George Harry Devall (1869–1956) was a British architect, who worked in Birmingham in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, contributing much to the streetscape of the city. He was a contemporary of J. L. Ball, William Bidlake, Herbert Tudor Buckland, W. A. Harvey, and William Haywood, all of whom lived in Edgbaston and had architect practices in the city.
George Harry Devall (sometimes DuVall or DeVall) (1869–1956) practised from 1895 until he retired to Wales in 1934. Devall was a prolific architect who made a significant contribution to the quality of the built environment in Edgbaston, Harborne, Rotton Park and Winson Green areas of Birmingham.
George Devall was born in Birmingham in 1869, the eldest son of George and Phoebe Devall, who originally came from Dudley, Worcestershire. His father was a pawnbroker,[1] and in 1891 (when George was 12) the family was living in Dudley Road, Birmingham . The area that George grew up in would be a stone's throw from the area where he would ultimately make his living. In the 1891 census he is shown as an Architect's Clerk, living with his father in Heath Street, Birmingham and by 1895 he is listed for the first time in Kelly's Directory of Birmingham as an Architect and Surveyor.[2] In 1906 Devall was elected an associate member of the Birmingham Architectural Association.[3] The association, which was affiliated to the Royal Institute of British Architects, was founded in 1873 to promote the union and professional integrity of architects and for the general advancement of architecture in Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. In 1921, at the age of 62, Devall became a Fellow of the association and remained so until 1925,[4] when he retired from the association.
A large number of properties were built by him during his professional life, many of which are large detached and semi-detached villa residences for the Victorian and Edwardian middle-classes. However, he also designed a number of attractive terraced houses in Winson Green, Edgbaston and Harborne, most notably War Lane, Hartledon Road and Victoria Road in Harborne, all of which are still extant. In these latter three roads, he uses highly decorative terracotta to include columns, corinthian capitals, pediments and cartouches.Evidence of his productive career can be seen in his list of works, which lists the planning applications submitted to Birmingham City Council by him between 1895 and 1912. After 1911 his attentions appear to have switched from private dwelling houses and focused more on the commercial, as many of the planning applications subsequent to 1911 relate to motor houses, shops, manufactories and alterations.[5]
Much of his work of the larger villa style is concentrated in the Edgbaston roads of Melville Road, Clarendon Road, Montague Road, Gillott Road, Rotton Park Road and City Road (the latter two being notable for the large number of houses he designed there). His own house, where he lived from 1901 to 1934 at 152 Rotton Park Road, also survives and is a very attractive Edwardian detached villa. He also designed houses on individual plots in Edgbaston on Hagley Road, Lordswood Road, Portland Road and Somerset Road, many of which are still extant, but some, despite being in conservation areas, are at risk of demolition.
Devall retired to Wales in 1934 and died in Porthcawl in 1956. He is buried at St John the Baptist Church, Porthcawl.
This list is compiled from research at the Birmingham City Council Archive,[6] showing the date of the application and the planning application reference number (images referenced in this article in bold):
| Date | Ref. | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25‑Apr‑1895 | 10919 | House at Gillott Road, Edgbaston | |
| 22‑Dec‑1896 | 12486 | 4 houses at Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston | |
| 15‑Dec‑1896 | 12463 | 2 houses at Gillott Road, Edgbaston | |
| 19‑Jan‑1897 | 12531 | 4 houses at City Road, Edgbaston | |
| 07‑May‑1897 | 12935 | House(s) at City Road, Edgbaston | |
| 31‑Jul‑1897 | 13157 | 5 houses at Portland Road, Edgbaston – near to York Road | |
| 21‑Sep‑1897 | 13276 | 2 houses at Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston | |
| 21‑Sep‑1897 | 13276 | 2 houses on the corner of Rotton Park Road and City Road, Edgbaston | |
| 27‑Sep‑1897 | 13294 | 4 houses at Gillott Road, Edgbaston | |
| 29‑Jan‑1898 | 13596 | Sloe Lane | |
| 24‑Feb‑1898 | 13671 | 232 & 234 Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston | |
| 19‑Mar‑1898 | 13751 | 6 houses at Gillott Road, Edgbaston | |
| 19‑Mar‑1898 | 13752 | Shops at St Mary Street | |
| 07‑May‑1898 | 13925 | 40 houses at Edgbaston Road, Cromer Road and Tudor Street, Winson Green | |
| 19‑Mar‑1898 | 13967 | Houses at City Road, Edgbaston | |
| 23‑Jun‑1898 | 14056 | 31 houses at Constance Road and Edward Road | |
| 25‑Oct‑1898 | 14119 | 1 house at Melville Road, Edgbaston | |
| 18‑Jun‑1898 | 14165 | 6 houses at City Road, Edgbaston | |
| 20‑Aug‑1898 | 14173 | 6 houses at Rotton Park Road and Gillott Road, Edgbaston | |
| 21‑Sep‑1898 | 14254 | 1 house at Lordswood Road, Harborne | |
| 22‑Sep‑1898 | 14342 | 4 houses at Carlisle Street, Winson Green | |
| 05‑Nov‑1898 | 14380 | 9 houses at James Turner Street, Winson Green | |
| 07‑Jan‑1899 | 14494 | 10 houses at City Road, Edgbaston | |
| 07‑Jan‑1899 | 14495 | 1 house at 266 Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston | |
| 15‑Feb‑1899 | 14598 | 1 house at Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston for Ada Devall | |
| 28‑Apr‑1899 | 14800 | 2 houses at 32 and 34 Melville Road, Edgbaston | |
| 01‑May‑1899 | 14805 | 1 house at 62 Portland Road, Edgbaston for Mr (later Cllr Walthall | |
| 15‑Jun‑1899 | 14921 | 2 houses at 154/156 Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston | |
| 23‑Aug‑1899 | 15067 | 1 house at Hagley Road, Edgbaston for Ebeneezer J. Bradley (D) | |
| 18‑Oct‑1899 | 15184 | 4 houses at Franklin Street and Wellington Street, Winson Green | |
| 04‑Nov‑1899 | 15230 | 1 house at 334 Hagley Road, Edgbaston for his brother-in-law, Thomas Sanders (D) | |
| 21‑Nov‑1899 | 15267 | 10 houses at Gillott Road and proposed new road, Edgbaston | |
| 05‑Dec‑1899 | 15298 | 8 houses at Gillott Road, Edgbaston | |
| 27‑Jul‑1900 | 15738 | 5 houses at Beaconsfield Road | |
| 04‑Sep‑1900 | 15802 | 1 house at the corner of City Road and Selwyn Road | |
| 09‑Jan‑1900 | 15369 | 7 houses at Gillott Road and Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston | |
| 30‑Oct‑1900 | 15894 | 13 houses at Norman Street | |
| 09‑Jan‑1900 | 15369 | Houses at Rotton Park Road and Gillott Road, Edgbaston | |
| 11‑Jul‑1900 | 15718 | 2 houses at 245/247 Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston for Mrs Podmore | |
| 09‑Jan‑1901 | 15998 | 37 houses at John Turner Street, Eva Road and Perrott Street, Winson Green | |
| 12‑Jan‑1901 | 16002 | 37 houses at Edward Road, Eva Road, Perrott Street and John Turner Street | |
| 22‑Jan‑1901 | 16335 | House called “Somerset Grange” at 26 Somerset Road, Edgbaston for Walter Smith Bradley | |
| 25‑Jan‑1901 | 16684 | 1 house at 152 Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston for Mr G H Devall | |
| 18‑Mar‑1901 | 16772 | 2 houses at “Woodcote” 369 Hagley Road, Edgbaston for Mr John Bradley (D) | |
| 11‑Jul‑1901 | 16995 | 5 houses at Winson Street and Tudor Street, Winson Green | |
| 14‑Aug‑1901 | 17001 | 4 houses at Bankes Road, Winson Green | |
| 04‑Oct‑1901 | 17072 | 4 houses at Crabtree Road, Winson Green | |
| 08‑Oct‑1901 | 17079 | 8 houses at Beeton Road, Winson Green | |
| 20‑Dec‑1901 | 17200 | 79 houses at Hartledon Road and 49 houses at Victoria Road and 30 houses at War Lane | |
| 26‑Jan‑1903 | 17243 | Brewery | |
| 02‑Apr‑1903 | 17382 | 1 house at Cromer Road | |
| 09‑Jun‑1903 | 17502 | 1 house at 336 Hagley Road, Edgbaston for Mr Samuel White | |
| 01‑Jul‑1903 | 17567 | 1 house at Mansell Road, Winson Green | |
| 29‑Dec‑1903 | 17805 | 15 houses at Tudor Street, Winson Green | |
| 26‑Jan‑1904 | 17841 | Stabling at Victoria Road | |
| 19‑Mar‑1905 | 18539 | 2 houses at Raglan Road, Winson Green | |
| 19‑Mar‑1905 | 18545 | 71 houses at Rotton Park Road | |
| 19‑Mar‑1905 | 18577 | 23 houses and 1 shop at War Lane, Harborne | |
| 08‑Feb‑1906 | 19008 | 6 houses at Gillott Road, Edgbaston | |
| 09‑Jan‑1906 | 19013 | Manufactory at Hampton Street | |
| 05‑Jul‑1906 | 19279 | 2 houses at 8/10 Fountain Road, Edgbaston for W. Reed | |
| 07‑Jul‑1906 | 19288 | 10 houses at War Lane, Harborne | |
| 11‑May‑1907 | 19743 | 14 houses at Selwyn Road, Edgbaston | |
| 19‑Jul‑1907 | 19854 | 3 houses at 36/38 Clarendon Road and 2 Vernon Road, Edgbaston | |
| 20‑Sep‑1907 | 19927 | 2 houses at 18 and 20 Wheatsheaf Road, Edgbaston | |
| 28‑Dec‑1907 | 20061 | 1 house at 22 Wheatsheaf Road, Edgbaston for Mr L. Turner. | |
| 22‑Feb‑1908 | 20133 | 3 houses at Montague Road, Edgbaston | |
| 14‑Apr‑1908 | 20195 | 1 house at 160 Portland Road, Edgbaston for Mr C. J. Hoare | |
| 11‑Apr‑1908 | 20210 | 3 houses at 119–123 Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston | |
| 02‑May‑1908 | 20242 | 8 houses at Grove Street | |
| 01‑Jul‑1908 | 20338 | 8 houses at 119–133 Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston (replacing 20210) | |
| 28‑Sep‑1908 | 20478 | 1 house at 435 Hagley Road, Edgbaston called “Mandalay” for Mr William S. Sheldon | |
| 27‑Mar‑1909 | 20776 | 1 house at Lee Bank Road, Edgbaston | |
| 10‑Mar‑1910 | 21343 | 8 houses at Don Street | |
| 22‑Jul‑1910 | 21630 | 3 cottages at Metchley Lane, Harborne next to Sportsman P.H. for Mr S. Allen | |
| 27‑Aug‑1910 | 21677 | 3 houses at 21–25 Metchley Lane, Harborne resubmitted as above (No. 25 demolished) | |
| 17‑Oct‑1911 | 23574 | 1 house on the corner of Rotton Park Road and Selwyn Road, Edgbaston |