IRELAND, William J. (1848-1919) was a successful builder in Stratford, Ontario who also practised as an architect there between 1905 and 1909. Born in Crail, Fifeshire, Scotland on 19 May 1848, he arrived in Canada in May 1873 and settled at Stratford where he began his career as a building contractor specializing in ornamental plastering and cement work. From 1905 until 1908 he worked under his own name designing plain and unpretentious residential and ecclesiastical works. In 1909 he entered a partnership with Austin M. Killer (1885-1931) but by 1910 he had terminated his practice and again taken up his career as a contractor (biography and portrait in the Stratford Beacon Semi-Centennial Number, December 1905; inf. J. Anderson, Stratford). Ireland died in Stratford on 24 January 1919 and was buried at Avondale Cemetery in that city.
William J. IRELAND (works in Stratford)
COBOURG STREET, residence for J.C. Diggins, 1905 (C.R., xv, 22 Feb. 1905, 4)
HOME STREET, residence for Frank Young, 1905 (C.R., xv, 22 Feb. 1905, 4)
ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH, Waterloo Street at Douro Street, 1905-06 (Stratford Daily Herald, 13 Jan 1906, 6, illus.)
KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Ontario Street at Waterloo Street, a new Sunday School, 1906 (C.R., xvii, 9 May 1906, 4)
ONTARIO STREET, office building for W. O'Beirne, 1906 (C.R., xvii, 9 May 1906, 4)
FRONT STREET, residence for John M. Fraser, 1906 (C.R., xvii, 9 May 1906, 4)
ONTARIO STREET, warehouse for William Richardson Cartage Co., 1906 (C.R., xvii, 9 May 1906, 4)
HIBERNIA STREET, residence for Miss Blair, 1906 (C.R., xvii, 9 May 1906, 4)
MORNINGTON STREET, residence for William Bennington, 1907 (Const., i, Oct. 1907, 66)
JOHN STREET NORTH, residence for J.D. McCrimmon, 1908 (C.R., xxii, 29 July 1908, 25)
(with Austin M. Killer) PUBLIC SCHOOL, 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 10 March 1909, 24)
(with Austin M. Killer) MORNINGTON STREET, residence for Dr. S. Silcox, 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 7 April 1909, 21, t.c.)
William J. IRELAND (works elsewhere)
WELLESLEY, ONT., residence for Mr. Heeb, 1906 (C.R., xvii, 9 May 1906, 4)
CLINTON, ONT., St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, James Street at King Street, 1908; still standing in 2023 (Clinton New Era, 27 Feb. 1908, 5, t.c.; and 9 April 1908, 1, illus.; and 4 June 1908, 1, descrip.; and 17 Dec. 1908, 1, illus. & descrip.)
(with Austin M. Killer) BRUSSELS, ONT., Carnegie Library, Turnberry Street at Orchard Lane, 1909; still standing in 2023 (Clinton New Era, 8 April 1909, 1; C.R., xxiii, 28 April 1909, 18)