Pictured (l- r) are Principal Librarian Ingrid Mercer, Dr Roy Hargrave, GSS partner David Allsop and Cllr Christopher Lamb, Mayor of Kettering.

A three-volume history of one of Kettering's most famous sons has been presented to the town's library. The Life and Works of John Alfred Gotch was researched and written by Dr Roy Hargrave, an architectural historian and fine art dealer who lives in Geddington.

Gotch founded GSS Architecture, which is Northamptonshire's largest architectural practice, in 1879. Today it has offices in Kettering, Northampton and Bristol. To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the practice the current partners of GSS Architecture sponsored a PhD thesis by Roy Hargrave. His detailed and painstaking research took several years to complete, and now the results of his scholarship are available for everyone to see.

Kettering has often been described as "the town that Gotch built". He designed many of the town's most famous buildings including the council offices in Bowling Green Road (formerly the Grammar School), the Alfred East Art Gallery and the original building of Kettering General Hospital. His works included numerous local schools, churches, factories, the leisure facilities at Wicksteed Park and even the local football club's stand, while the houses he designed ranged from ordinary homes to grand mansions for local magnates. In one prolific nine-year period after the First World War he also designed over 140 branches of the Midland Bank (now HSBC).

"The legacy that Gotch left to the town of Kettering is immense," said GSS partner David Allsop. "The research undertaken by Roy Hargrave provides a unique insight into his life and works and will be of enormous interest to both scholars and ordinary members of the public."

As well as being a prominent architect, Gotch was a distinguished writer and an authority on Elizabethan and Jacobean architecture. He was the first provincial architect to be appointed President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He also became Kettering's first Charter Mayor in 1938.

Appropriately, the town's present Mayor, Cllr Christopher Lamb, attended the presentation on Wednesday 2nd April, to represent Kettering. To mark the occasion, the Mayor was presented with a special brochure summarising the history of John Alfred Gotch. Cllr Lamb lives within sight of Gotch's former house, Weekley Rise, and also Weekley Church where John Alfred Gotch was buried following his death in 1942.

"I am honoured to follow John Alfred Gotch, eighty years on, as Mayor of Kettering," Councillor Lamb said. "He has contributed more than anyone before or since to the character of the town and has raised Kettering's profile considerably."

Principal Librarian Ingrid Mercer was pleased to accept the three-volume history on behalf of Kettering Library. "We have already had a number of enquiries about this work," said Ingrid, "And it will be an important resource and a valuable part of our extensive Reference section." The library's opening hours are from 9.30 until 7pm on Monday, 6pm on Tuesday, 5pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 4pm on Saturday.

Further copies of the thesis will be presented to the British Library, the RIBA, and the Northamptonshire Records Office.