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Henry (Harry) Anderson Paley was born in 1859, the only son of E. G. Paley and his wife Fanny. Having decided to become an architect he entered the offices of Paley & Austin in 1877. He was sent to gain wider experience to the London office of T. E. Collcutt, returning to Lancaster in 1882 and becoming a partner in 1886.
His obituary notes that he was involved in seventy-five church commissions, including St George's, Stockport, and also a large number of additions and restorations, before the death of Hubert Austin in 1915. After the First World War he appears to have worked alone with associates like Baines and Tarney rather than with partners, except for a brief period with Hubert Austin's son, Geoffrey. He undertook some new church commissions like St Stephen's, Whelley, and St Hilda's, Bilsborrow, but by now much of the firm's work was no longer ecclesiastical. They built schools, hospitals and houses.
He had a great range of interests in addition to being involved in local government, being interested in field sports, an enthusiastic angler, a fine shot, cricketer and photographer. He married Katherine Gossalin in 1888 and had one daughter. He is still remembered by colleagues in the firm as a large kindly and jovial man who was still working aged 79 in 1939! The last commission in fact recorded for the firm is on Air Raid Precautions at the Royal Infirmary, Lancaster in 1940. He died in 1946 at Moorgarth, Caton, where he had lived since around 1902. |
