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Joseph Sunlight (2 January 1889 [O.S. 20 December 1888] – 15 April 1978), was a Belarusian/ English architect whose energy amassed him a great fortune in Manchester and left at least one fine building in Sunlight House. He was also a Liberal politician in his adopted country.

Biography[edit]

Born Novogrudok, Belarus, then part of Russia, his Jewish family were named Schimschlavitch, his father a cotton merchant. In later life, Sunlight enjoyed to "dine out" on tales of his family's adventures and brushes with the Tsarist authorities but it is suspected that these were largely fanciful. The family emigrated to England in 1890 to avoid conscription and settled in Manchester, probably choosing their new name from Port Sunlight.

Sunlight was apprenticed to an architect in Manchester in 1904 and by 1907 had his own practice in St Ann's Square. Reputedly, by 1910, he had designed and built more than 1000 houses in Prestwich and claimed that by 1921 he had created more than one million pounds' worth of property.

He also designed and built factories and warehouses, but his greatest memorial is Sunlight House (1932). In 1949, he proposed a 40-storey extension, but it was rejected by the city council. His sole religious building was the technically innovative South Manchester Synagogue (1913).

Sunlight was elected Liberal Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury in the 1923 general election and introduced a Private Member's Bill on the standardisation of bricks. Though the bill survived by a single vote, it was lost when Sunlight was defeated in the 1924 United Kingdom general election.

Sunlight, though always professing his affection for the faith of his parents, seems to have been more interested in his favourite pastime of horse racing.

Sunlight died in 1978 and was buried in the Jewish section of Southern Cemetery, Manchester.^[1]

Family[edit]

He married Edith Forshaw in 1940, and they had one son, artist Ben Sunlight. He died in April 1978 aged 89.

Bibliography[edit]

Kadish, S. "Sunlight, Joseph (1889-1978)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/42156, accessed 5 June 2005> (subscription required)
Obituary, Manchester Evening News, 18 April 1978

References[edit]

^ "Burial records: Joseph Sunlight". www.burialrecords.manchester.gov.uk. Manchester City Council. Retrieved 7 February 2022.

External links[edit]

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Joseph Sunlight

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Viscount Sandon	Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury 1923 – 1924	Succeeded by Viscount Sandon

[1] "Burial records: Joseph Sunlight". www.burialrecords.manchester.gov.uk. Manchester City Council. Retrieved 7 February 2022.

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
-[[Image:Sunlight House.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Sunlight House, [[Manchester]]]]
+{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
+[[File:Joseph_Sunlight.jpg|thumb|right|Joseph Sunlight]]
+[[File:Sunlight House.jpg|right|thumb|Sunlight House, [[Manchester]]]]
+'''Joseph Sunlight''' ({{OldStyleDateDY|2 January|1889|20 December 1888}} – 15 April 1978), was a [[Belarus]]ian/ [[England|English]] [[architect]] whose energy amassed him a great fortune in [[Manchester]] and left at least one fine building in [[Sunlight House]]. He was also a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] politician in his adopted country.
+==Biography==
-'''Joseph Sunlight''' ({{OldStyleDateDY|2 January|1889|20 December 1888}}–April 15, 1978), was a [[Russia]]n/ [[England|English]] [[architect]] whose energy amassed him a great fortune in [[Manchester]] and left at least one fine building in [[Sunlight House]].
+[[File:Joseph Sunlight grave.jpeg|thumb|The grave of Joseph Sunlight in [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester]]]]
-Born [[Novogrudok]], [[Belarus]], then part of Russia, his [[Jew]]ish family were named Schimschlavitch, his father a [[cotton]] [[merchant]]. In later life, Sunlight enjoyed to "dine out" on tales of his family's adventures and brushes with the [[Tsar]]ist authorities but it is suspected that these were largely fanciful. The family emigrated to England in 1890 to avoid [[conscription]] and settled in Manchester, probably choosing their new name from [[Port Sunlight]].
+Born [[Novogrudok]], [[Belarus]], then part of Russia, his [[Jew]]ish family were named Schimschlavitch, his father a [[cotton]] [[merchant]]. In later life, Sunlight enjoyed to "dine out" on tales of his family's adventures and brushes with the [[Tsar]]ist authorities but it is suspected that these were largely fanciful. The family emigrated to England in 1890 to avoid [[conscription]] and settled in [[Manchester]], probably choosing their new name from [[Port Sunlight]].
 Sunlight was [[apprentice]]d to an architect in Manchester in 1904 and by 1907 had his own practice in [[St Ann's Square, Manchester|St Ann's Square]]. Reputedly, by 1910, he had designed and built more than 1000 houses in [[Prestwich]] and claimed that by 1921 he had created more than one million [[GBP|pounds]]' worth of property.
-He also designed and built [[factory|factories]] and [[warehouse]]s but his greatest memorial is Sunlight House (1932). In 1949, he proposed a 40-storey extension but it was rejected by the city council. His sole [[religion|religious]] building was the technically innovative [[South Manchester Synagogue]] (1913).
+He also designed and built factories and warehouses, but his greatest memorial is Sunlight House (1932). In 1949, he proposed a 40-storey extension, but it was rejected by the [[Manchester City Council|city council]]. His sole religious building was the technically innovative [[South Manchester Synagogue]] (1913).
-Sunlight was elected [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Shrewsbury]] in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1923|1923 general election]] and introduced a [[Private Member's Bill]] on the [[standardisation]] of [[brick]]s. Though the bill survived by a single [[vote]], it was lost when Sunlight was defeated in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1924]].
+Sunlight was elected Liberal [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Shrewsbury]] in the [[1923 United Kingdom general election|1923 general election]] and introduced a [[Private Member's Bill]] on the standardisation of bricks. Though the bill survived by a single vote, it was lost when Sunlight was defeated in the [[1924 United Kingdom general election]].
-Sunlight, though always professing his affection for the faith of his parents, seems to have been more interested in his favourite pastime of [[horse racing]].
+Sunlight, though always professing his affection for [[Judaism|the faith of his parents]], seems to have been more interested in his favourite pastime of [[horse racing]].
+Sunlight died in 1978 and was buried in the Jewish section of [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Burial records: Joseph Sunlight |url=https://www.burialrecords.manchester.gov.uk/GenLocDetails.aspx?ID=150000 |website=www.burialrecords.manchester.gov.uk |publisher=Manchester City Council |access-date=7 February 2022}}</ref>
-He married Edith Forshaw in 1940 and they had one son, the [[artist]] [[Ben Sunlight]].
+==Family==
+He married Edith Forshaw in 1940, and they had one son, artist [[Ben Sunlight]]. He died in April 1978 aged 89.
 ==Bibliography==
 *Kadish, S. "Sunlight, Joseph (1889-1978)", ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', Oxford University Press, 2004 <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/42156, accessed 5 June 2005> (subscription required)
-*Obituary, ''[[Manchester Evening News]]'', April 18, 1978
+*Obituary, ''[[Manchester Evening News]]'', 18 April 1978
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
 == External links ==
+{{cc}}
 * {{Hansard-contribs | mr-joseph-sunlight | Joseph Sunlight }}
-{{start box}}
+{{s-start}}
 {{s-par|uk}}
 {{succession box
- | title  = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Shrewsbury]]
+ | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Shrewsbury]]
- | years  = [[United Kingdom general election, 1923|1923]] – [[United Kingdom general election, 1924|1924]]
+ | years  = [[1923 United Kingdom general election|1923]] – [[1924 United Kingdom general election|1924]]
  | before = [[Dudley Ryder, 6th Earl of Harrowby|Viscount Sandon]]
  | after  = [[Dudley Ryder, 6th Earl of Harrowby|Viscount Sandon]]
 }}
-{{end box}}
+{{s-end}}
+{{authority control}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              = Sunlight, Joseph
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
-| DATE OF BIRTH     = 1889
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    =
-| DATE OF DEATH     = 1978
-| PLACE OF DEATH    =
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sunlight, Joseph}}
 [[Category:1889 births]]
 [[Category:1978 deaths]]
-[[Category:Russian architects]]
+[[Category:Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom]]
-[[Category:British architects]]
+[[Category:Architects from Manchester]]
 [[Category:Art Deco architects]]
-[[Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs]]
+[[Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
-[[Category:Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies]]
 [[Category:UK MPs 1923–1924]]
 [[Category:Belarusian Jews]]
+[[Category:Jewish British politicians]]
-[[pl:Joseph Sunlight]]