Thanks Tacitus and Mikejee for the last contributions After the references to Hansom’s possible connection with the People’s Hall, I have been looking for supporting evidence, which I quote from various sources, mostly internet sites, some of dubious accuracy.
Joseph Aloysius Hansom (26 October 1803 – 29 June 1882)
Born in Micklegate, York, the brother of architect Charles Francis Hansom and the uncle of Edward J. Hansom. He was first apprenticed to his father as a joiner, but was soon articled to a local architect named Philips. About 1825 he settled in Halifax, Yorkshire, as assistant to John Oates and there met Edward Welch, with whom he formed his first architectural partnership in 1828. They designed churches in Yorkshire and Liverpool, and also worked on the renovation of Bodelwyddan Castle in Denbighshire. In 1831 their design for Birmingham Town Hall was accepted, but the contract led to their bankruptcy (see below). The disaster led to the dissolution of the partnership and may have contributed to Hansom becoming a radical socialist.
In 1834 he registered the design of a 'Patent Safety Cab' on the suggestion of han unspecified employer. He sold the patent to a company for £10 000, which was never paid.
In 1843 Hansom founded the successful ‘Builder’ magazine (known as ‘Building’ today), which was to flourish through the century. However, neither he nor his partner of the time Alfred Bartholomew (1801-45) profited from the enterprise, because they were compelled to retire for lack of capital, in 1844, and was succeeded George Godwin, who remained editor until 1883.
From 1854 to 1879 Hansom built many private and public buildings, especially churches, schools and convents for the Roman Catholic Church. From 1847 to 1852 he practised in Preston, Lancashire, working briefly in association with Augustus Welby Pugin towards the end of the latter's life. After the practice moved to London, he took his brother Charles Francis Hansom into partnership in 1854. But this partnership was dissolved in 1859 when Charles established an independent practice in Bath with his son Edward Joseph Hansom as clerk.
In 1862 Joseph Hansom formed a partnership with Edward Welby Pugin, which broke up acrimoniously in 1863. Finally (1869) he took his son Joseph Stanislaus Hansom into partnership.
Later Hansom moved to manage an estate at Caldecote Hall. He retired on 31 December 1879 and died at 399 Fulham Road, London, on 29 June 1882.
The Town Hall project
Before the town had a charter, the Birmingham Street Commissioners were the competent authority to raise funding for a new hall suitable both as a meeting hall for public functions, but also as a venue for the triennial Music Festivals which put Birmingham on the map and moreorless kept the Birmingham General Hospital going.
A design competition was launched which resulted with the submission of 67 designs of which the Hansom & Welch submission was preferred. Their rather naïve estimate for the building was £8000 (equivalent to £620 000 today) with £6000 for the organ. The Commissioners accepted a total tender of £16 648, but on condition that the architects would find any excess from their own pocket.
Construction began on April 27, 1832 with an expected completion date of 1833. On January 6, 1833, two workers were killed when a 70 foot crane constructed to install the roof trusses broke and the pulley block failed. John Heap died instantly and Win. Badger died a few days later from his injuries. They were buried in St Philip's churchyard and a memorial, consisting of a pillar base made by one of the workmen for the Town Hall, was dedicated to them.
The architects soon found costs getting out of hand, and three guarantors were found who would donate money for the building; W. P. Lloyd, John Welch and Edward Tench.
Hansom and Welch left the scene in May 1834, and John Foster of Liverpool saw the Town Hall to partial completion and temporary opening later that year for the delayed Music Festival, at which Felix Mendelssohn opened the new organ, but made comments about its siting within the building.
Local architect Charles Edge was commissioned in 1835 to repair weaknesses to the design of the building. He was later commissioned for the extension of the building to accommodate the repositioned organ in 1837 and again in 1850,
Hansom’s possible connection with the People’s Hall
The People’s Hall proposal started in 1840, six years after Hansom had been bankrupted and fired from the Town Hall job. He apparently was working for somebody when he invented his Hansom cab, but we know nothing of what he did next and until he started editing ‘The Builder’ in 1843.
So we’re not much wiser, but I think it is worthwhile delving. Hope it isn’t too monotonous for everyone else.
Peter