Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940

County surveyor for Roscommon and the western district of Co. Galway. James Perry was born at Garvagh, Co. Derry, on 7 September 1845 and, after attending the local national school, studied engineering at Queen's College, Belfast, and the Royal College of Science, Dublin, graduating from Queen's with first-class honours in 1873. He gained practical experience in the workshops of the Belfast and County Down Railway and on water-supply schemes in Beirut and Belfast. In 1877 he was appointed county surveyor of Roscommon and in 1882 was transferred to the western district of Galway,(1) where he remained until his death.

Perry also ran a private engineering practice in Galway. In 1888, with his brother John Perry, FRS, Professor of Mechanics and Mathematics at the Royal College of Science, London, and another partner, he built an electric power station at Galway for private consumers. The partners, who formed themselves into a limited company in 1897 with James Perry as managing director and chief engineer, carried out the lighting of the city in 1905. Perry foresaw correctly that the use of gas for lighting was 'on its deathbed'.(2)

Perry died after a brief illness at his house, Wellpark, Galway, on 28 November 1906, and was buried in the city cemetery. He was married to Martha, née Park, who was Scottish. After his death his daughter ALICE JACQUELINE PERRY  ALICE JACQUELINE PERRY acted as county surveyor(3) until April 1907, when his successor, PATRICK JOSEPH PRENDERGAST PATRICK JOSEPH PRENDERGAST , took over. His pupils and assistants included JAMES PARSONS BURKITT JAMES PARSONS BURKITT , WILLIAM WRIGHT LARMOR  WILLIAM WRIGHT LARMOR and DAVID MEGAW.  DAVID MEGAW.

Perry and his wife are commemorated in a plaque which was erected in the Presbyterian church in Galway by Alice Perry (Mrs Shaw) in 1968.(4)

Inst.CE: elected member 6 December 1892.
RSAI: elected member, 6 May 1895.(5)

Address: Home: Wellpark, Galway, 1895.(6)

See WORKS.



References

All information in this entry not otherwise accounted for is from the obituary of Perry in Min.Proc.Inst.CE 149 (1906-7, Pt. III), 392-3. Another obituary (not seen) is in JRSAI 37 (1907), 104.

(1) B.O'D.
(2) B.O'D.
(3) IB 48, 15 Dec 1906, 989.
(4) Irish Times, 27 Nov 1968 (information from Brendan O'Donoghue, 2015).
(5) JRSAI 25 (1895), 189.
(6) See note 3, above.


14 work entries listed in chronological order for PERRY, JAMES


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Building: CO. ROSCOMMON, ROSCOMMON, ABBEY STREET, COUNTY COURT HOUSE (1882, TEMPORARY)
Date: 1882
Nature: Temporary court house erected after old court house destroyed fire in June 1882. Replaced by permanent court house designed by Christopher J. Mulvany, 1883.
Refs: Roscommon Messenger, 18 Oct 1919

Building: CO. GALWAY, CLIFDEN, WATERWORKS
Date: 1895
Nature: Contractor: W. Baird, Dublin (£1163.3s.4d)
Refs: IB 37, 15 Apr,15 May 1895, 100,131

Building: CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, COURTHOUSE SQUARE, COUNTY COURT HOUSE
Date: 1895;1897
Nature: New iron roofs, 1895. Contractor: Pearson & Co. (£280). Alts. and adds. to provide accommodation for jurors and witnesses and public offices, 1897..
Refs: IB 37, 1 Jun 1895, 134; 39, 1 Aug 1897, 150

Building: CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, TAYLOR'S HILL, DOMINICAN CONVENT
Date: 1896-1901
Nature: 4-storey addition, to be used as girls' boarding school, linked to existing buildings. Contractor: J. Costello (£8653). Opened Sep 1901.
Refs: IB 38, 1 May 1896, 101; 39, 15 Jan 1897, 20; Irish Cathlic Directory (1827), 43(illus.); Sister Rose O'Neill, OP, A Rich Inheritance: Galway Dominican Nuns 1664-1994 (1996?), 124-9(illus.)

Building: CO. GALWAY, ABBEY (LOUGHREA), DISPENSARY & DOCTOR'S RESIDENCE
Date: 1897
Nature: New.
Refs: IB 39, 15 Feb 1897, 42

Building: CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, COURTHOUSE SQUARE, COUNTY COURT HOUSE
Date: 1897
Nature: Alts. & adds. to provide accommodation for jurors and witnesses and public offices.
Refs: IB 39, 1 Aug 1897, 150

Building: CO. GALWAY, ROUNDSTONE, WATER SUPPLY
Date: 1900
Nature: Reservoir to supply Roundstone, for Clifden RDC.
Refs: IB 42, 1,15 Jul 1900, 404,425

Building: CO. GALWAY, CLIFDEN, UNION WORKHOUSE
Date: 1900
Nature: Imps. Contractor: McWilliams.
Refs: IB 42, 1 Jan 1900, 226

Building: CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, WATERWORKS
Date: 1902
Nature: New waterworks scheme.
Refs: IB 44, 17 Jul 1902, 1330; 45, 26 Feb 1903, 1620; 46, 16 Jan 1904, 28; B 85, 24 Oct 1903, 418

Building: CO. GALWAY, OUGHTERARD, UNION WORKHOUSE
Date: 1902
Nature: Repairs, alts. & imps to fever hospital., for Guardians.
Refs: IB 44, 27 Mar 1902, 1088

Building: CO. GALWAY, ARAN ISLANDS, KILRONAN, PUBLIC LAVATORY
Date: 1903
Nature: Latrine on pier, for Galway RDC.
Refs: IB 45, 8 Oct 1903, 2026

Building: CO. GALWAY, KINVARA, HARBOUR
Date: 1904
Nature: New works.
Refs: IB 46, 7 May 1904, 326

Building: CO. GALWAY, OUGHTERARD, WATERWORKS
Date: 1905
Nature: Imps., enclosing wells. For Oughterard RDC.
Refs: IB 47, 7 Oct 1905, 714

Building: CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, EYRE SQUARE, NORTH GATE
Date: 1905
Nature: Erection of old Browne doorway at same. With W.N. Burns, BE..
Refs: IB 47, 3 Jun 1905, 386