Thomas Ivory (Irish architect)

Thomas Ivory (died 1786) was an Irish architect, one of the significant figures in the building of Georgian Dublin. He is often called "Thomas Ivory of Cork", and is to be distinguished from his contemporary Thomas Ivory of Norwich.

Life

Said to have been a carpenter's apprentice self-educated, and from Cork, Ivory worked in Dublin under the gunsmith Thomas Trulock. He then studied under the draughtsman Jonas Blaymire.^[1]

Engraving after Thomas Ivory, competition entry (1772) for the Blue Coat School, Dublin

Ivory practised in Dublin, and was appointed master of architectural drawing in the schools of the Royal Dublin Society in 1759. He held the post till his death, and among his pupils were Henry Aaron Baker, James Hoban and Martin Archer Shee.^[2][3][4] Thomas Roberts was articled to him.^[5]

Ivory died in Dublin in December 1786.^[2]

Works

In 1765 Ivory prepared designs and an estimate for additional buildings to the Royal Dublin Society premises in Shaw's Court, but these were not executed. Ivory's major work was the King's Hospital in Blackhall Place (commonly known as the Blue Coat Hospital), in the classic style. The first stone was laid on 16 June 1773, but from want of money the central cupola was not finished.^[2]

Blue Coat School, Dublin, by Thomas Ivory, photograph from the end of the nineteenth century, before the unfinished cupola had been demolished. The building now houses the Law Society of Ireland

Ivory designed Lord Newcomen's bank, built in 1781, at the corner of Castle Street and Cork Street; it later became a public health office. The Hibernian Marine School, often attributed to him, was more probably the work of Thomas Cooley. He made a drawing of the Casino at Marino, near Dublin, which was engraved by Edward Rooker.^[2]

In the board-room of the King's Hospital was a picture (assigned to 1775 and John Trotter) said to represent Ivory and eight others sitting at or standing round a table on which are spread plans of the new building.^[2][5]

Notes

1. Dictionary of Irish Artists, 1720–1940, Ivory, Thomas.
2.  Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Ivory, Thomas (d.1786)". Dictionary of National Biography 29. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
3. Rowan, A. M. "Baker, Henry Aaron". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/1121. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
4. Birse, Ronald M. "Hoban, James". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/45956. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
5. Rowan, A. M. "Ivory, Thomas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14509. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Ivory, Thomas (d.1786)". Dictionary of National Biography 29. London: Smith, Elder & Co.