Thomas Simpson: where are your children's children's children?

Found! But please read on. . .

This word cloud prefaced my first attempt at creating a website back in 2014 when I was searching for living descendants of Thomas Simpson (1825 - 1908) on behalf of the Brighton Society. As the architect responsible for so many elegant school buildings in Brighton, Hove and beyond, we were keen to invite family members to the unveiling ceremony for a blue plaque in recognition of his accomplishements.

It took a while but I was delighted to finally connect with mother and daughter, Elsa and Melanie Simpson. Elsa married Thomas's great-grandson, Basil Simpson; their daughter Melanie is therefore Thomas's great-great granddaughter.

© Brighton Bits

The blue plaque was duly unveiled on April 15th 2015 at the former Connaught Road Board Schools in Hove, with Elsa and Melanie representing the Simpson family. Here is a short video of the event: 'Architect of Brighton and Hove's past remembered with blue plaque' 

The Connaught Road building, successfully nominated by the Brighton Society for Grade II listing in 2009, has been exclusively dedicated to learning since it opened in 1884. It has withstood threats from shifting demographics, neglect, proposed demolition and fierce weather - testament to the quality of its design and build.

Postscript

Having struck gold without it, my 2014 website-in the-making was set aside. I have, though, revived the word cloud in the hope that other descendants might discover it here. Should any of the names strike a chord, please do make contact; it would be a pleasure to revisit my own findings on this industrious and talented family

A definitive image of Thomas Simpson would be a truly wonderful find! In his magnificent poem, 'Brighton Recollections' (1968), grandson Arthur Lloyd-Taylor portrays Thomas as "benign, white-bearded, bespectacled and correct". Frustratingly, however, the family photo album handed down through the generations contains several group photographs in which most of the older males match this description!

Needless to say, not one of these photos is labelled, a reminder to us all that, even if we don't care whether our descendants know what we looked like, future family and social historians will certainly appreciate it.