G. E. Halliday, courtesy of Sue Dobson.
eorge Eley Halliday was born in Heston, Middlesex (now in the London Borough of Hounslow). He was the son of George John Halliday, a London publisher, and Mary Eley, daughter of a well-to-do farmer. Halliday’s father died in 1858 leaving his wife comfortably provided for, whereupon he lived with his mother at her father’s house in Heston. He was educated at Uppingham school, Rutland, after which he served his pupillage as an architect in London.
Halliday married Elizabeth Jane Cain in 1880 and moved from the London area to South Wales as an assistant to John Prichard at Llandaff. In 1883 he won first prize at the Cardiff National Eisteddfod for the best design for a coloured almanac suitable for production by chromolithography. He soon set up in practice based in High Street, Llandaff, and in 1892 was appointed surveyor of the Archdeaconry of Llandaff and formed a partnership with J. W. Rodger. His churches were usually built in the perpendicular style of late gothic architecture but particularly for houses he also designed in brick and half-timbering in the old English Tudor style, the most notable being the Llewellyn alms-houses in Neath. At least two of his houses, both in Fairwater Road, Llandaff, namely Trenewydd and The Hermitage which he built for himself next door, contain staircases of a distinctive design reminiscent of “Arts and Crafts.”
He led a very active social life, being at one time or another secretary of the archaeology section of the Cardiff Naturalists’ Society, Clerk to the local Board of Conservators, secretary of the Glamorgan Horticultural Society and secretary of the South Wales Institute of Architects. He was also the author of a book The Church Plate of Llandaff, together with articles on archaeology in Archaeologia Cambrensis and Reports and Transactions of the Cardiff Naturalists’ Society as well as local newspapers.
Churches
- Church of St Nicholas, Nicholaston, Gower (rebuilding)
- Church of St George, Cwm Parc, Treorci, Rhondda
- Church of St Teilo Cathays, Cardiff (now St Andrew and St Teilo) (coming shortly)
- Church of St Michael and All Angels, Maesteg (coming shortly}
- Church of St Martin’s, Caerphilly (with other architects)
Smaller Works
- Churchyard cross, St Nicholas, Nicholaston, Gower
- Pulpit in Llantrithyd church
- Reredos for St Isan, Llanishan, Cardiff
Bibliography
Newman, John. The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan (Mid-Glamorgan, South Glamorgan and West Glamorgan). London: Penguin/University of Wales Press, 1995.
Statham, Michael.Penarth Alabaster. Welsh Stone Forum, 2017.
Created 6 December 2021