William Keay

Born in Leicester, Keay began his career as a civil engineer working with Everard, Son and Pick from 1911,[1] while also developing his own partnership and extending into architecture (a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, he was also eventually elected a fellow of Royal Institution of British Architects).[2]

In 1923 his practice merged with the Pick Everard practice, which was joined by Martin Gimson in 1925 to become Pick, Everard, Keay and Gimson (since 1991 known as Pick Everard).[1] Keay was also county architect for Leicestershire County Council with an office in the medieval Castle House in the Leicester Castle Close.[2] In this role, his projects included:

• extensions to Carlton Hayes Hospital (1930s)
• the County Offices on the corner of Friar Lane and Greyfriars, Leicester (1936)
• Hinckley police station (1937)[3][4]
• Hinckley cottage hospital extensions (1936-9)[4]
• St John's church, Coventry Road, Hinckley (1948)[4]

Other works included:[2]

• overall planning and early buildings of the Leicester University College campus,[5] including Wyggeston boys and girls grammar schools (from 1921)
• Holy Apostles Church on Fosse Road South (1923-4)
• assistance to Sir Charles Nicholson on work at Leicester Cathedral (1927)[6]
• St Christopher’s Church in Marriott Road, Leicester (1928 – now the Church Hall)
• an extension to Ernest Gimson’s “Inglewood” in Ratcliffe Road, Leicester (1930)[7]

During the 1930s, he made a detailed record and carried out archaeological excavations on the site of Ulverscroft Priory in Charnwood Forest.[2][8][9]

He lived for a time in Glenfield at a house called "The Gynsills" (now a pub), formerly owned by the Ellis family associated with the Bardon Hill quarrying business, Ellis and Everard.[10]