John Henry Brett
Brett (1835–1920) was an Irish architect, builder, and county surveyor for counties Limerick (Western Division), Kildare and Antrim, active in late-nineteenth to early twentieth-century Ireland. He was notable in being a prolific designer of utilitarian structures as a county surveyor, with many practical schemes proposed. His designs, however, were often flamboyant in practicing a Ruskinian Gothic blend of Victorian Italianate and Venetian Renaissance styles, heavily influenced by the writer John Ruskin (1819–1900).
John Henry Brett
- Name
- John Henry Brett
- Born
- 1835
- Died
- 1920
- Place of death
- Belfast, County Antrim
- Known for
- County surveyor, architect, builder
- Occupation
- Surveyor, Architect, Builder
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Documentary summary
Brett (1835–1920) was an Irish architect, builder, and county surveyor for counties Limerick (Western Division), Kildare and Antrim, active in late-nineteenth to early twentieth-century Ireland. He was notable in being a prolific designer of utilitarian structures as a county surveyor, with many practical schemes proposed. His designs, however, were often flamboyant in practicing a Ruskinian Gothic blend of Victorian Italianate and Venetian Renaissance styles, heavily influenced by the writer John Ruskin (1819–1900).
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — John Henry Brett • Born — 1835 • Died — 1920 • Place of death — Belfast, County Antrim • Other Names — John H. Brett • Known for — County surveyor, architect, builder • Occupation — Surveyor, Architect, Builder
Career
Career
Brett's first employment was for William Dargan on the railways, then he was appointed county surveyor for the western division of County Limerick (1863), County Kildare (1869), County Antrim (1885). During the late 1860s, he also practiced with his father as Henry Brett & Son, which was joined by his brother Charles Henry Brett and they continued the business after their father's death in 1882 as John H. & H.C. Brett. He was elected a member of the Architectural Association in Ireland November 1872, ICEI in 1874, and Association of Municipal and County Engineers in 1891. Brett retired February 1914 and was made a JP for County Antrim.
Personal life
Personal life
He was born 1835 in Tobercurry, County Sligo, the son of builder Henry Brett and was the brother of Charles Henry Brett. He was educated at Waterford Academy. Brett married Mary Josephine Brady around 1876 in Dublin and have a daughter and five sons. His last address was at 3 Alexandra Gardens, Fortwilliam Park, Belfast.
Works
Works
• County Kildare Court House, Naas, County Kildare, Main Street South (1871-1873 for repairs & improvements; 1876 for addition of record court) • Sewerage, Naas, County Kildare (1875–1879) Proposal (rejected on grounds of cost) • County Wicklow Court House, Wicklow, County Wicklow (1876 for repairs and addition of new record court, estimated cost: £1,800. • Military Barracks, Newbridge, County Kildare, Main Street (1879 for sewerage scheme) • Mercer's Hospital, Mercer Street, Dublin (1880-1888 for competition-winning design of a new wing, containing offices, 3 new wards, lecture theatre, and accommodation for doctors, students and nurses. With W. M. Mitchell.) • FBD Insurance (former National Bank of Ireland branch bank), 1 Great George's Street / Sargent's Lane, Waterford, County Waterford (1887) • Sewerage scheme in Ballymena-Cullybackey, County Antrim (1901) • Weir, Toomebridge, County Antrim (1910 repair with C. L. Boddie)
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
John Henry Brett died at Belfast.
Deathplace
Belfast.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “John Henry Brett”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q6238745: John Henry Brett
General reference · Wikidata
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.Jane Fenlon and Hugh Maguire (writers), An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Waterford, Revised Edition, (Dublin: Wordwell Press / Government of Ireland, Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government, National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, 2010). p.70-71.
- 2.See Brendan O'Donoghue, The Irish County Surveyors 1834-1944 (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2007), p.115-117. Cited in Irish Architectural Archive, Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720-1940.John Henry Brett(Accessed 12 April 2011)
- 3.R.M. Young, Belfast and the Province of Ulster in the 20th Century (1909), p. 594
References
Citations
References
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reference work
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General reference
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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