Thomas Ellis Owen (1805–1862) was an English architect and developer responsible for many of the buildings that still exist in Southsea and Gosport. He designed many churches in Hampshire and some of his work that still stands today can be found in Shropshire, Dorset and Pembrokeshire. Biography Early life and training Owen was born in Middlesex, the son of Mary and Jacob Owen, who worked for the Royal Engineers Ordnance Department in Portsmouth. He trained as an architect and, although his architecture was probably influenced by John Nash, Owen had a lighter touch that belonged more to his Georgian roots than the Victorian times he mainly practiced in. On completing his articles, Owen travelled through Italy studying its architectural history and development. Returning to England, Thomas married Catherine, the daughter of one of his father's colleagues J.W Higgins, surveyor of Government Works. Early career In the 1820s he entered into a private practice with his father, Messrs Jacob Owen and Son. Many of the ecclesiastical and civic works undertaken by the father and son is hard to clearly attribute to either one during this period, although it seems likely that there was a high degree of collaboration between them in buildings such as All Saint's Church, Portsea (1825-1828) and St John the Baptist, Rowlands Castle (1837); in the 1830s, Owen along with his father and father-in-law began developing the land around Southsea as a business venture. Development of Southsea Owen was instrumental in shaping the development of Southsea during the middle part of the 19th century, developing it from poorly drained farmland into a garden suburb. He designed and built 106 villas and 54 terrace houses in Southsea, including Queens Terrace, Beach Road, Portland Terrace, and Eastern Parade. In addition, he designed a range of commercial, religious, and civic buildings, including St Jude's Church in central Southsea. Owen's early developments began as an extension of the Dockyard Garrison, but soon drew the attention of the nobility and gentry of Portsea Island, who were attracted to the fashionable terraces which included Kings Terrace and Bellevue Terrace. In the early 1830s, Owen completed developments in the Grove Road and surrounding area, later extending towards the Kent Road area with Swiss Cottage (1837) and Queens Terrace (1837-40). Further works followed. Owen's works include Kent Road (Kent Lodge), Grove Road South (The Shrubbery), The Thicket (1844/6), Portland Terrace (1846), Queens Place (1847), Dovercourt (1848).