building trade, being the son of John Gabriel & (Ann Burleigh), who traded as a tea grocer. For many years the Gabriel family resided at 24, Richmond Terrace, Clifton and amassed a small portfolio of property near to Stokes Croft and Kings Square. Later, Gabriel managed these properties on behalf of his mother and whilst he may have undertaken design work on them, the majority have not survived.(1)
In c.1831, Gabriel entered to an apprenticeship with architect Thomas Foster, completing a full seven year term to become a Freeman of Bristol in 1838.(2) Gabriel’s training with Foster may have directed his career more towards ecclesiastical work. However, religion was likely an important part of Gabriel's upbringing with his elder and younger brothers, John Bath Gabriel and Edward Gabriel having entered into the church.(3)
The exact establishment of Gabriel’s solo career is unclear but in 1842*, he was responsible for designing a Gothic-styled school in Tewkesbury during which his brother John Bath Gabriel was a clergyman in the town.(4) Additionally, he is attributed as the potential architect for Lexden Terrace, Tenby (Cadw Entry no. 26321). The terrace was started in 1843 and Gabriel was one of the contacts when letting three of houses in 1845. If Gabriel was responsible for the terrace, it represents a rare departure from his usual use of Gothic.
Back in Bristol, Gabriel entered into a short-lived architectural partnership with John Hicks (c.May 1846 - July 1847). The pair designed a school at Winford, Somerset(5) and the Church of St Simon, Baptist Mills.(6) The Church of St George’s, Two-Mile-Hill, Gloucestershire appears to be correctly accredited to Gabriel but Hicks had undertaken discussions on the church as early as 1845.(7) The partnership ended following Hicks' bankruptcy exit from Bristol. Gabriel remained at their offices on 28 Corn Street and continued to design several new churches and associated schools in Bristol.(8) Additionally, he superintended the construction of the Church of St Mark’s, Easton from the designs of Samuel Dyer, who had died in 1848.(9) In a departure from his church and school work, Gabriel superintended work on the refurbishment of traveling circuses including in 1849 Franconi's Cirque National de France and to the Royal Circus in 1850.(10) In the same year, Gabriel was one of the fourteen founding members of the Bristol Society of Architects and after it lapsed served as its President in 1864. Gabriel was also a member of the Bristol and West of England Architectural Society.
In c.1850 Gabriel entered into another architectural partnership with John Henry Hirst (c.1826-1882), which lasted until February 1855.(11) Hirst had been practicing as an architect in Halifax Yorkshire but in 1849 was the clerk of works on Gabriel's St Jude's Church of 1849.(12) The exact commencement of Gabriel and Hirst's partnership is unclear and whilst the pair are attributed with an extension of the Royal Hotel in Western-super-mare, time-scales suggest that its design is by Gabriel alone.(13) The partnership appears to have commenced from September 1850, when the pair started a weekly architectural surgery in Weston-Super-Mare.(14) The Royal Terrace (adjacent to the Royal Hotel) is also attributed to Gabriel and Hirst whilst the only other work in Weston-Super-Mare appears to have been in proposing a new square (laid out in what is now Victoria Square) but which does not seem to have advanced any further.(15) In 1853 the pair removed from 28 Corn Street to St Nicholas Chambers and the partnership diversified into more residential and commercial work(16), alongside Gabriel's usual ecclesiastical and school project. Additionally, the partnership appeared to show greater ambition to work outside of Bristol by entering into several competitions(17) and exhibiting at the 1855 Exposition Universelle of Paris.(18)
The dissolution of Gabriel and Hirst's partnership in 1855(19) did not appear to hurt either partner's careers but there is confusion over the design authorship of several buildings commenced/finished between 1855-1856.(20) However, shortly after their split, Hirst did beat Gabriel over a competition for alterations at the Royal Hotel, Mall, Clifton.(21) For the remainder of the 1850s, Gabriel appeared to return to his favoured ecclesiastical and more school projects, but departures from this work(22) included housing in Wellington Park, Clifton (c.1857), unknown improvements to Fishguard Harbour (1859) and a Police Station and Petty Sessions building in Keynsham (1859).
At the beginning of the 1860s Gabriel designed two very similar parsonages in Bedminster and Winterbourne Down,(23) which suggests that his practice remained busy. Gabriel's work continued to be evenly split by ecclesiastical-related, residential and commercial projects. Those of particular interest include 49 & 50 Broad Street(24) (1863) and The Grand Hotel (1865*) for there stylistic departures from Gabriel's usual use of Gothic; the enlargement of St John the Evangelist (c.1864-65) having been built by his former partner Hicks; and the London and Lancashire Insurance Offices on Corn Street (c.1865) which was replaced in 1904 by a building designed by Gabriel's son.(25)
Gabriel's contribution to The Grand Hotel (Grade II. NHLE: 122023) is unclear as he died six-months after being appointed alongside Fosters & Wood as the company architects of the Bristol City Hotel Company.(26) The reasoning behind appointing two separate firms remains unclear but it's likely there was a good relationship since Gabriel had been apprenticed to Foster's firm and was a long-term neighbour of Joseph Wood.(27) Delays in the hotel's requirements, its design and construction meant that the hotel did not open until 1870 and therefore, Gabriels work may have been lost in the redesigns, but notwithstanding the dangers of stylistic attribution, there is some similarity between floral decorations between the hotel's Broad Street elevation and Gabriel's earlier efforts on 49 & 50 Broad Street (now Horts Public House).
At the time of Gabriel's early death in 1865 (aged 48),28 he was working on Crew Holes School, St John the Evangelist and a project in Clevedon. His widow(29) apparently suggested that these projects were completed by Messrs Godwin and Crisp.(30)
There are no official records for Gabriel having taken on any apprentices or articled students and whilst he frequently advertised for pupils, there is no evidence of who these were. However, Gabriel's only son, (Samuel) Edward Gabriel, who was a minor at the time of his father's death, ended up training as an architect in Bristol and London.
In c.1831, Gabriel entered to an apprenticeship with architect Thomas Foster, completing a full seven year term to become a Freeman of Bristol in 1838.(2) Gabriel’s training with Foster may have directed his career more towards ecclesiastical work. However, religion was likely an important part of Gabriel's upbringing with his elder and younger brothers, John Bath Gabriel and Edward Gabriel having entered into the church.(3)
The exact establishment of Gabriel’s solo career is unclear but in 1842*, he was responsible for designing a Gothic-styled school in Tewkesbury during which his brother John Bath Gabriel was a clergyman in the town.(4) Additionally, he is attributed as the potential architect for Lexden Terrace, Tenby (Cadw Entry no. 26321). The terrace was started in 1843 and Gabriel was one of the contacts when letting three of houses in 1845. If Gabriel was responsible for the terrace, it represents a rare departure from his usual use of Gothic.
Back in Bristol, Gabriel entered into a short-lived architectural partnership with John Hicks (c.May 1846 - July 1847). The pair designed a school at Winford, Somerset(5) and the Church of St Simon, Baptist Mills.(6) The Church of St George’s, Two-Mile-Hill, Gloucestershire appears to be correctly accredited to Gabriel but Hicks had undertaken discussions on the church as early as 1845.(7) The partnership ended following Hicks' bankruptcy exit from Bristol. Gabriel remained at their offices on 28 Corn Street and continued to design several new churches and associated schools in Bristol.(8) Additionally, he superintended the construction of the Church of St Mark’s, Easton from the designs of Samuel Dyer, who had died in 1848.(9) In a departure from his church and school work, Gabriel superintended work on the refurbishment of traveling circuses including in 1849 Franconi's Cirque National de France and to the Royal Circus in 1850.(10) In the same year, Gabriel was one of the fourteen founding members of the Bristol Society of Architects and after it lapsed served as its President in 1864. Gabriel was also a member of the Bristol and West of England Architectural Society.
In c.1850 Gabriel entered into another architectural partnership with John Henry Hirst (c.1826-1882), which lasted until February 1855.(11) Hirst had been practicing as an architect in Halifax Yorkshire but in 1849 was the clerk of works on Gabriel's St Jude's Church of 1849.(12) The exact commencement of Gabriel and Hirst's partnership is unclear and whilst the pair are attributed with an extension of the Royal Hotel in Western-super-mare, time-scales suggest that its design is by Gabriel alone.(13) The partnership appears to have commenced from September 1850, when the pair started a weekly architectural surgery in Weston-Super-Mare.(14) The Royal Terrace (adjacent to the Royal Hotel) is also attributed to Gabriel and Hirst whilst the only other work in Weston-Super-Mare appears to have been in proposing a new square (laid out in what is now Victoria Square) but which does not seem to have advanced any further.(15) In 1853 the pair removed from 28 Corn Street to St Nicholas Chambers and the partnership diversified into more residential and commercial work(16), alongside Gabriel's usual ecclesiastical and school project. Additionally, the partnership appeared to show greater ambition to work outside of Bristol by entering into several competitions(17) and exhibiting at the 1855 Exposition Universelle of Paris.(18)
The dissolution of Gabriel and Hirst's partnership in 1855(19) did not appear to hurt either partner's careers but there is confusion over the design authorship of several buildings commenced/finished between 1855-1856.(20) However, shortly after their split, Hirst did beat Gabriel over a competition for alterations at the Royal Hotel, Mall, Clifton.(21) For the remainder of the 1850s, Gabriel appeared to return to his favoured ecclesiastical and more school projects, but departures from this work(22) included housing in Wellington Park, Clifton (c.1857), unknown improvements to Fishguard Harbour (1859) and a Police Station and Petty Sessions building in Keynsham (1859).
At the beginning of the 1860s Gabriel designed two very similar parsonages in Bedminster and Winterbourne Down,(23) which suggests that his practice remained busy. Gabriel's work continued to be evenly split by ecclesiastical-related, residential and commercial projects. Those of particular interest include 49 & 50 Broad Street(24) (1863) and The Grand Hotel (1865*) for there stylistic departures from Gabriel's usual use of Gothic; the enlargement of St John the Evangelist (c.1864-65) having been built by his former partner Hicks; and the London and Lancashire Insurance Offices on Corn Street (c.1865) which was replaced in 1904 by a building designed by Gabriel's son.(25)
Gabriel's contribution to The Grand Hotel (Grade II. NHLE: 122023) is unclear as he died six-months after being appointed alongside Fosters & Wood as the company architects of the Bristol City Hotel Company.(26) The reasoning behind appointing two separate firms remains unclear but it's likely there was a good relationship since Gabriel had been apprenticed to Foster's firm and was a long-term neighbour of Joseph Wood.(27) Delays in the hotel's requirements, its design and construction meant that the hotel did not open until 1870 and therefore, Gabriels work may have been lost in the redesigns, but notwithstanding the dangers of stylistic attribution, there is some similarity between floral decorations between the hotel's Broad Street elevation and Gabriel's earlier efforts on 49 & 50 Broad Street (now Horts Public House).
At the time of Gabriel's early death in 1865 (aged 48),28 he was working on Crew Holes School, St John the Evangelist and a project in Clevedon. His widow(29) apparently suggested that these projects were completed by Messrs Godwin and Crisp.(30)
There are no official records for Gabriel having taken on any apprentices or articled students and whilst he frequently advertised for pupils, there is no evidence of who these were. However, Gabriel's only son, (Samuel) Edward Gabriel, who was a minor at the time of his father's death, ended up training as an architect in Bristol and London.
