BLAIKLOCK, George (1792-1828) was born in St. Marlebone parish in London, Engl. and may have been active there as an architect in association with his brother Henry Musgrave Blaiklock. Both emigrated to Quebec City in 1823 or 1824. George brought a working knowledge of Regency architecture to Quebec, particularly evident in his use of the device of the blind arcade employed on the facade of Trinity Anglican Chapel, and on his winning design for the Montreal Gaol. In 1826 he was among the six competitors who submitted an entry for this important commission for the Gaol (Montreal Herald, 25 Feb. 1826, 2). The entries were forwarded to the Lower Canada Assembly for ajudication and Blaiklock's design was awarded First Premium, but he did not live to see it built. After his death John Wells made minor changes to the plans and supervised the construction of the winning design in 1832-36. The contribution made by Blaiklock to the architecture of Quebec City was acknowledged in his obituary published in 1828 which stated that '...the taste and ability of Mr. Blaiklock as an Architect has done much in improving the style of building in this City during the short time he has been residing here'. He died in Quebec on 13 December 1828 at the age of thirty-five (obit. Quebec Mercury, 16 Dec. 1828, 633; biog. and list of works A.J.H. Richardson, Quebec City: Architects, Artisans & Builders, 1984, 106-07).
(works in Quebec City unless noted)
HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHAPEL, St. Stanislas Street, 1824-25 (Montreal Herald, 22 Sept. 1824, 2; L. Noppen et al, Quebec- trois siecles d'architecture, 1979, 68, 164, illus.; L. Miatland, Neoclassical Architecture in Canada, 1984, 111, illus.)
UNION HOTEL, Ste. Anne Street, alterations and repairs, 1825 (Richardson, 106)
BAUDE STREET, two houses with shops for Chief Justice Jonathan Sewell, 1825 (Richardson, 106)
MONTREAL, QUE., Men's Prison, Craig Street at Delorimier Street, designed in 1826; completed 1832-36 by John Wells (Gazette [Montreal], 25 Dec. 1828, 2, descrip.; N. Bosworth, Hochelega Depicta, 1839, 159-60, descrip.; Montreal , Les Edifices Publics, 1981, 244-47, illus.)
QUEBEC EXCHANGE, Dalhousie Street at Arthur Street, 1828; demol. C. 1940 (Star & Commercial Advertiser [Quebec], 13 Sept. 1828, 1 & 2, descrip.; Richardson, 107)
ST. PIERRE STREET, at St. Jacques Street, office and auction house for Jonathan Wurtele, 1828 (Richardson, 107)