Henry David Davis

Henry David Davis who was born in Holborn, and Barrow Emanuel (1842-1904), who was from Portsmouth, together ran for many years an architectural practice at 2 Finsbury Pavement, Moorfields. Among their many commercial projects, one that survives is the elegant set of office buildings that together form Finsbury Circus.

Davis and Emanuel are chiefly known, however, for a long list of public buildings. Among these, perhaps the most outstanding is the West London (Reform) Synagogue in Upper Berkeley Street. Also notable is City of London School for Boys’ ornate building on Victoria Embankment. Over the years, the school was a popular choice for Jewish families who were in a position to pay fees.

Davis and Emanuel were also very active in the social housing movement that was gaining ground in the second half of the 19th century. Along with many projects in the East End, they designed Thornhill Houses on Thornhill Road, Barnsbury on behalf of the East End Dwellings Company, and Gibson Buildings (now Gibson Gardens), Stoke Newington on behalf of the Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes.