Arthur Beresford Pite 1861 - 1934

The Pite family transferred to Ramsgate Kent where Arthur and William shared rooms and an architectural office. On 20^th April 1887 Arthur married Mary Kilvington Mowll at the Parish church of Whitfield in Dover and they moved back to Brixton. They had four children, Grace Sarah (1888), Ion Beresford (1891), Arthur Goodhart (1896) and Molly, also known as Mary (1897) who died shortly after birth.

Professor Pite

Arthur continued working on his commissions including the Burlington Arcade Piccadilly, Christ Church Brixton, Kampala Cathedral Uganda, a hospital in Jerusalem, The Institute of Chartered Accountants Moorgate, a library in West Islington to name but a few. He also served as professor of architecture at the Royal College of Art and Cambridge University where he was considered a gifted teacher and speaker. As an active church member he ran a bible school for young students and a weekly bible class for prisoners in Wormwood Scrubs Prison.

Earlywood

In 1889 he built Earlywood a large family house at Frinton, Essex. Here he enjoyed many happy holidays with his wide circle of friends and relatives. In 1903 he moved to York Gate, Regents Park London and it was there that his beloved wife Mary died in 1905.

30 Euston Square

In 1906 Pite began his commission to build the headquarters of the London, Edinburgh and Glasgow Assurance Company at Euston Square. It was a magnificent building of Portland stone, Grecian in style and spanning seven floors. It opened on 22nd January 1908. The main entrance hall was decorated with in yellow and sage green Dolton Parian ware with tiled arches and a curious ceiling of dentils. The mosaic floor features an astrological design. The director's boardrooms on the first floor were lined in oak with oak strip floors and stunning marble fireplaces as their focal point. The basement housed the records for the Assurance Company; the walls three feet thick in places and further protected by steel bomb blast doors. The new office building was also fitted with a passenger lift, electric lighting and oil-fired central heating. Considerably modern for it's time. Pite's detail was meticulous; each window arch was lined with white glazed brick, which can only be seen if you lean out of the window backwards! Light, which flooded the lower floors, was provided by five light wells also lined in white glazed brick. Further light was provided to the basement level by skylights. Pite was asked to add further extensions almost as soon as it was finished. He continued to enlarge the building for almost 20 years. With the widening of Euston Road in the late 1920’s the finial expansion took place; the architect this time was not Pite but one of his contemporaries Josiah Gunton. The London, Edinburgh and Glasgow Assurance Company had moved out in 1910, the new occupants were the National Amalgamated Approved Society.

The Marylebone Years

At least half of Pite’s smaller commissions were in the Marylebone area off Oxford Street London. He always retained an office in this vicinity even when he lived in Brixton and Beckenham. At 48 Harley Street Pite was asked to make alterations on the property for Gibson Sankey. His trademark style of mosaic tiling, this time in blue glass, still remains today surrounding the entrance. Pite built 82 Mortimer Street circa 1900 for Doctor Dudley Buxton as a family house and consulting rooms. It was constructed of red brick and Portland stone over 4 storey’s with a basement and slated mansard. The sculptures flanking the 2nd floor, seated male and female figures, were not by Pite but produced by Farmer and Brindley. Pite regularly attended the Nash built All Souls Church in Langham Place where he was invited to design the Peace Memorial floor of 1918/19. Its Byzantine mosaic style is reminiscent of his floor in the London, Edinburgh and Glasgow Assurance Company’s entrance hall. The similarities are so great I knew it was his work before I even verified the fact.

Later Life

In 1914 Pite moved his home to Hampstead. Following Mary’s death his sister Mary Annie cared for Arthur and his family. His daughter Grace who suffered ill health spent most of her time at Earlywood with Sadler, the family’s old nanny as she felt the costal air more beneficial. In 1930 Arthur moved to Beckenham Kent in order to live near his brother William and this is where on 27th November 1934 he died from exhaustion and skin cancer. He is buried with his wife and two daughters in West Norwood cemetery.

About Jeane

Jeane Trend-Hill has carried out many years of research on Pite. She lives in Essex with her husband and is a parapsychologist, photographer and author who has a great interest in funeral and burial rites. Jeane has appeared in many national newspapers and magazines and has published several books. She owns possibly the largest collection of the Pite family works including watercolors and sketches by William, Robert and Arthur Pite along with an extensive collection of slides and photographs. Pride of place goes to a letter in Arthur’s handwriting, which he sent from the Royal College of Art on 27th July 1917.  Jeane was also lucky enough to work in his Euston Square building for many years where she could admire his work on a daily basis and played a significant part in having the building Grade 2 special listed in 1999 due to its significant architectural importance. 

Jeane's book ‘Arthur has left the buildings’. The continuing story of Architect, Arthur Beresford Pite. Reading all the astonishing coincidences together in one book you’ll understand how amazing his story and her connection with him really is. Out on 2^nd September 2008, his birthday. Available from: http://stores.lulu.com/jeanetrendhill Also available, the Arthur Beresford Pite 75^th anniversary 2009 calendar featuring 12 colour photos of Pite’s architecture including Euston Square, Christ Church, All Saint’s and many others. All proceeds of the sale of the calendar and books go towards his grave restoration.

Jeane's Cemetery photography / paranormal website: www.homestead.com/askjeane E mail: Jeanetrendhill@blueyonder.co.uk

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