John Cathles Hill

Who was John Cathles Hill?

John Cathles Hill was an architect and property developer who was born in Hawkshill, part of Dundee. When he was three years old his family moved to the village Auchterhouse in Angus County. His father was toll booth keeper of Auchterhouse which he combined with working as a cartwright and joiner.

When Hill was seventeen he left home and became a self-employed journeyman carpenter and joiner. After two years he settled in Glasgow where he attended the Mechanics' Institute. There he learned the principles of architecture and construction. At the age of 21 he moved to London. After quickly establishing himself as a joiner, Hill was able to set up his own joinery business within a year. His business was successful and it was not long before he was exploiting the suburban building boom and building houses. By 1881 he was described as a "builder employing 8 men". His first offices were established in Archway, London.

Hill became a prolific developer-architect in North London. Records indicate that he was responsible for building 2,397 houses in or near London and in the neighbourhood of Peterborough. He focussed on suburban communities for the middle classes complete with houses, shops and pubs. In the 1890s he built up a good part of Harringay, North London. In addition to a few streets of terraced houses to the east of Green Lanes, the development also included a magnificent terrace of shops, Grand Parade, and a vast ornate public house, The Salisbury. He is also credited with large developments in Crouch End including the Grade II* listed Queens pub in Crouch End, the Broadway Parade on the western side of Crouch End Broadway and the Rathcole estate.