James Cubitt
Illustration — James Cubitt James Cubitt (1836–1914) was a Victorian church architect specialising in building non-conformist chapels.
James Cubitt
William Thomas Pike (died 1924) · Pike, W. T., ed. (1905) Vol. 15. London at the Opening of the Twentieth Century, Brighton, Sussex: W. T. Pike Co. p.164 (sectional edition) My photograph of the original book, currently in my possess · Public domain
- Born
- James Cubitt was born on 1 January 1836. · Essex.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Occupation
- architect.
- Honours
- Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Illustration — James Cubitt James Cubitt (1836–1914) was a Victorian church architect specialising in building non-conformist chapels.
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Note VALÉORINE
James Cubitt was an architect, of British nationality. The architect was born in Essex and died in Essex.
Languages used include English. Honours include Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q15442323 · wikipedia · James Cubitt
In this article
Background
Background
Cubitt was the son of a Baptist minister, from Norfolk who taught at Spurgeon's Pastor's College in South Norwood Hill — then on the outskirts of London.
Career
Career
• Illustration — The former Welsh Presbyterian Chapel in Charing Cross Road in London. It is now being developed by arts charity Stone Nest. Cubitt was articled to the firm of Isaac Charles Gilbert, in Nottingham (1851–56) and joined W. W. Pocock building chapels for the Wesleyans. From 1862, he formed his own office, forming a partnership with Henry Fuller in 1868.
Architectural designs
Architectural designs
• Emmanuel Congregational Church in Cambridge (1873) • Union Chapel, Islington (1877). • Church of the Redeemer, Edgbaston, Birmingham (1882) • Welsh Presbyterian Chapel on Charing Cross Road (1888) • Dulwich Grove United Reformed Church (formerly Congregational), East Dulwich London (1890). • Staples Road Junior School, Loughton (1888) • Sunnybank, nos 7-9 Woodbury Hill, Loughton, Essex (1889) • Streatham United Reformed Church (formerly Congregational) on Streatham High Road (1901)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1836
James Cubitt was born on 1 January 1836.
1912
James Cubitt died on 1 January 1912.
Architectural philosophy
Cubitt's philosophy was laid out in his book, Church Design for Congregations. He attacked as obsolete the traditional nave and aisle design. When the "columns are thick or moderately thick, it inevitably shuts out a multitude of people from the service... When, on the other hand, its columns are thin, the inconvenience is removed, but the architecture is ruined... The type as it remains is but a shadow of its former self – a medieval church in the last stage of starvation". Too many architects were failing the principal criteria of their brief: "to produce a grand and beautiful church in which everyone could see and hear the service". His chapels are built as broad uncluttered spaces around a central pulpit and Lord's table.
Publications
•. •. •.
Works and memorials
Cubitt lived most of his professional life at Loughton, where he built several private houses and three schools. He is commemorated by a blue plaque on Monghyr Cottage, 2 Traps Hill, Loughton, where he died, and was buried in an unmarked grave next to his wife in Loughton Cemetery.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q15442323: James Cubitt
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “James Cubitt”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.History of the Union Chapel accessed 7 June 2009
- 2.Cubitt (1836-1912) (Archiseek) accessed 7 June 2009
- 3.Binfield, Clyde. The Contexting of a Chapel Architect: James Cubitt 1836-1912 (Occasional Publications 2). The Chapels Society. 2001.
- 4.Open House. Union Chapel. programme.openhouse.org.uk.
- 5.British Listed Buildings. Dulwich Grove United Reformed Church and Church Hall. britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.
- 6.Architect James Cubitt- Streatham Congregational church. The Streatham Society.
- 7.Clerkin, Paul. James Cubitt (1836-1912). uk.archiseek.com. Archiseek. 2009.
- 8.A Short Specification of Materials, Labour, and Goods for Works Connected with Buildings. The Scotsman. 2 col.2. 30 January 1911.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- The Buildings of Loughton and notable people of the town Chris Pond (Loughton and Dist Historical Society, 2nd ed, 2010)
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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