1. Early history

2. Building contracts

3. Collaboration with Sir John Aird

4. About the founders

5. Demise of the business

6. References

7. Further reading

Lucas Brothers was a leading British building business based in London.

Early history

The business was founded by Charles Thomas Lucas (1820 London – 1895 Warnham Court, near Horsham)^[1] and Thomas Lucas (1822–1902). They were the sons of James Lucas (1792–1865), a builder from St Pancras, London. Charles joined his father's business and was soon employed to manage construction of the Norwich & Brandon Railway for Sir Samuel Morton Peto.^[2]

In 1842 Charles set up his own contracting business in Norwich and progressed to rebuilding Peto's house, Somerleyton Hall.^[2] Charles and Thomas established a facility in Lowestoft from which they undertook various works, including the railway, the station, the Esplanade, St John’s church, and several hotels.^[2]

At their works in Lowestoft the brothers pre-fabricated huts for the navvies who built the Crimea railway. Their centre of operations then moved to London], where they built various public buildings.

Building contracts

Perhaps their most famous building contract was the Royal Albert Hall completed in 1871.^[3] They also built Covent Garden Opera House (completed in 1858),^[2] Floral Hall (1860),^[2] King's College Hospital (1862),^[2] the Junior Carlton Club (1866),^[2] Charterhouse School (1872),^[2] and the Alexandra Palace (1873).^[4] Private houses included Cliveden (1851),^[2] Henham Hall (1858),^[2] Rendlesham Hall (1870),^[2] Normanhurst Court (1870),^[2] and the South Kensington Exhibitions of 1867 and 1871 with Sir John Kelk.^[2]

Collaboration with Sir John Aird

In the 1860s the brothers collaborated with John Aird & Co. to form a civil engineering business known as Lucas & Aird.

About the founders

Charles Thomas Lucas married Charlotte Tiffin and had five sons and two daughters. He lived in London and then at Warnham in Sussex. He was created a Baronet in 1887.

Thomas married Jane Golder and had a daughter. After her death, he married Mary Amelia Chamberlin, daughter of Robert Chamberlin of Norwich, and had six sons and four daughters. He lived in London, Ascot, and briefly at Ashtead in Surrey.

Demise of the business

In 1895, following the death of Sir Charles Thomas Lucas, the business was dissolved.

References

Further reading

• The Master Builders by Robert Keith Middlemas, Hutchinson, 1963, ASIN B0000CLXYL
• Sir Samuel Morton Peto by Rev Dr Edward C Brooks, Brookes, 1996, {{ISBN|978-0-9502988-4-9}}
• Deptford, Toronto and Kingston by Peter Stirling-Aird, Grimsay Press, 2005, {{ISBN|978-1-84530-021-0}}

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