page_title: William Hay (architect)
section_title: Early career: 1842–1861
hierarchical_section_title: William Hay (architect) / Early career: 1842–1861
caption_attribution_description: English: Nave of the Anglican Cathedral ending in the Outerbridge Windows, St. John's, Newfoundland
context_page_description: William Hay was a Scottish architect who was actively working internationally from 1842 to 1887. A specialist in gothic architecture, he is primarily known for his work on several churches and cathedrals. His most famous structure is the Bermuda Cathedral in Hamilton, Bermuda which he designed in 1885. Construction of the cathedral began in 1886 and was completed seven years after Hay's death in 1905. He also designed some of the oldest buildings and structures in Toronto, Ontario, from 1853–1861, and was responsible for the restoration of St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh from 1872–1884. His career exemplifies how the British Empire of the Victorian Era was united not only by military and political strength but also by professionals who took advantage of opportunities in its wide array of territories.
context_section_description: Hay tackled his first job as an architect at the age of 24 with the St James Episcopal Church in Cruden Bay in 1842–1843. He married his first wife, Janet Reid (1819–1860), in 1844, and that same year relocated to Edinburgh to become an assistant to architect John Henderson.
  After working with Henderson for two years, Hay moved to London to apprentice with George Gilbert Scott in 1846. Scott entrusted him with overseeing the building of the nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's, Newfoundland. For that project he travelled throughout England and Scotland in late 1846 and early 1847 to acquire materials and skilled craftsmen. In April 1847 he, along with his wife and her brother Thomas (their ward), sailed to Newfoundland. He remained there until the nave was completed in 1850.
  Hay spent some time in his native town working in 1850–1853, building there St. John's Episcopal Church, Longside and a house at No 22 Broad Street for his mother, Jean Hay (née Alexander). During this time he considered setting up practice in either Montreal, Canada East, or Chicago, Illinois, and made visits to those cities. He ultimately settled on establishing his practice in Toronto, and accordingly moved there in late 1853. He remained in that city until late 1861, following the sudden death of his wife, who never bore children, in 1860.
  While in Toronto, Hay developed a highly successful architecture firm which he left to his recently acquired partner, Thomas Gundry.  His apprentice Henry Langley became Gundry's new partner upon his departure. In Toronto he designed the Toronto General Hospital (1855), St. Basil's Church, Toronto (1855–1856), the House of Providence (1855–1858), two of the original buildings at the University of St. Michael's College (1856), the school addition to the Church of the Holy Trinity (1858), the Yorkville Town Hall (1859–1860), and the Oaklands at De La Salle College (1860) among other structures. He also served on the council of the Royal Canadian Institute (1858–1860), was the Vice-President of the Toronto Mechanics' Institute (1859–1861), and was Secretary of the Association of Architects Civil Engineers and Provincial Surveyors of Canada.
caption: Nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
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