Born in Dalston, Cumbria, John Wilson (1781-1866) became one of the most celebrated architects in Guernsey. Initially working as a Clerk of Works for the Board of Ordnance, he was sent to Guernsey around 1813 to oversee the construction of barracks for the British garrison in Guernsey and Alderney. His work with the Board of Ordnance allowed him time to take on private commissions, and his first major project was Torteval Church.
Wilson’s architectural prowess extended beyond military structures. In 1815, Admiral Sir James Saumarez proposed the idea of an English-speaking church for the British garrison, leading to the construction of St James-the-Less. Wilson was chosen to design the building, which was completed in 1818.
Wilson worked primarily in stucco, a material he referred to as “Roman cement.” His designs often reflected Neoclassical, Gothic Revival, and Jacobethan styles. St James, with its dignified presence, became a focal point of The Grange, complementing the townscape of St Peter Port.
Wilson’s influence on Guernsey’s architecture extended beyond St James. Among his other designs were Elizabeth College (1828), Torteval Church (1816), and the Meat Market (1822).
In 1837, he was transferred to Woolwich Arsenal, from where he retired in 1845 on the grounds of ill health. After leaving Guernsey, Wilson was not permitted to take on private commissions; his only known work
in England is a memorial to Sir Alexander Dickson, erected in Woolwich in 1841.
In his 1975 survey of the architecture found in St Peter Port, Sir Charles Brett concluded that Wilson was “certainly the most important figure in Guernsey’s architectural development.”
