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MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | PEEK, George DixBorn: 1839 07 08Died: 1901 09 22 Architect | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Also referred to as DIX PEEK, George. Born at Hayes, Middlesex, England, the son of Joshua Peek, a labourer, and Rachel Sceeny. He was later to adopt the ‘Dix’ surname from his maternal great-grandmother, that family being of the ‘landed gentry’ in Norfolk. He was educated in Uxbridge. He was resident in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, in 1861, where he was apparently resident at the time, and in employ as a Schoolmaster, when he married. DIX Peek and his family of two of the three sons arrived at the Cape Colony between May 1864 and November 1865. Dix Peek came out to South Africa as 'Consulting Engineer and Architect to a party whose object was to found a township named Bridgetown in the berg ... about 100 miles [160km] from Cape Town' (Dix Peek in Looking Back, March 1992:36). Dix Peek, wary of the deal, trekked by foot with another member of the party, to walk the one hundred miles to Cape Town, and seek better employment of his skills. Here he found employment where he taught mathematics at a 'Black College', Zonnebloem, where he instructed the sons of African chiefs until 1868. The family then moved to Port Elizabeth, where both he and his wife took on the role of teaching. Dix Peek was temporarily engaged in giving drawing lessons at the commercial school. Dix Peek was master in charge of the Black (?) Grey Institute. When he started work as an architect 'for which he had been trained', the family moved out to Walmer. In 1878 Dix Peek left with his Company of Port Elizabeth Militia for Kaffraria, returning to continue 'raking in the shekels', he was a 'royal spender' and the family lived well. He had commenced practice in Port Elizabeth in 1868, which was to last well into the 1890s - a period of almost thirty years. The success of his practice obliged him to take on a partner, namely WH MILES, in 1880. The firm, G Dix Peek and WH Miles, [cf DIX PEEK and MILES]. The partnership was awarded the tender for the construction of the Feather Market Hall. Miles was tasked with the construction of the Feather Market Hall, all the plans being attributed to Miles. The partnership was doomed to failure, and terminated in 1881. The dissolution of the partnership was advertised on the front page of the Eastern Province Herald in March 1881. Hereafter his son St George Dix PEEK, joined him in practice, DIX PEEK and SON. Many buildings in Port Elizabeth were of his design. They include the Standard Bank, also known as the "Bank with the Bulge" (1874); St Patrick's Hall, in Queen Street (which was at the time described as the "largest hall in the Cape Colony"; Armstrong Auction Room (1879), which stood on the corner of Donkin Street; Lombard Chambers (1879); the Albany Hotel, in Jetty Street (1881); Polliack's building, in Main Street (now Govan Mbeki Avenue) and the Edward Memorial Church, in Edward Street, Central, which belonged to the London Missionary Society (LMS), A notable incident during its construction by a contractor, surnamed White, who was ordered by George to demolish parts of the church because apparently the quality of sand was poor the workmanship not up to Dix Peek’s standards. White refused to do thus, where upon, George then took it upon himself to demolish the aforesaid parts, and personally supervised the rebuilding thereof. This building was later altered when purchased by the Dutch Reformed Church, and was still in existence in 1987. Dix Peek was also responsible for the school buildings of the Dominican Convent. His work also includes alterations and refurbishment of various other Port Elizabeth landmarks, such as the ‘Palmerston Hotel’ (alterations done in 1878); No 28 Bird Street, Central; and the Prince Alfred's Guards Museum. Personal life. Peek had married Frances Turton, on 1861 04 15. Prior to emigrating to the Cape Colony, Frances gave birth to three boys, one of whom, Harold George Peek, was to remain in England with his grandparents. Alban Dix Peek, was roughly two-years of age at the time of their departure. While at Bridgetown, in 1865, where Peek was acting the first of the progeny to be born on South African soil, Henry MacDonald Peek. The fourth son, Arthur Balfour Turton Peek, was born at Zonnebloem. Dix Peek’s eldest son, Alban, at fifteen-years-of-age, served under his father in No 1 Company of the the ‘Port Elizabeth Militia’ Regiment ostensibly filling the role as bugler. His son, Henry MacDonald Dix-Peek, predeceased his father in 1900. Douglas Dix-Peek, who seems to have suffered from deep depression, died just two months after his father, on 1901 08 13, the result of "felo de se" [Latin, literally “a felon of himself” or suicide]. (See also Family Search) By some contemporary accounts, DIX PEEK was a somewhat difficult person, a perfectionist with eccentricities. He was often in conflict with others due to his meticulous attention to detail. DIX PEEK’s abiding love was the military. He was a commissioned Captain in 1874, in The Prince Alfred's Guard (PAG). DIX PEEK was described in contemporary reports as a "picturesque figure of military bearing who wore a puggree of puce-coloured silk round a white military helmet, with the ends hanging down to protect his neck." He was also to form the ‘Port Elizabeth Militia’ Regiment, which served under his command in the Transkei, during the Ninth Frontier war (1877-1878). A multifaceted man, George was also an inventor, and designed a new direct extension splint for simple and compound fractures of the femur. The splint was first advertised in 1876, and was apparently utilized by doctors overseas. Upon his death, just short of his sixty-second birthday, he was the oldest architect in Port Elizabeth at that time. A contemporary obituary notice described him thus: "At one time and before his health began to fail, Mr Dix-Peek was, if not a celebrity, a prominent and useful member of society." He is buried at the Scotch Cemetery (now St. George's Park), Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).(General dir of SA 1898-99; Harradine 1985; Looking Back March 1992:36-42; Oberholster, PBD suppl Sep/Oct 1982: 1-7) For more information visit the website of Ross Dix-Peek All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon. List of projects With photographs With notes
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