Lewis Cubitt

Lewis Cubitt

Lewis Cubitt by Sir William Boxall, oil on panel, 1845, National Portrait Gallery 4099. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Lewis Cubitt (29 September 1799 – 9 June 1883) was an English civil engineer and architect.

He was a younger brother of Thomas Cubitt, the leading master builder in London in the second quarter of the 19th century, and he designed many of the housing developments constructed by his sibling. He also was a younger brother of William Cubitt, the Lord Mayor of London with whom he worked on a number of developments and railway projects.

Lewis worked, amongst many other engagements, on the London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) which was an early railway in England. It opened in 1839 and in February 1846 merged with other railways to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR).

Bricklayers Arms station, London at its opening in May 1844. The South-Eastern Railway. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 4 May 1844 p. 285, issue 105. Engraver: Stephen Sly (1836 – 1847; fl.) Wiki Commons.

He built a large number of bridges in his career, most of them being in South America, Australia and India. Lewis was jointly responsible for designing the rebuilt London Bridge railway station in 1844. He also designed Bricklayers Arms (1844) and King’s Cross railway stations (1851–52) and the Great Northern Hotel (1854) as a part of his works for The Great Northern Railway.

As part of the contemporary redevelopment of the adjoining railway lands, now known as King’s Cross Central, a granary designed by Cubitt has been refurbished as the main campus facility for Central Saint Martins, a constituent college of the University of the Arts London.

Kings Cross station in London as featured in the Illustrated London News in 1852.

A part of Lewis Cubitt’s drawings for King’s Cross entitled ‘Great Northern Railway. London Terminus Passenger Station’: transverse…survive in the National Archives [below].

King’s Cross: ‘Great Northern Railway. London Terminus Passenger Station’: transverse section. Scale: 1 inch to 16 feet. Drawn by Lewis Cubitt, Architect. Engraved by W A Beever. [Published by] John Weale, 1853. Originally enclosed with letter dated 5 June 1854 from Lewis Cubitt. The National Archives MFQ 1/614/3.
The structural rivet Cubitt used in his development of the granary supposedly inspired the hinges used by eyewear brand Cubitts, who are named after the Cubitt brothers.

Training & Career

Lewis Cubitt was a student of Kendall was in turn a student of Thomas Leverton and possibly of John Nash. His wide-ranging styles included Greek, Italian and Tudor revival.

His son, Henry Edward Kendall Jr. (1805–1885) was also an architect and, for a while, the two ran a practice together, which, in 1834, was located at 17, Suffolk Street, London. The Esplanade and Tunnel in Kemp Town, Brighton, dating between 1828 and 1830, was one of their notable works.

Lewis Cubitt (who married his daughter Sophia in 1830) was amongst those who worked at the practice before setting up on his own. Both were amongst the co-founders of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Kendall designed many civic buildings including workhouses, hospitals and schools. In 1832 he won the hundred guinea prize for his Gothic design for Kensal Green Cemetery and his Italianate design was runner-up, yet, despite this, his designs were overlooked in favour of a Greek revival design by John Griffith. The cemetery contains a monument to Kendall’s son, attributed to Kendall senior.

Henry Edward Kendall died in Westminster, 4 January 1875, aged 98.

Family

Lewis Cubitt married Sophia Kendall (1811-1879) on 23 January 1830.

Works with his brother William

Lewis worked extensively with William taking on Thomas’ Grays Inn Road works when Thomas moved to his Pimlico and Belgravia sites. Early on they worked on building and development very much in the mould of their brother Thomas such as continuing his development of the Calthorpe Estate.

Later they both moved into larger commercial works and both carried out considerable railway projects such as The  Extension from Camden to Euston for the London and Birmingham Railway Company and on Kings Cross Station amongst many others.

However, the brothers all continued to work together at various junctures to support each other.

William and Lewis Cubitt’s signature on the Contract with The London and Birmingham Railway Company and William Cubitt and Lewis Cubitt for the Extension from Camden to Euston. Dated 25th Nov 1835. The National Archives. RAIL 384/154.The Cubitt family connection with the Barings clan continued with Lewis carryout design works for their London offices.

Lewis Cubitt’s designs for Barings private dining rooms, later reworked by Norman Shaw. The Sphere 5th August, 1961 pg. 209.

Further work

Agreement for performance of works, with plans (signed by Geo. Rennie)

This record is held by The London Archives: City of London

Reference:Q/HAL/440
Title:Agreement for performance of works, with plans (signed by Geo. Rennie)
Description:

(1) London Grand Junction Railway Co., (2) Wm. and Lewis Cubitt of Grays Inn Road, holders. Viaduct near Ampton St., St. Pancras

Date:20 Feb 1837

 

Lambeth Archives

Colville Estate             IV/39
Accounts of the Chelsea Nursery  1810 – 1834; men’s time book and order book, Roehampton 1831 – 1834; title deeds to Colville Estate  1797 – 1907

However the catalogue is for Covill Estate

Reference:IV/39/21
Title:Itemised bill from Jn Blore, architect and surveyor to the trustees of the Colvill Estate
Description:

Items include those relating to the drawing up of plans for developing the estate and references to consultations with Mr Lewis Cubitt.

Date:1842