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Peter Nicholson (architect)

Peter Nicholson (20 July 1765  – 18 June 1844) was a Scottish architect, mathematician and engineer. Largely self-taught, he was apprenticed to a cabinet-maker but soon abandoned his trade in favour of teaching and writing. He practised as an architect but is best remembered for his theoretical work on the skew arch (he never actually constructed one himself), his invention of draughtsman's instruments, including a centrolinead and a cyclograph, and his prolific writing on numerous practical subjects.

Peter Nicholson
Engraved portrait of Nicholson from the frontispiece of his Guide to Railway Masonry
Born(1765-07-20)20 July 1765
Prestonkirk, East Lothian
Died18 June 1844(1844-06-18) (aged 78)
Carlisle, Cumbria
NationalityBritish
EducationParish school (three years only), mostly self-taught[1]
OccupationEngineer
Spouse(s)Jane (d. 1832);[2]
re-married
ChildrenMichael Angelo Nicholson (c. 1796–1841), by Jane;
Jessie Nicholson (m. Bowen), Jamieson T. Nicholson, both by 2nd wife[2]
Parent[father was a stonemason]
Engineering career
DisciplineArchitect, mathematician, structural engineer
ProjectsCarlton Place, Glasgow
Ardrossan town plan
Significant designThe centrolinead
The cyclograph
Significant advanceThe helicoidal skew arch

Biography edit

Early life edit

Born in 1765 in the parish of Prestonkirk, East Lothian, Peter Nicholson was the son of a stonemason.[3] Largely self-taught and excelling in the field of mathematics, he received only a rudimentary formal education, studying under a Mr Richardson, brother of architect George Richardson, at the local parish school from the age of nine until he left, aged 12, to assist his father in the family business.[2] During this time he amused himself by making drawings and models of the numerous mills in the neighbourhood.[3] However, finding stonemasonry not to his liking, he expressed the desire to be a cabinet-maker and so served a four-year apprenticeship at Linton, the principal village in the parish, then worked as a journeyman in Edinburgh before leaving for London in 1789 at the age of 24.[1][4]

 
A plate from Nicholson's first book The Carpenter's New Guide, engraved by his own hand
 
Nicholson's centrolinead
 
Portrait of Nicholson by James Green, c. 1816, donated to the National Portrait Gallery in 1961[5]
 
Nicholson's signature
 
A plate from Nicholson's Guide to Railway Masonry showing the development (left) and the plan view of the intrados of a helicoidal skew arch

Living in London, Nicholson continued trading as a cabinet-maker but also began teaching practical geometry at an evening school for mechanical engineers in Berwick Street, Soho, at which he became so successful that he soon abandoned his trade and took up authorship.[2][4] He published his first book, The Carpenter's New Guide in 1792, illustrating it with plates engraved by his own hand.[1] It is notable for containing an original method for the construction of groins and niches of complex, double curved forms.[2] Whilst living in London, Nicholson published three more books, The Student's Instructor (1795), The Carpenter and Joiner's Assistant (1797), and a three-volume work entitled Principles of Architecture, which he began in 1794 but did not complete until 1798.[1]

Middle years edit

After living in London for 11 years, Nicholson returned to Scotland in 1800, at the age of 35, and spent the next eight years working as an architect in Glasgow, a city already rising to eminence, and to which he made a number of contributions, including a wooden bridge over the River Clyde, Carlton Place in Laurieston, and additions to the college buildings.[1][2][3] During this time Hugh Montgomerie, the 12th Earl of Eglinton commissioned him to prepare plans for the new town of Ardrossan in Ayrshire and for the next 50 years his simple but effective grid plan was adhered to.[4] The town's harbour was built under the direction of fellow Scot and celebrated engineer, Thomas Telford who was sufficiently impressed by Nicholson's work that he recommended him for the post of Surveyor to the county of Cumberland, on the death of the incumbent, John Chisholme in 1808.[4]

Successfully securing the post, Nicholson relocated to Carlisle, where he supervised the construction of the new Courts of Justice to Telford's designs and received rewards from the Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts for improvements he made to the construction of handrailing and for his invention of a draughtsman's instrument called the centrolinead, before returning to London two years later, in order to resume his teaching and writing.[1][4]

Establishing a school in Oxford Street, Nicholson taught mathematics, architecture, surveying and building technology, and he continued to develop the centrolinead, in recognition of which he received the Gold Isis Medal and the sum of 20 shillings from the Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in 1814, and a silver medal in 1815.[2][4] In c. 1816, he sat for portrait artist James Green, the painting being donated to the National Portrait Gallery in London in 1961.[5] The period between 1810 and 1829, during which Nicholson lived in London, was his most prolific as an author. During this time he published Mechanical Exercises (1812), The Builder and Workman's New Director (1822), and The Architectural Dictionary, in two volumes (1812 and 1819). This work was considered the most important of the numerous works that were to make his reputation as a national authority on building technology at a time when the building industry was changing rapidly under the influence of scientific research.[4] In addition to practical books relating to building and architecture, Nicholson also wrote about purely scientific, and sometimes rather esoteric subjects.[3] His Treatise on Practical Perspective (1815) included a discussion and full instructions on the use of the centrolinead, while his mathematical works included such titles as An Introduction to the Method of Increments (1817), Essays on the Combinatorial Analysis (1818), and The Rudiments of Algebra (1819). His Essay on Involution and Evolution (1820) earned him the commendation of the Académie des Sciences in Paris.[6] In 1826, at the age of 61, Nicholson visited France and, by the time of his return, had gained sufficient familiarity with the language to be able to translate books on various mathematical subjects.[2] The following year, he began work on an ambitious project entitled The School of Architecture and Engineering, intending to complete it in 12 affordable volumes, costing just 1s 6d each, but he was forced to abandon the work when the publisher, J. and C. Adlard of London[7] was declared bankrupt and only five volumes were ever produced, this being the only project he left unfinished.[2][3] Suffering a heavy financial loss himself, and in order to economise, Nicholson left London for Morpeth in Northumberland in 1829, where he lived in a small property left to him by a relative.[4] In the meantime, he published A Popular and Practical Treatise on Masonry and Stone-cutting (1828), in which he solved the problem of cutting stones to the precise shapes required for the construction of a strong skew arch and presented his solution in a form that was useful to other engineers and stonemasons, enabling the stones to be prepared from templates at the quarry in advance of the actual construction of the bridge.[2]

Later life edit

In Morpeth, Nicholson started work on a book entitled A Treatise on Dialing in which he described how to prepare and erect sundials, as well as applying trigonometry to the problem of finding the length of the hip of a roof and its rafters from the angle of inclination of its eaves.[2] On 10 August 1832, Nicholson's wife, Jane died, aged 48, and he erected a neat memorial to her in the grounds of the High Church before leaving Morpeth and taking up residence in Carliol Street, Newcastle upon Tyne.[2]

At the age of 67, and still financially embarrassed, Nicholson resumed his writing, finally getting his Treatise on Dialing published in Newcastle in 1833, and set up a school in the recently opened Royal Arcade, which he ran for a few years, though it was not a financial success.[1][4] He was nevertheless highly regarded by the local people and was awarded honorary memberships of a number of local institutions, including the Newcastle Mechanics' Institute.[2] In 1834, an attempt was made to raise, by public subscription, sufficient funds to purchase an annuity for his benefit, but as only £320 was raised it was deemed insufficient for the purpose and was handed directly to Nicholson to help with his immediate needs, and a petition was sent to the king in an attempt to secure a pension for him from the Privy Purse.[1][2] In October 1836, he was elected President of the Newcastle Society for the Promotion of the Fine Arts[2] and in August 1838, he presented a paper entitled Principles of Oblique Bridges to the eighth meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, which was held in Newcastle.[8] During the nine years he lived in Newcastle, Nicholson published three more books, his Treatise on Projection (1837) containing his portrait, drawn from life by Edward Train, originally in pen and ink.[2] Nicholson's final work was entitled The Guide to Railway Masonry, containing a Complete Treatise on the Oblique Arch and published on 1 January 1839, the third edition of which also contained the portrait by Train.[2] The contrast between this and the earlier portrait by Green is marked: Green painted a man at the peak of his vigour, while Train drew a much older and poorer man.[2]

Leaving Newcastle for Carlisle on 10 October 1841, aged 76, Nicholson was supported for the remainder of his life by the generosity of Thomas Jamieson, a relative by marriage, of Newton, Northumberland.[4] He died on 18 June 1844 and was buried in the graveyard of Christ Church, which was built in 1830 but has since been demolished.[9] A monument to his memory, designed by Robert William Billings in the form of a pair of interpenetrating obelisks, was erected in Carlisle cemetery in 1865.[4] Nicholson married twice. By his first wife, Jane he had one son, Michael Angelo, author of the Carpenter and Joiner's Companion (1826), who died in 1842, leaving a numerous family; by his second marriage, Nicholson had a daughter, Jessie, who married a Mr Bowen of Bridgewater, and a son, Jamieson T., both of whom survived him.[2][3]

Recognition, criticism and legacy edit

As a mathematician edit

Nicholson is variously described in his own books as architect, carpenter, surveyor, practical builder and private teacher of mathematics.[10] As a mathematician, he was largely self-taught, later turning to architecture as a means of finding a practical application for the theoretical knowledge he had amassed during his solitary studies.

Having by ardent desire, in early youth, acquired a knowledge of most of the Mathematical Sciences, by application to books, principally from the works of that celebrated mathematician, Mr. Emerson, but, from the want of similar society at that time, and a desire of applying the scientific knowledge I then possessed to useful purposes, I directed my attention to Architecture; and what I have done in this art will sufficiently appear in the works that have been published under my name.

— An Introduction to the Method of Increments, Peter Nicholson, Private Teacher of the Mathematics.[11]

For his work on involution and evolution, Nicholson received the following commendation from the French Académie des Sciences.

French Institute, Royal Academy of Sciences, Paris, 10 July 1820.

Sir,—The Academy has received with a lively degree of interest, the Essay that you obligingly addressed to it on Involution and Evolution, or a Method of determining the Numerical Value of any Function of an unknown Quantity. I am desired, in its name, to thank you for sending this interesting work, which has been honourably placed in the Library of the Academy; and to express the sense of obligation which the Institution entertains for your attention.

Receive, Sir, I beg, the assurance of the most distinguished respect with which I am,

Your's etc.

B.G. Cuvier

— Letter from the Perpetual Secretary to Mr Peter Nicholson.[6]

As an architect edit

Although almost entirely forgotten as a mathematician, Nicholson is still remembered as an architect and in the 1978 edition of his standard work, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840, Howard M. Colvin claims that

Nicholson was one of the leading intellects behind nineteenth-century building technology. He used his great ability as a mathematician to simplify many old formulae used by architectural draughtsmen as well as to devise new ones.[4]

Colvin continues,

His writings were not confined to theory; although based on scientific principle, they addressed the practical problems faced by building craftsmen. Thus his improvements in the construction of handrailing and the invention of the centrolinead [...] helped to make possible the elegant curved staircases of the late Georgian period.[4]

On the skew arch edit

 
Kielder Viaduct, information plaque

For his work on the skew arch Nicholson received a number of letters of thanks from contractors, engineers and masons, which he published in a Testimonials section of his Guide to Railway Masonry. Kielder Viaduct, a seven arch skew railway bridge built to his pattern, now disused but preserved by the Northumberland and Newcastle Society,[12] carries an information plaque commemorating Nicholson's pioneering work in this field.

Sir,—As one of the contractors [...] for the Tees Bridge, near Croft, on the Great North of England Railway, I beg leave to make the following statements regarding your Guide to Railway Masonry, namely that it is by far the most practically useful and correct method that I have yet seen laid before the public for the construction of an oblique arch; and there was not the least difficulty in finding the templets necessary, as laid down by you, for working the arch-stones of this bridge; and that, when explained to the workmen, they found no difficulty whatever in working the same. In fact, your method renders the working of them nearly as simple as those of a common square arch. [...] I beg leave to thank you for the great pains you have taken in rendering the oblique arch practically easy to most capacities.

— James Hogg, mason[13]

Following his 1836 publication On the Construction of Skew Arches,[14]Charles Fox openly acknowledged Nicholson's contribution while claiming his own to be the superior method.

No one would for a moment hesitate to acknowledge the obligations which practical men are under to that highly talented individual Mr Peter Nicholson; but on referring to his Treatise on Masonry and Stone-cutting (plate 17) it will at once appear that the intrado is the only surface developed, and the approximate line laid down upon it, all the courses are drawn at right angles to that line; the courses therefore are drawn with reference to the intrado only.

— On Mr Peter Nicholson's Rule for the Construction of the Oblique Arch, Charles Fox[15]

In his 1837 publication A Practical and Theoretical Essay on Oblique Bridges, George W. Buck also acknowledged Nicholson's contribution but, finding it lacking in detail, applied his own original trigonometrical approach and considerable practical experience to the problem.

In Nicholson's work on stone cutting, published in 1828, the method of constructing oblique arches with spiral courses is briefly explained, and to it we are indebted for the first principles of the art, but it does not enter sufficiently into detail.

— A Practical and Theoretical Essay on Oblique Bridges, George Watson Buck[16]

The unfavourable comments from Fox and Buck were comparatively mild and tempered in part by their acknowledgement of Nicholson's pioneering work. Nevertheless, Nicholson, by this time in his mid-70s and his health failing, felt the need to exercise his right of reply.[17] A number of people expressed their public support for him, including his friend Henry Welch, the County Bridge Surveyor for Northumberland[18] and an anonymous supporter known only by the initials M.Q.[19] Unfortunately this exchange escalated into a paper war that became increasingly acrimonious,[20][21] culminating in 1840 in a very personal attack by Buck's assistant, the 28-year-old William Henry Barlow, and causing Nicholson considerable distress.[22]

It is really very lamentable to see a man of the standing Peter Nicholson once had, obliged to have recourse to so mean and unworthy subterfuge; and it is still more lamentable to see him forget himself so much in the language he makes use of. […] Is he ignorant of the fact that Mr. Buck has surmounted this difficulty by the simple expedient of adjusting the angle of the intrado—or is it that, rather than acknowledge his inferiority, he persists in what he knows to be wrong, and addresses his book to the working classes in the hope of escaping detection? […] It is perfectly distressing to see a problem which admits of easy solution so miserably mutilated in his hands. […] Mr. Nicholson's rules however are not only very unnecessarily tedious, but it would appear by his own showing, that they are not over certain in their results. […] However, I will say no more. For this time I have, as he observes, "done with him" and I hope enough has been said to show Mr. Nicholson that his ideas have got a twist in their beds by no means adapted to skew-bridges, and that no species of brow-beating or invective on his part will be of the slightest use to him, while his book [The Guide to Railway Masonry, containing a Complete Treatise on the Oblique Arch, published on 1 January 1839] remains so very imperfect.

— On the Construction of Oblique Arches, William Henry Barlow[23]

By his fellow citizens edit

A measure of the high esteem in which Nicholson was held by the residents of Newcastle and their sense of injustice at his financial plight can be gauged from the petition sent to the king in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a pension on his behalf.

The works of Peter Nicholson, while they have contributed to the advancement of knowledge, have tended to raise the English mechanic to that pre-eminence he has attained over the other artificers of Europe; and while they have been honoured with the proudest marks of distinction by the various learned societies of this kingdom, have yet failed to produce to their author those benefits which are necessary for his existence; and it must ever be a source of regret that an individual who, having devoted his best energies to the advancement of science, should be left at the close of a long and laborious life, and in his seventy-third year, to struggle in penury and want.

— Petition from the people of Newcastle to H. M. King William IV on behalf of Peter Nicholson[1][3]

Publications edit

Nicholson was a prolific writer, contributing practical information on a wide range of technical subjects in 27 works.

  • The Carpenter's New Guide (1792, his first publication at the age of 27).[24]
  • Principles of Architecture (in three volumes between 1794 and 1798).[25][26][27]
  • The Student's Instructor in Drawing and Working the Five Orders of Architecture (1795).[28]
  • The Carpenter and Joiner's Assistant (1797).[29]
  • Mechanical Exercises (1812).[30] This book was re-published in 1831 as The Mechanic's Companion.[31]
  • The Architectural Dictionary (in two volumes between 1812 and 1819).[32] This book was re-published in an expanded form in 1852 as the Encyclopædia of Architecture.[33]
  • A Treatise on Practical Perspective (1815).[34]
  • An Introduction to the Method of Increments (1817).[35]
  • Essays on the Combinatorial Analysis (1818).[36][37]
  • The Rudiments of Algebra (1819).[37][38]
  • Essay on Involution and Evolution (1820, for which he received the commendation[6] of the Académie des Sciences in Paris).[37][39]
  • A Treatise on the Construction of Staircases and Handrails (1820).[40]
  • Analytical and Arithmetical Essays (1821).[41]
  • The Builder and Workman's New Director (1822).[42]
  • A Popular Course of Pure and Mixed Mathematics (1823, price 21s).[43]
  • The New Practical Builder, and Workman's Companion (1823).[44]
  • The Practical Builder's Perpetual Price-book (1823).[45]
  • A Practical System of Algebra (1824, with John Rowbotham).[46]
  • The Practical Cabinet-maker, Upholsterer, and Complete Decorator (1826, with Michael Angelo Nicholson, his elder son).[47]
  • The Carpenter and Builder's Complete Measurer (1826, intended as a sequel to the Carpenter's Guide).[48]
  • Practical Carpentry, Joinery and Cabinet-making (1826).[49]
  • In 1827 he commenced the publication of a work entitled The School of Architecture and Engineering, which he intended to complete in twelve volumes, at 1s 6d each; but, following the bankruptcy of the publisher, only five volumes appeared, causing Nicholson a considerable personal financial loss.[50]
  • A Popular and Practical Treatise on Masonry and Stone-cutting (1828).[51]
  • A Treatise on Dialing (1833).[52]
  • A Treatise on Projection (1837).[53]
  • Practical Masonry, Bricklaying, and Plastering (1838).[54]
  • The Guide to Railway Masonry, containing a Complete Treatise on the Oblique Arch (1839).[55]

Nicholson also edited and revised later editions of the following publications by other authors.

He also contributed several articles to Rees's Cyclopædia.

  • Architecture (vol. 2, 1802–1803)
  • Carpentry (vol. 6, 1806)
  • Joinery (vol. 19, 1811)
  • Panorama (vol. 26, 1813–1814)
  • Perspective (vol. 26, 1813–1814)
  • Projection (vol. 28, 1814)
  • Proportional Compasses (vol. 28, 1814)
  • Shadows (vol. 32, 1815–1816)
  • Stereography (vol. 34, 1816)
  • Stereometry (vol. 34, 1816)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Anderson, William (1867). The Scottish Nation. Vol. III (Mac–Zet). Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & Co. pp. 250–251.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s T., O. (1844). Laxton, William (ed.). "Memoir of the Late Peter Nicholson, Architect". The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal, Scientific and Railway Gazette. London: Groombridge & Sons, J. Weale. VII: 425.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Significant Scots: Peter Nicholson". Electric Scotland. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Colvin, Howard M. (2008) [First published 1954]. A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 (4th ed.). Yale University Press. p. 748. ISBN 978-0-300-12508-5.
  5. ^ a b "NPG 4225; Peter Nicholson". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
  6. ^ a b c Nicholson, 1823, A Popular Course... op. cit., p. 62.
  7. ^ T., 1844, (Laxton, ed.), op. cit., p. 427.
  8. ^ Urban, Sylvanus, ed. (1838). The Gentleman's Magazine. Vol. X (July–December). London: W. Pickering, J. B. Nichols and Son. pp. 423–427.
  9. ^ John S. Turner (18 November 2006). "The site of Christ Church, Carlisle". Geograph. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  10. ^ Lloyd, E. Keith (October 1982). "Mr Peter Nicholson, the Practical Builder and Mathematician". The Mathematical Gazette. The Mathematical Association. 66 (437): 203–207. doi:10.2307/3616546. JSTOR 3616546. S2CID 186295509.
  11. ^ Nicholson, 1817, op. cit., Preface p. iii.
  12. ^ . Northumberland & Newcastle Society. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  13. ^ Nicholson, 1839, op. cit., p. 48.
  14. ^ Fox, Charles (1836). Loudon, J. C (ed.). "On the Construction of Skew Arches". Architectural Magazine. Vol. III. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman. pp. 251–260.
  15. ^ Fox, Charles (19 January 1837). "On Mr Peter Nicholson's Rule for the Construction of the Oblique Arch". The London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science. Third series. Vol. X (January–June 1837). London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman. pp. 167–169. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  16. ^ Buck, George Watson (1839). A Practical and Theoretical Essay on Oblique Bridges (1st ed.). London: John Weale. p. iii.
  17. ^ Nicholson, Peter (23 May 1840). Laxton, William (ed.). "On Oblique Arches (in reply to Mr. Buck, C.E. &c. &c.)". The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal, Scientific and Railway Gazette. London: Hooper, Weale, Taylor & Williams. III: 230–231.
  18. ^ Welch, Henry (1837). Loudon, John Claudius (ed.). "On the Construction of Oblique Arches". Architectural Magazine. Vol. IV. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman. p. 90.
  19. ^ Q., M. (8 October 1841). Laxton, William (ed.). "On the Construction of Oblique Arches". The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal, Scientific and Railway Gazette. London: Hooper, Weale, Taylor & Williams. IV: 421.
  20. ^ Buck, George Watson (May 1840). Laxton, William (ed.). "On the Construction of Oblique Arches". The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal, Scientific and Railway Gazette. London: Hooper, Weale, Taylor & Williams. III: 197–198.
  21. ^ Buck, George Watson (18 July 1840). Laxton, William (ed.). "On Oblique Arches – Mr. Buck in reply to Mr. Nicholson". The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal, Scientific and Railway Gazette. London: Hooper, Weale, Taylor & Williams. III: 274–275.
  22. ^ T., 1844, (Laxton, ed.), op. cit., p. 426.
  23. ^ Barlow, William Henry (16 August 1841). Laxton, William (ed.). "On the Construction of Oblique Arches". The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal, Scientific and Railway Gazette. London: Hooper, Weale, Taylor & Williams. IV: 290–292.
  24. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1808) [First published 1792]. The Carpenter's New Guide: being a Complete Book of Lines for Carpentry and Joinery (2nd ed.). London: J. Taylor.
  25. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1809) [First published 1794]. Principles of Architecture: comprising Fundamental Rules of the Art. Vol. I (2nd ed.). London: J. Barfield.
  26. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1809) [First published 1795]. Principles of Architecture: comprising Fundamental Rules of the Art. Vol. II (2nd ed.). London: J. Barfield.
  27. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1809) [First published 1798]. Principles of Architecture: comprising Fundamental Rules of the Art. Vol. III (2nd ed.). London: J. Barfield.
  28. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1823) [First published 1795]. The Student's Instructor in Drawing and Working the Five Orders of Architecture (5th ed.). London: J. Taylor.
  29. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1797). The Carpenter and Joiner's Assistant (1st ed.). London: I. & J. Taylor.
  30. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1812). Mechanical Exercises: The Elements and Practice of Carpentry, Joinery, Bricklaying, Masonry, Slating, Plastering, Painting, Smithing, and Turning (1st ed.). London: J. Taylor.
  31. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1831). The Mechanic's Companion, or, The Elements and Practice of Carpentry, Joinery, Bricklaying, Masonry, Slating, Plastering, Painting, Smithing and Turning (1st ed.). New York: W. C. Borradaile.
  32. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1819). The Architectural Dictionary (1st ed.). London: J. Barfield.
  33. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1852). Lomax, Edward; Gunyon, Thomas (eds.). Encyclopædia of Architecture. Caxton Press.
  34. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1815). A Treatise on Practical Perspective without the Use of Vanishing Points (1st ed.). London: J. Barfield.
  35. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1817). An Introduction to the Method of Increments (1st ed.). London: Davis & Dickson.
  36. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1818). Essays on the Combinatorial Analysis (1st ed.). Longman, Hurst.
  37. ^ a b c Griffiths, Ralph; Griffiths, George Edward, eds. (1820). The Monthly Review, or Literary Journal. Vol. XCIII (1820). London: Ralph Griffiths. pp. 408–416.
  38. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1819). The Rudiments of Algebra (1st ed.). London: J. Barfield.
  39. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1820). Essay on Involution and Evolution: particularly applied to the Operation of Extracting the Roots of Equations and Numbers (1st ed.). London: Davis & Dickson.
  40. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1820). A Treatise on the Construction of Staircases and Handrails (1st ed.). London: J. Taylor.
  41. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1821). Analytical and Arithmetical Essays (1st ed.). London: Davis & Dickson.
  42. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1822). The Builder and Workman's New Director (1st ed.). London: John Day.
  43. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1823). The New Practical Builder, and Workman's Companion (1st ed.). London: Thomas Kelly.
  44. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1823). The Practical Builder's Perpetual Price-book. London: Thomas Kelly.
  45. ^ Nicholson, Peter; Rowbotham, John (1831) [First published 1824]. A Practical System of Algebra, designed for the use of Schools and Private Students (2nd ed.). London: Baldwin & Cradock.
  46. ^ Nicholson, Peter; Nicholson, Michael Angelo (1826). The Practical Cabinet-maker, Upholsterer, and Complete Decorator (1st ed.). London: H. Fisher, Son & Co.
  47. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1826). The Carpenter and Builder's Complete Measurer. G. Virtue.
  48. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1826). Practical Carpentry, Joinery and Cabinet-making (1st ed.). London: Thomas Kelly.
  49. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1827). The School of Architecture and Engineering (1st ed.). London: J. and C. Adlard.
  50. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1828). A Popular and Practical Treatise on Masonry and Stone-cutting (1st ed.). London: Thomas Hurst, Edward Chance & Co.
  51. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1833). A Treatise on Dialing; comprising the Delineation of Sun Dials, in Every Position to the Plane of the Horizon (1st ed.). Newcastle: J. Blackwell.
  52. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1837). A Treatise on Projection, containing the First Principles of Plans and Elevations (1st ed.). R. Groombridge.
  53. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1838). Practical Masonry, Bricklaying, and Plastering, both Plain and Ornamental (1st ed.). London: Thomas Kelly.
  54. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1860) [First published 1839]. Cowen, R (ed.). The Guide to Railway Masonry, containing a Complete Treatise on the Oblique Arch (3rd ed.). London: E. & F. N. Spon.
  55. ^ Buchanan, Robertson (1808). Nicholson, P (ed.). An Essay on the Teeth of Wheels. London: William Savage.

peter, nicholson, architect, peter, nicholson, july, 1765, june, 1844, scottish, architect, mathematician, engineer, largely, self, taught, apprenticed, cabinet, maker, soon, abandoned, trade, favour, teaching, writing, practised, architect, best, remembered, . Peter Nicholson 20 July 1765 18 June 1844 was a Scottish architect mathematician and engineer Largely self taught he was apprenticed to a cabinet maker but soon abandoned his trade in favour of teaching and writing He practised as an architect but is best remembered for his theoretical work on the skew arch he never actually constructed one himself his invention of draughtsman s instruments including a centrolinead and a cyclograph and his prolific writing on numerous practical subjects Peter NicholsonEngraved portrait of Nicholson from the frontispiece of his Guide to Railway MasonryBorn 1765 07 20 20 July 1765Prestonkirk East LothianDied18 June 1844 1844 06 18 aged 78 Carlisle CumbriaNationalityBritishEducationParish school three years only mostly self taught 1 OccupationEngineerSpouse s Jane d 1832 2 re marriedChildrenMichael Angelo Nicholson c 1796 1841 by Jane Jessie Nicholson m Bowen Jamieson T Nicholson both by 2nd wife 2 Parent father was a stonemason Engineering careerDisciplineArchitect mathematician structural engineerProjectsCarlton Place GlasgowArdrossan town planSignificant designThe centrolineadThe cyclographSignificant advanceThe helicoidal skew arch Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life 1 2 Middle years 1 3 Later life 2 Recognition criticism and legacy 2 1 As a mathematician 2 2 As an architect 2 3 On the skew arch 2 4 By his fellow citizens 3 Publications 4 ReferencesBiography editEarly life edit Born in 1765 in the parish of Prestonkirk East Lothian Peter Nicholson was the son of a stonemason 3 Largely self taught and excelling in the field of mathematics he received only a rudimentary formal education studying under a Mr Richardson brother of architect George Richardson at the local parish school from the age of nine until he left aged 12 to assist his father in the family business 2 During this time he amused himself by making drawings and models of the numerous mills in the neighbourhood 3 However finding stonemasonry not to his liking he expressed the desire to be a cabinet maker and so served a four year apprenticeship at Linton the principal village in the parish then worked as a journeyman in Edinburgh before leaving for London in 1789 at the age of 24 1 4 nbsp A plate from Nicholson s first book The Carpenter s New Guide engraved by his own hand nbsp Nicholson s centrolinead nbsp Portrait of Nicholson by James Green c 1816 donated to the National Portrait Gallery in 1961 5 nbsp Nicholson s signature nbsp A plate from Nicholson s Guide to Railway Masonry showing the development left and the plan view of the intrados of a helicoidal skew archLiving in London Nicholson continued trading as a cabinet maker but also began teaching practical geometry at an evening school for mechanical engineers in Berwick Street Soho at which he became so successful that he soon abandoned his trade and took up authorship 2 4 He published his first book The Carpenter s New Guide in 1792 illustrating it with plates engraved by his own hand 1 It is notable for containing an original method for the construction of groins and niches of complex double curved forms 2 Whilst living in London Nicholson published three more books The Student s Instructor 1795 The Carpenter and Joiner s Assistant 1797 and a three volume work entitled Principles of Architecture which he began in 1794 but did not complete until 1798 1 Middle years edit After living in London for 11 years Nicholson returned to Scotland in 1800 at the age of 35 and spent the next eight years working as an architect in Glasgow a city already rising to eminence and to which he made a number of contributions including a wooden bridge over the River Clyde Carlton Place in Laurieston and additions to the college buildings 1 2 3 During this time Hugh Montgomerie the 12th Earl of Eglinton commissioned him to prepare plans for the new town of Ardrossan in Ayrshire and for the next 50 years his simple but effective grid plan was adhered to 4 The town s harbour was built under the direction of fellow Scot and celebrated engineer Thomas Telford who was sufficiently impressed by Nicholson s work that he recommended him for the post of Surveyor to the county of Cumberland on the death of the incumbent John Chisholme in 1808 4 Successfully securing the post Nicholson relocated to Carlisle where he supervised the construction of the new Courts of Justice to Telford s designs and received rewards from the Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts for improvements he made to the construction of handrailing and for his invention of a draughtsman s instrument called the centrolinead before returning to London two years later in order to resume his teaching and writing 1 4 Establishing a school in Oxford Street Nicholson taught mathematics architecture surveying and building technology and he continued to develop the centrolinead in recognition of which he received the Gold Isis Medal and the sum of 20 shillings from the Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in 1814 and a silver medal in 1815 2 4 In c 1816 he sat for portrait artist James Green the painting being donated to the National Portrait Gallery in London in 1961 5 The period between 1810 and 1829 during which Nicholson lived in London was his most prolific as an author During this time he published Mechanical Exercises 1812 The Builder and Workman s New Director 1822 and The Architectural Dictionary in two volumes 1812 and 1819 This work was considered the most important of the numerous works that were to make his reputation as a national authority on building technology at a time when the building industry was changing rapidly under the influence of scientific research 4 In addition to practical books relating to building and architecture Nicholson also wrote about purely scientific and sometimes rather esoteric subjects 3 His Treatise on Practical Perspective 1815 included a discussion and full instructions on the use of the centrolinead while his mathematical works included such titles as An Introduction to the Method of Increments 1817 Essays on the Combinatorial Analysis 1818 and The Rudiments of Algebra 1819 His Essay on Involution and Evolution 1820 earned him the commendation of the Academie des Sciences in Paris 6 In 1826 at the age of 61 Nicholson visited France and by the time of his return had gained sufficient familiarity with the language to be able to translate books on various mathematical subjects 2 The following year he began work on an ambitious project entitled The School of Architecture and Engineering intending to complete it in 12 affordable volumes costing just 1s 6d each but he was forced to abandon the work when the publisher J and C Adlard of London 7 was declared bankrupt and only five volumes were ever produced this being the only project he left unfinished 2 3 Suffering a heavy financial loss himself and in order to economise Nicholson left London for Morpeth in Northumberland in 1829 where he lived in a small property left to him by a relative 4 In the meantime he published A Popular and Practical Treatise on Masonry and Stone cutting 1828 in which he solved the problem of cutting stones to the precise shapes required for the construction of a strong skew arch and presented his solution in a form that was useful to other engineers and stonemasons enabling the stones to be prepared from templates at the quarry in advance of the actual construction of the bridge 2 Later life edit In Morpeth Nicholson started work on a book entitled A Treatise on Dialing in which he described how to prepare and erect sundials as well as applying trigonometry to the problem of finding the length of the hip of a roof and its rafters from the angle of inclination of its eaves 2 On 10 August 1832 Nicholson s wife Jane died aged 48 and he erected a neat memorial to her in the grounds of the High Church before leaving Morpeth and taking up residence in Carliol Street Newcastle upon Tyne 2 At the age of 67 and still financially embarrassed Nicholson resumed his writing finally getting his Treatise on Dialing published in Newcastle in 1833 and set up a school in the recently opened Royal Arcade which he ran for a few years though it was not a financial success 1 4 He was nevertheless highly regarded by the local people and was awarded honorary memberships of a number of local institutions including the Newcastle Mechanics Institute 2 In 1834 an attempt was made to raise by public subscription sufficient funds to purchase an annuity for his benefit but as only 320 was raised it was deemed insufficient for the purpose and was handed directly to Nicholson to help with his immediate needs and a petition was sent to the king in an attempt to secure a pension for him from the Privy Purse 1 2 In October 1836 he was elected President of the Newcastle Society for the Promotion of the Fine Arts 2 and in August 1838 he presented a paper entitled Principles of Oblique Bridges to the eighth meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science which was held in Newcastle 8 During the nine years he lived in Newcastle Nicholson published three more books his Treatise on Projection 1837 containing his portrait drawn from life by Edward Train originally in pen and ink 2 Nicholson s final work was entitled The Guide to Railway Masonry containing a Complete Treatise on the Oblique Arch and published on 1 January 1839 the third edition of which also contained the portrait by Train 2 The contrast between this and the earlier portrait by Green is marked Green painted a man at the peak of his vigour while Train drew a much older and poorer man 2 Leaving Newcastle for Carlisle on 10 October 1841 aged 76 Nicholson was supported for the remainder of his life by the generosity of Thomas Jamieson a relative by marriage of Newton Northumberland 4 He died on 18 June 1844 and was buried in the graveyard of Christ Church which was built in 1830 but has since been demolished 9 A monument to his memory designed by Robert William Billings in the form of a pair of interpenetrating obelisks was erected in Carlisle cemetery in 1865 4 Nicholson married twice By his first wife Jane he had one son Michael Angelo author of the Carpenter and Joiner s Companion 1826 who died in 1842 leaving a numerous family by his second marriage Nicholson had a daughter Jessie who married a Mr Bowen of Bridgewater and a son Jamieson T both of whom survived him 2 3 Recognition criticism and legacy editAs a mathematician edit Nicholson is variously described in his own books as architect carpenter surveyor practical builder and private teacher of mathematics 10 As a mathematician he was largely self taught later turning to architecture as a means of finding a practical application for the theoretical knowledge he had amassed during his solitary studies Having by ardent desire in early youth acquired a knowledge of most of the Mathematical Sciences by application to books principally from the works of that celebrated mathematician Mr Emerson but from the want of similar society at that time and a desire of applying the scientific knowledge I then possessed to useful purposes I directed my attention to Architecture and what I have done in this art will sufficiently appear in the works that have been published under my name An Introduction to the Method of Increments Peter Nicholson Private Teacher of the Mathematics 11 For his work on involution and evolution Nicholson received the following commendation from the French Academie des Sciences French Institute Royal Academy of Sciences Paris 10 July 1820 Sir The Academy has received with a lively degree of interest the Essay that you obligingly addressed to it on Involution and Evolution or a Method of determining the Numerical Value of any Function of an unknown Quantity I am desired in its name to thank you for sending this interesting work which has been honourably placed in the Library of the Academy and to express the sense of obligation which the Institution entertains for your attention Receive Sir I beg the assurance of the most distinguished respect with which I am Your s etc B G Cuvier Letter from the Perpetual Secretary to Mr Peter Nicholson 6 As an architect edit Although almost entirely forgotten as a mathematician Nicholson is still remembered as an architect and in the 1978 edition of his standard work A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600 1840 Howard M Colvin claims that Nicholson was one of the leading intellects behind nineteenth century building technology He used his great ability as a mathematician to simplify many old formulae used by architectural draughtsmen as well as to devise new ones 4 Colvin continues His writings were not confined to theory although based on scientific principle they addressed the practical problems faced by building craftsmen Thus his improvements in the construction of handrailing and the invention of the centrolinead helped to make possible the elegant curved staircases of the late Georgian period 4 On the skew arch edit nbsp Kielder Viaduct information plaqueFor his work on the skew arch Nicholson received a number of letters of thanks from contractors engineers and masons which he published in a Testimonials section of his Guide to Railway Masonry Kielder Viaduct a seven arch skew railway bridge built to his pattern now disused but preserved by the Northumberland and Newcastle Society 12 carries an information plaque commemorating Nicholson s pioneering work in this field Sir As one of the contractors for the Tees Bridge near Croft on the Great North of England Railway I beg leave to make the following statements regarding your Guide to Railway Masonry namely that it is by far the most practically useful and correct method that I have yet seen laid before the public for the construction of an oblique arch and there was not the least difficulty in finding the templets necessary as laid down by you for working the arch stones of this bridge and that when explained to the workmen they found no difficulty whatever in working the same In fact your method renders the working of them nearly as simple as those of a common square arch I beg leave to thank you for the great pains you have taken in rendering the oblique arch practically easy to most capacities James Hogg mason 13 Following his 1836 publication On the Construction of Skew Arches 14 Charles Fox openly acknowledged Nicholson s contribution while claiming his own to be the superior method No one would for a moment hesitate to acknowledge the obligations which practical men are under to that highly talented individual Mr Peter Nicholson but on referring to his Treatise on Masonry and Stone cutting plate 17 it will at once appear that the intrado is the only surface developed and the approximate line laid down upon it all the courses are drawn at right angles to that line the courses therefore are drawn with reference to the intrado only On Mr Peter Nicholson s Rule for the Construction of the Oblique Arch Charles Fox 15 In his 1837 publication A Practical and Theoretical Essay on Oblique Bridges George W Buck also acknowledged Nicholson s contribution but finding it lacking in detail applied his own original trigonometrical approach and considerable practical experience to the problem In Nicholson s work on stone cutting published in 1828 the method of constructing oblique arches with spiral courses is briefly explained and to it we are indebted for the first principles of the art but it does not enter sufficiently into detail A Practical and Theoretical Essay on Oblique Bridges George Watson Buck 16 The unfavourable comments from Fox and Buck were comparatively mild and tempered in part by their acknowledgement of Nicholson s pioneering work Nevertheless Nicholson by this time in his mid 70s and his health failing felt the need to exercise his right of reply 17 A number of people expressed their public support for him including his friend Henry Welch the County Bridge Surveyor for Northumberland 18 and an anonymous supporter known only by the initials M Q 19 Unfortunately this exchange escalated into a paper war that became increasingly acrimonious 20 21 culminating in 1840 in a very personal attack by Buck s assistant the 28 year old William Henry Barlow and causing Nicholson considerable distress 22 It is really very lamentable to see a man of the standing Peter Nicholson once had obliged to have recourse to so mean and unworthy subterfuge and it is still more lamentable to see him forget himself so much in the language he makes use of Is he ignorant of the fact that Mr Buck has surmounted this difficulty by the simple expedient of adjusting the angle of the intrado or is it that rather than acknowledge his inferiority he persists in what he knows to be wrong and addresses his book to the working classes in the hope of escaping detection It is perfectly distressing to see a problem which admits of easy solution so miserably mutilated in his hands Mr Nicholson s rules however are not only very unnecessarily tedious but it would appear by his own showing that they are not over certain in their results However I will say no more For this time I have as he observes done with him and I hope enough has been said to show Mr Nicholson that his ideas have got a twist in their beds by no means adapted to skew bridges and that no species of brow beating or invective on his part will be of the slightest use to him while his book The Guide to Railway Masonry containing a Complete Treatise on the Oblique Arch published on 1 January 1839 remains so very imperfect On the Construction of Oblique Arches William Henry Barlow 23 By his fellow citizens edit A measure of the high esteem in which Nicholson was held by the residents of Newcastle and their sense of injustice at his financial plight can be gauged from the petition sent to the king in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a pension on his behalf The works of Peter Nicholson while they have contributed to the advancement of knowledge have tended to raise the English mechanic to that pre eminence he has attained over the other artificers of Europe and while they have been honoured with the proudest marks of distinction by the various learned societies of this kingdom have yet failed to produce to their author those benefits which are necessary for his existence and it must ever be a source of regret that an individual who having devoted his best energies to the advancement of science should be left at the close of a long and laborious life and in his seventy third year to struggle in penury and want Petition from the people of Newcastle to H M King William IV on behalf of Peter Nicholson 1 3 Publications editNicholson was a prolific writer contributing practical information on a wide range of technical subjects in 27 works The Carpenter s New Guide 1792 his first publication at the age of 27 24 Principles of Architecture in three volumes between 1794 and 1798 25 26 27 The Student s Instructor in Drawing and Working the Five Orders of Architecture 1795 28 The Carpenter and Joiner s Assistant 1797 29 Mechanical Exercises 1812 30 This book was re published in 1831 as The Mechanic s Companion 31 The Architectural Dictionary in two volumes between 1812 and 1819 32 This book was re published in an expanded form in 1852 as the Encyclopaedia of Architecture 33 A Treatise on Practical Perspective 1815 34 An Introduction to the Method of Increments 1817 35 Essays on the Combinatorial Analysis 1818 36 37 The Rudiments of Algebra 1819 37 38 Essay on Involution and Evolution 1820 for which he received the commendation 6 of the Academie des Sciences in Paris 37 39 A Treatise on the Construction of Staircases and Handrails 1820 40 Analytical and Arithmetical Essays 1821 41 The Builder and Workman s New Director 1822 42 A Popular Course of Pure and Mixed Mathematics 1823 price 21s 43 The New Practical Builder and Workman s Companion 1823 44 The Practical Builder s Perpetual Price book 1823 45 A Practical System of Algebra 1824 with John Rowbotham 46 The Practical Cabinet maker Upholsterer and Complete Decorator 1826 with Michael Angelo Nicholson his elder son 47 The Carpenter and Builder s Complete Measurer 1826 intended as a sequel to the Carpenter s Guide 48 Practical Carpentry Joinery and Cabinet making 1826 49 In 1827 he commenced the publication of a work entitled The School of Architecture and Engineering which he intended to complete in twelve volumes at 1s 6d each but following the bankruptcy of the publisher only five volumes appeared causing Nicholson a considerable personal financial loss 50 A Popular and Practical Treatise on Masonry and Stone cutting 1828 51 A Treatise on Dialing 1833 52 A Treatise on Projection 1837 53 Practical Masonry Bricklaying and Plastering 1838 54 The Guide to Railway Masonry containing a Complete Treatise on the Oblique Arch 1839 55 Nicholson also edited and revised later editions of the following publications by other authors An Essay on the Teeth of Wheels by Robertson Buchanan 1808 56 He also contributed several articles to Rees s Cyclopaedia Architecture vol 2 1802 1803 Carpentry vol 6 1806 Joinery vol 19 1811 Panorama vol 26 1813 1814 Perspective vol 26 1813 1814 Projection vol 28 1814 Proportional Compasses vol 28 1814 Shadows vol 32 1815 1816 Stereography vol 34 1816 Stereometry vol 34 1816 References edit a b c d e f g h i Anderson William 1867 The Scottish Nation Vol III Mac Zet Edinburgh A Fullarton amp Co pp 250 251 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s T O 1844 Laxton William ed Memoir of the Late Peter Nicholson Architect The Civil Engineer and Architect s Journal Scientific and Railway Gazette London Groombridge amp Sons J Weale VII 425 a b c d e f g Significant Scots Peter Nicholson Electric Scotland Retrieved 30 August 2009 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Colvin Howard M 2008 First published 1954 A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600 1840 4th ed Yale University Press p 748 ISBN 978 0 300 12508 5 a b NPG 4225 Peter Nicholson National Portrait Gallery Retrieved 3 January 2010 a b c Nicholson 1823 A Popular Course op cit p 62 T 1844 Laxton ed op cit p 427 Urban Sylvanus ed 1838 The Gentleman s Magazine Vol X July December London W Pickering J B Nichols and Son pp 423 427 John S Turner 18 November 2006 The site of Christ Church Carlisle Geograph Retrieved 19 January 2010 Lloyd E Keith October 1982 Mr Peter Nicholson the Practical Builder and Mathematician The Mathematical Gazette The Mathematical Association 66 437 203 207 doi 10 2307 3616546 JSTOR 3616546 S2CID 186295509 Nicholson 1817 op cit Preface p iii The Northumberland and Newcastle Society Home page Northumberland amp Newcastle Society Archived from the original on 29 September 2011 Retrieved 1 February 2011 Nicholson 1839 op cit p 48 Fox Charles 1836 Loudon J C ed On the Construction of Skew Arches Architectural Magazine Vol III London Longman Rees Orme Brown Green amp Longman pp 251 260 Fox Charles 19 January 1837 On Mr Peter Nicholson s Rule for the Construction of the Oblique Arch The London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science Third series Vol X January June 1837 London Longman Rees Orme Brown Green amp Longman pp 167 169 Retrieved 31 August 2009 Buck George Watson 1839 A Practical and Theoretical Essay on Oblique Bridges 1st ed London John Weale p iii Nicholson Peter 23 May 1840 Laxton William ed On Oblique Arches in reply to Mr Buck C E amp c amp c The Civil Engineer and Architect s Journal Scientific and Railway Gazette London Hooper Weale Taylor amp Williams III 230 231 Welch Henry 1837 Loudon John Claudius ed On the Construction of Oblique Arches Architectural Magazine Vol IV London Longman Orme Brown Green amp Longman p 90 Q M 8 October 1841 Laxton William ed On the Construction of Oblique Arches The Civil Engineer and Architect s Journal Scientific and Railway Gazette London Hooper Weale Taylor amp Williams IV 421 Buck George Watson May 1840 Laxton William ed On the Construction of Oblique Arches The Civil Engineer and Architect s Journal Scientific and Railway Gazette London Hooper Weale Taylor amp Williams III 197 198 Buck George Watson 18 July 1840 Laxton William ed On Oblique Arches Mr Buck in reply to Mr Nicholson The Civil Engineer and Architect s Journal Scientific and Railway Gazette London Hooper Weale Taylor amp Williams III 274 275 T 1844 Laxton ed op cit p 426 Barlow William Henry 16 August 1841 Laxton William ed On the Construction of Oblique Arches The Civil Engineer and Architect s Journal Scientific and Railway Gazette London Hooper Weale Taylor amp Williams IV 290 292 Nicholson Peter 1808 First published 1792 The Carpenter s New Guide being a Complete Book of Lines for Carpentry and Joinery 2nd ed London J Taylor Nicholson Peter 1809 First published 1794 Principles of Architecture comprising Fundamental Rules of the Art Vol I 2nd ed London J Barfield Nicholson Peter 1809 First published 1795 Principles of Architecture comprising Fundamental Rules of the Art Vol II 2nd ed London J Barfield Nicholson Peter 1809 First published 1798 Principles of Architecture comprising Fundamental Rules of the Art Vol III 2nd ed London J Barfield Nicholson Peter 1823 First published 1795 The Student s Instructor in Drawing and Working the Five Orders of Architecture 5th ed London J Taylor Nicholson Peter 1797 The Carpenter and Joiner s Assistant 1st ed London I amp J Taylor Nicholson Peter 1812 Mechanical Exercises The Elements and Practice of Carpentry Joinery Bricklaying Masonry Slating Plastering Painting Smithing and Turning 1st ed London J Taylor Nicholson Peter 1831 The Mechanic s Companion or The Elements and Practice of Carpentry Joinery Bricklaying Masonry Slating Plastering Painting Smithing and Turning 1st ed New York W C Borradaile Nicholson Peter 1819 The Architectural Dictionary 1st ed London J Barfield Nicholson Peter 1852 Lomax Edward Gunyon Thomas eds Encyclopaedia of Architecture Caxton Press Nicholson Peter 1815 A Treatise on Practical Perspective without the Use of Vanishing Points 1st ed London J Barfield Nicholson Peter 1817 An Introduction to the Method of Increments 1st ed London Davis amp Dickson Nicholson Peter 1818 Essays on the Combinatorial Analysis 1st ed Longman Hurst a b c Griffiths Ralph Griffiths George Edward eds 1820 The Monthly Review or Literary Journal Vol XCIII 1820 London Ralph Griffiths pp 408 416 Nicholson Peter 1819 The Rudiments of Algebra 1st ed London J Barfield Nicholson Peter 1820 Essay on Involution and Evolution particularly applied to the Operation of Extracting the Roots of Equations and Numbers 1st ed London Davis amp Dickson Nicholson Peter 1820 A Treatise on the Construction of Staircases and Handrails 1st ed London J Taylor Nicholson Peter 1821 Analytical and Arithmetical Essays 1st ed London Davis amp Dickson Nicholson Peter 1822 The Builder and Workman s New Director 1st ed London John Day Nicholson Peter 1825 First published 1823 A Popular Course of Pure and Mixed Mathematics for the use of Schools and Students London G B Whittaker Nicholson Peter 1823 The New Practical Builder and Workman s Companion 1st ed London Thomas Kelly Nicholson Peter 1823 The Practical Builder s Perpetual Price book London Thomas Kelly Nicholson Peter Rowbotham John 1831 First published 1824 A Practical System of Algebra designed for the use of Schools and Private Students 2nd ed London Baldwin amp Cradock Nicholson Peter Nicholson Michael Angelo 1826 The Practical Cabinet maker Upholsterer and Complete Decorator 1st ed London H Fisher Son amp Co Nicholson Peter 1826 The Carpenter and Builder s Complete Measurer G Virtue Nicholson Peter 1826 Practical Carpentry Joinery and Cabinet making 1st ed London Thomas Kelly Nicholson Peter 1827 The School of Architecture and Engineering 1st ed London J and C Adlard Nicholson Peter 1828 A Popular and Practical Treatise on Masonry and Stone cutting 1st ed London Thomas Hurst Edward Chance amp Co Nicholson Peter 1833 A Treatise on Dialing comprising the Delineation of Sun Dials in Every Position to the Plane of the Horizon 1st ed Newcastle J Blackwell Nicholson Peter 1837 A Treatise on Projection containing the First Principles of Plans and Elevations 1st ed R Groombridge Nicholson Peter 1838 Practical Masonry Bricklaying and Plastering both Plain and Ornamental 1st ed London Thomas Kelly Nicholson Peter 1860 First published 1839 Cowen R ed The Guide to Railway Masonry containing a Complete Treatise on the Oblique Arch 3rd ed London E amp F N Spon Buchanan Robertson 1808 Nicholson P ed An Essay on the Teeth of Wheels London William Savage Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Peter Nicholson architect amp oldid 1128969719, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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