Description:George Devey is perhaps a less well-known architect when he is considered alongside men like Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860). However, Devey was an influential architect of domestic buildings during the nineteenth century, responsible for building cottages in Tittensor for the Duke of Sutherland.
George Devey demonstrated an enthusiasm for painting early in his life, before training at an architect’s practice in London. Devey established his own practice in 1846 following a tour of Europe which included visits to Italy. Michael Hall describes this as being a ‘busy country house practice’, with Devey receiving commissions to work on cottages and estate buildings as well as the remodeling of larger houses.
The image above shows a drawing of the East elevation of a cottage built by Devey in Tittensor. Entitled ‘Tittensor Cottage’, the coloured drawing is signed ‘George Devey Arch[itec]t’. Devey’s architectural drawings reflected his artistic flair, something which was reflected in the designs for his ‘modest picturesque buildings’. The drawing includes representations of greenery, possibly garden shrubs or ivy which can be seen climbing the walls of the cottage. As Michael Hall writes, the inclusion of greenery on the drawing above demonstrates Devey’s concern with ‘the external harmony of his buildings’. Alongside his cottages in Tittensor, Devey was the architect of cottages at Penshurst which influenced the architectural style of his contemporaries.