Born in Huddersfield in 1835,[nb 1] he was the younger son of Henry Crossland, who is recorded in the 1851 census as being a farmer and quarry owner, and his wife, Ellen (née Wilkinson).[4] He had an elder brother, James.[5] In the 1850s Crossland became a pupil of George Gilbert Scott.[5] He worked with Scott on the design of the model villageAkroydon, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, commissioned by the worsted manufacturer, Edward Ackroyd.
Crossland's three most important commissions, all now Grade I listed, were:
Rochdale Town Hall, built 1866–71 and still in use as a municipal building in Rochdale, now in Greater Manchester. where it functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council. Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner described the building as possessing a "rare picturesque beauty".[9] Its stained glass windows are credited as "the finest modern examples of their kind".[10] Historic England describe it as "an important early departure from High Victorian heaviness".[11] and it is "widely recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the country".[10] Following a fire, Crossland's original clock tower was replaced in 1887 by a stone clock tower and spire designed by Alfred Waterhouse in the style of Manchester Town Hall.
Holloway Sanatorium at Virginia Water, Surrey,[3] built 1873–85.[12] This was a project commissioned by the entrepreneur and philanthropistThomas Holloway.[13] Historic England describe it as "the most elaborate and impressive Victorian lunatic asylum in England, because it was the most lavish to be built for private patients... The quality of the external design and the decoration of the principal spaces is exceptional". It is the only example of a Sanatorium to be listed at Grade I.[12] It was restored in 1997–98 and converted to luxury homes as part of a gated residential estate known as Virginia Park.[14]
Royal Holloway College, Egham, Surrey, was also commissioned by Thomas Holloway and built 1879–87.[15] It is a short distance away from the Sanatorium. Now known as Founder's Building, it is the main building of a major college of the University of London; its cafe/bar is named "Crosslands".[16]
South Quadrangle, Founder's Building, Royal Holloway University of London College, Egham, Surrey
North Quadrangle, Founder's Building, Royal Holloway
Other commissions
In her biography of Crossland, published in 2020, Sheila Binns provides the most complete list yet of his architectural commissions, drawing on and supplementing earlier work by John Elliott,[17] itself based on a compilation by Edward Law.[3] They include many buildings in Yorkshire, some of them listed by Historic England:
Huddersfield, Yorkshire
1–11 Railway Street and 20–26 Westgate (former Ramsden Estate Office), 1868–74, now Grade II listed.[18][19][20] This was commissioned by Sir John Ramsden; the Ramsden family then owned much of Huddersfield.[17]
Bankfield House, Taylor Hill, 1864; this was unlisted,[21] and has been demolished.[17]
Byram Buildings (now known as Byram Arcade) 10–18 Westgate, 1875–81, Grade II listed.[22][23][24] This was commissioned by Sir John Ramsden.[17]
Kirkgate Buildings, 1877–85; Grade II listed. Commissioned by Sir John Ramsden, this was a speculative development of office space and shops, originally called Bulstrode Buildings.[8]
Longley New Hall, 1870–75; Grade II listed. This rebuilding of a house built in the 1860s was commissioned by Sir John Ramsden as a house for his family; it became a school in the 1920s.[27] Crossland also made alterations to Longley Old Hall, on a nearby site, at the same time.
Netheroyd Hill and Cowcliffe School, 1856; unlisted. After extensions and alterations, this is now St Hilda's Church, Cowcliffe.[25][nb 2]
St Andrew's Church and Church School, Leeds Road. The church was built in 1869–70 and declared redundant in 1975; it is now Grade II listed.[29] The school has been demolished.[30]
St Thomas's Church, Bradley, one of Crossland's earliest commissions,[31] built in 1859–68 and declared redundant in 1975. In listing it at Grade II, Historic England say that the church "is notable for the vitality of detail typical of the decade" and "is carefully sited on sloping ground, with asymmetrical south tower and spire placed so as to maximise the effect of its silhouette".[32][33]
Somerset Buildings, 1881–83. In listing it at Grade II, Historic England say that "its eclectic C19 Queen Anne styling displays a strong level of architectural flair, incorporating French and Flemish Renaissance influenced detailing to successful effect... it has strong group value with nearby listed buildings, a number of which were also designed by Crossland".[34]
Waverley Chambers, 1881–83, a commercial building which, soon after it was built, became a temperance hotel and later was used as offices; it is now Grade II listed.[35]
Byram Arcade in 2007
Nettleton's Almshouses
Former church of St Andrew, Leeds Road
Elsewhere in Yorkshire
Birstall: St Peter's Church, founded in about 1100 and rebuilt by Crossland 1863–70, except for the medieval tower. Historic England, listing it at Grade II*, say that it "demonstrates well" Crossland's "preference for the Decorated style and taste for lavish decoration".[36]
Hoylandswaine, near Penistone: Church of St John the Evangelist, 1867–68; Grade II listed.[44] Binns describes it as a "small but substantial church, built to a high-quality of local stone for a small working class village".[17]
Crossland's last entry in the RIBA's records was in 1894–95.
Personal and family life
On 1 October 1859,[3][54] Crossland married Lavinia Cardwell Pigot (who died in 1876).[nb 3] They had one child – a daughter, Maud, who was born in 1860[1] and died in 1990.[17] Crossland also had an illegitimate son, Cecil Henry Crossland Hatt (born 1877), with his second (common law) wife, (Eliza) Ruth Hatt (née Tilley; 1853–1892). She became a well-known actress and they lived in a bungalow on the Royal Holloway site.[1]
Crossland died in London on 14 November 1908 following a stroke.[2][3] Crossland's wife Lavinia, his brother James Crossland, his common-law wife Eliza Ruth Hatt,[nb 4] his daughter Maud, his parents-in-law and his stepson Benjamin Tilley Hatt are buried in a family vault at Highgate Cemetery. Although Crossland's will specifically stated that he and his son should be interred there, neither of them is in the family vault.[17] Crossland's place of burial is unknown.[17][55]
Notes
^ Edward Law points out that as "despite extensive searches no record can be found of his baptism" his precise date of birth remains unknown. Law, Edward (15 September 2001). "William Crossland Architect, 1935–1908 Part 1". Huddersfield & District History. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
^ According to Edward Law, this is the earliest known example of a building constructed to plans drawn up by Crossland. Law, Edward (15 September 2001). "William Crossland Architect, 1835–1908 Part 4". Huddersfield & District History. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
^ Although other sources claim that Crosswell's wife Lavinia died in 1879, Sheila Binns' research demonstrates that this date cannot be correct. The family plot in Highgate Cemetery (at Grave no, 23287, Square 70) was not bought until 1879 and Binns concludes that she must have been interred temporarily elsewhere. Binns, Sheila (2020). W.H. Crossland: An Architectural Biography. The Lutterworth Press. p. 159. ISBN978-0718895488.
^ Although there is no evidence that Crossland married Hatt, the inscription on her grave reads "Ruth, wife, companion, friend of W H Crossland...". Law, Edward (15 September 2001). "William Crossland Architect, 1935–1908 Part 3". Huddersfield & District History. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
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