Papers of Thomas Chambers Hine (1813-1899), architect of Nottingham, 1647-1925

The collection comprises:

• Scrapbook containing autograph letters and facsimile letters of royalty and distinguished churchmen, architects, authors, scientists and others. These items are accompanied by photographs, cuttings from printed works, engravings of architectural features and buildings, and manuscript notes by T.C. Hine; the earliest item dates from 1647 (MS 575/1).
• Scrapbook containing newspaper cuttings, correspondence and a few photographs, 1853-1899 (MS 575/2)
• Detailed Drawings and Specification, Explanatory of the Design for a Labourer's Cottage by T.C. Hine, a printed work, 1848 (MS 575/3).
• Loose posthumous items comprising two letters addressed to T.C. Hine's grandson, family history notes, and a photograph of St. Paul's church, Clumber, Nottinghamshire, 1924-1925 (MS 575/4).

As a keen autograph hunter, T.C. Hine collected letters which were signed by famous people and pasted them into a scrapbook (MS 575/1), often accompanied by relevant illustrations and manuscript notes. The volume also contains engravings cut from printed works of buildings that Hine perhaps admired. In contrast, MS 575/2 is more personal, containing items relating to his family and his own architectural projects.

Thomas Chambers Hine was born in London in 1813, the eldest son of hosiery manufacturer Jonathan Hine. In 1834, Hine completed his architecture training in London and moved to Nottingham. In 1848, he won a national competition to design a pair of agricultural workers' cottages and published a monograph (MS 575/3) containing a specification and designs for them. Important commissions followed including the Nottingham Corn Exchange (1849-1850) in Thurland Street, a factory for Hine and Mundella Ltd (1851) in Station Street, and the rebuilding of Ogston Hall, Derbyshire (1851-1864) and Flintham Hall, Nottinghamshire (1851-1857). Hine was as versatile as he was prolific and applied a variety of styles to the many houses, hospitals, schools, churches and railway stations that he designed in the East Midlands.

Hine's later projects included the rebuilding and renovation of the castle, shire hall, and courts in Nottingham. He was in partnerships with William Patterson in the 1830s and 1840s, Robert Evans until 1867, and finally, his son George Thomas Hine. T.C. Hine was also an enthusiastic building conservationist, lecturer on archaeology and architecture, and was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1876. He died in Nottingham in 1899.

Items have been arranged chronologically.

ACCESS: Accessible to all registered readers only by appointment. General access to some elements may be restricted pending conservation and full cataloguing.

REPROGRAPHIC: Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

This description is the only finding aid available for the collection. Copyright in the description belongs to The University of Nottingham.

COPYRIGHT: Permission to make published use of any material from this collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). The Department will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but this can be difficult and the responsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the person wishing to publish.

LANGUAGE: English

The collection was acquired by The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections in April 1990.