William Adams Nicholson (1803–1853) was an English architect who worked in Lincoln and was a founding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Life
Born on 8 August 1803 at Southwell, Nottinghamshire, he was the son of James Nicholson, a carpenter and joiner. James gave up his business about 1838 and became sub-agent to Sir Richard Sutton's estates in Nottinghamshire and Norfolk. William was articled about July 1821, for three years, to John Buonarotti Papworth, architect, of London. By 1824 Nicholson had returned to Southwell, where he worked with the Rev J. T.Becher on the design of the Southwell Workhouse. In 1828 he established himself at Lincoln and he built up an extensive practice in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. From 1839 to 1846 he was in partnership as Nicholson & Goddard, with Henry Goddard (1813–1899). Pupils of the practice were Augustus Hullock Morant, a relative of Nicholson's, Charles Baily of Newark and London, and Michael Drury who was Nicholson's successor. His assistant John Spence Hardy and another pupil, Pearson Bellamy set up the practice of Bellamy and Hardy in Lincoln after his death.
Nicholson joined the Royal Institute of British Architects as a founding fellow at its commencement. He was a member of the Lincolnshire Literary Society, and of the Lincolnshire Topographical Society. He was in attendance at Boston as a professional witness when he was suddenly taken ill, and died there on 8 April 1853. He was buried at Lincoln, in the churchyard of St. Swithin, in the parish where he had resided for many years.
Family
In 1824 Nicholson married Leonora, the youngest daughter of William Say of Norton Street, London. His second wife, Anne Tallant, survived him and was living at No. 1 Bank Street Lincoln in 1856.
Architectural works
Workhouses
Possibly Nicholson's most important contribution was in the design of Workhouses. His pioneering Southwell Workhouse (1824) was important forerunner of the radially planned workhouses of the New Poor Law. Nicholson was to go on to design workhouses at Glanford Brigg in 1836 and at Lincoln in 1837-1838 - both of which have now been demolished.
Southwell Workhouse
Glanford-Brigg Workhouse
Lincoln Workhouse. Lincoln Union Workhouse was erected between 1837 and 1838.
Public buildings
As well as working in the Gothic revival style of architecture, Nicholson could also work very effectively in classical styles. He designed the Mansfield Town Hall in a Grecian style portico with Doric columns. More striking is the Corn Exchange of 1847 in the Cornhill Lincoln. Here he has a projecting portico with Corinthian columns at Piano nobile level. Mansfield Town Hall. 1836. In a heavy neo-classical style with a four column Tuscan porch. The Nottingham Dispensary, No 12. Broad Street, Nottingham. 1841-3. Classical rendered front with full-height ionic pilasters above a rusticated ground floor. Mayor's Parlour, added the Stonebow, Lincoln. . Nicholson made extensive alterations to the east end of the Stonebow, when the building that had housed the old City prison was pulled down. The present building to the east of the Stonebow, completed in 1842, now contains the Mayor's Parlour The County Prison in Lincoln Castle. In 1847-8 the prison was enlarged following plans by Nicholson and Goddard. A new range was built parallel to the original building of 1787 and linked to it with a corridor. The new range was sparsely detailed but with two massive lateral chimney stacks. At the east end of this range was the prison chapel. As the prison operated the Silent System there were separate cubicles for each prisoner and the cubicles were arranged so that prisoners could see the preacher, but not each other.
Lincoln Stock Library. 227 High Street,(1841)-on the corner of Mint Street. Built as premises for the Library over a grocers shop by Mr Collingham. Italianate frontage. Closed c1907 when the Library was incorporated into the new City Library in Free School Lane. Later the building became part of Mawer and Collingham Department Store. St. Mark's Station, High Street, Lincoln. It has been suggested that Nicholson was the architect for St Mark's station in Lincoln High Street of 1846 - the centre with a massive Ionic portico and fluted columns and the side pavilions with Doric pilasters. However, this attribution lacks definite documentation. A surviving drawing of the facade station of the station is signed I.A. Davies. J.A.Davies was an architect employed by the railway engineer Frederick Swanwick and was later in practice in Chesterfield as Davies and Tew. Davies was also responsible for Newark Castle railway station