of British Architects. Two photographic portrait his capacity for work was inexhaustible. Throughout life he took an active interest in the affairs of the chief high-church organisations, and was devoted to classical music. He lived in personal contact and sympathy with the pre-Raphaelite and kindred artists. The Rossettis, W. Holman Hunt, George P. Boyce, Ford Madox-Brown, William Morris (at one time Street's pupil), W. Bell Scott, and (Sir) E. Burne-Jones were among his friends, and even in his early years he began, as his means allowed, to purchase examples of the works of the school.
Though never exhibiting any animosity towards the practice of classic architecture, Street had always looked upon Gothic work as his mission, and was consistently true to the style of his choice. In his earlier career he had leanings towards an Italian type of the style, and the special study which bore literary fruit in his ‘Brick and Marble Architecture’ was turned to practical account in the church of St. James the Less, Westminster. His later and more characteristic work was, however, based on English, or occasionally, as at St. Philip and St. James's, Oxford, on French, models of the thirteenth century; and although his work as a restorer led him more than once to practise in the methods of the late English Gothic or Perpendicular manner, this style was hardly ever adopted by him in original design. Street was no slavish imitator; he gave full play to his inventive faculties, and his special invention of the broad nave with suppressed aisles, a device for accommodating large congregations, is well exemplified in the church of All Saints, Clifton. One of Street's favourite designs was that of Kingstone church, Dorset, carried out for Lord Eldon. It is a cruciform building with an apse, central tower, and narthex built throughout of Purbeck stone with shafts of Purbeck marble, all from quarries on the estate. The mouldings are rich, and, owing to the character of the material, the building has a model-like perfection and neatness which age will probably improve. The American churches at Paris and Rome, and those for the English community at Rome, Vevay, Genoa, Lausanne, and Mürren are also notable examples of Street's work. It was in the parish church, large or small, that his genius was realised to best effect.
Besides the literary works already noticed, Street was the author of various occasional papers and addresses, and of the article on Gothic architecture in the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica’ (9th edit.). His academy lectures—six treatises on the art, styles, and practice of achitecture—are appended to the memoir by his son.
[Memoir of George Edmund Street, R.A., by his son, Arthur Edmund Street, London, 1888, with complete list of works; Builder, vol. xli. 24 Dec. 1881, with list of works illustrated in the Builder; Architect, vol. xxvi. 24 Dec. 1881, including a list of works exhibited in the Academy (Street first exhibited in 1848); Building News, vol. xli. 23 Dec. 1881.]
STREET, Sir THOMAS (1626–1696), judge, son of George Street of Worcester, born in 1626, matriculated at Oxford, from Lincoln College, on 22 April 1642, but left the university without a degree in February 1644–5. He was admitted on 22 Nov. 1646 a student at the Inner Temple, where he was called to the bar on 24 Nov. 1653, and elected a bencher on 7 Nov. 1669. Returned to parliament for Worcester on 18 Jan. 1658–9, he kept the seat, notwithstanding an attempt to exclude him on the ground that he had borne arms for the king and used profane language; and he continued to represent the same constituency until the general election of February 1680–1. He was subsecretary to the dean and chapter of Worcester Cathedral from 1661 to 1687, was appointed one of their counsel in 1663, and elected prætor of the city in 1667. In 1677 he was appointed justice for South Wales (February), and called to the degree of serjeant-at-law (23 Oct.); on 23 Oct. of the following year he was advanced to the rank of king's serjeant; on 23 April 1681 he was raised to the exchequer bench, and on 8 June following he was knighted at Whitehall. The same year, at the Derby assizes, he passed sentence of death as for high treason on George Busby, a catholic priest convicted of saying mass, but reprieved him by order of the king. In 1683 he sat with Sir Francis Pemberton [q. v.] at the Old Bailey on the trial of the Rye-house conspirators. On 29 Nov. 1684 he was removed to the common pleas. His patent was renewed on the accession of James II, who suffered him to retain his place notwithstanding his judgment against the dispensing power in the case of Godden v. Hales. Sir John Bramston (Autobiogr. Camden Soc. p. 224) insinuates—what became the general belief—that his judgment was inspired by the king with the view of giving an air of independence to that of the majority.
On the accession of William III Street was ignored, and retired to his house at Worcester, where he died on 8 March 1695–6. His remains were interred in the south cloister
