Albert Estcourt (4 May 1832 – 18 February 1909) was an English builder and stonemason in the 19th century who, with his brother, and later on his own, constructed a number of notable buildings in Gloucestershire and across southern England.
Some of his buildings are Hillfield House in Gloucester (1867–1869), now grade II listed; major restoration work at St Mary's Church, Cheltenham (1877); the Oxford University Cricket Club Pavilion (the Parks Pavilion) to a design by Thomas Graham Jackson (1880–1881); and Clouds House in Wiltshire (1881–1886).
Early life and family Albert Estcourt was born in Painswick, Gloucestershire, on 4 May 1832 to William and Maria Estcourt. He was christened on 27 May 1832 at Painswick.Albert Estcourt England Births and Christenings, 1538–1975. Family Search. Retrieved 9 April 2018. The 1851 census shows him as a stone mason, lodging at St Mary's Square in Gloucester with the publican Joseph Gardner.Albert Escourt England and Wales Census, 1851. Family Search. Retrieved 9 April 2018. In the 1861 census he was in Painswick with his wife Ellen.Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1861. Family Search. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
Career
Albert Estcourt was at first in partnership with his brother Oliver Estcourt, who died in 1871."Oliver Estcourt, Deceased", Oliver was responsible for the construction in 1858 of the grade II listed Gloucester Court of Probate by Thomas Fulljames of Fulljames & Waller.
Estcourt worked with leading architects on buildings throughout GloucestershireGloucester, 1835–1985: Economic development to 1914. British History Online. Retrieved 9 April 2019. and across southern England. His works include Hillfield House in Gloucester (1867–69) to a design by John Giles for the timber merchant Charles Walker, now grade II listed and described as the "most elaborate Victorian house in Gloucester"; major restoration work at St Mary's Church, Cheltenham (1877);Cheltenham, St Mary: Anglican Parish. National Archives. Retrieved 9 April 2019. and in 1880–1881 the Oxford University Cricket Club Pavilion (the Parks Pavilion) to a design by Thomas Graham Jackson.University Parks. University of Oxford. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
A major work was the construction in 1881–1886 of Clouds House in Wiltshire, now grade II* listed with Historic England.
Personal life Estcourt married Ellen Parker Wotton Under Edge in October 1859Albert Estcourt in the Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938 Ancestry. Retrieved 1 October 2025. who was born at Coaley.Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1901. Family Search. Retrieved 10 April 2018. At the time of the 1871 census he was living in South Hamlet, on the southern edges of Gloucester, with Ellen, four children and one servant. He was described as a "builders manager".Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1871. Family Search. Retrieved 11 April 2018. In the 1881 and 1891 censuses, he and his wife were recorded as living in Barton Street in Gloucester with seven children and two servants.Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1891. Family Search. Retrieved 9 April 2018. Albert Estcourt England and Wales Census, 1881. Family Search. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
In 1897, he owned the Middletown estate in Upleadon which he sold in 1898.Manor and Estates: Upleadon Manor; Other Estates. Upleadon Village. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
Death and legacy Estcourt died on 18 February 1909. His address at the time of his death was Falkland House, Denmark Road, Gloucester. He left an estate of £55,987 and probate was granted to George Oliver Estcourt, builder, and Charles William Estcourt, timber merchant.1909 Probate Calendar, p. 139. The Escourts are remembered in Estcourt Road, Gloucester, built in the 1930s near Albert's home in Denmark Road.Gloucester, 1835–1985: Topography. British History Online. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
References
External links