Pain, William (c.1730–c.1790). English architect, joiner, and carpenter. He wrote many pattern-books which disseminated the Adam style, including The Builder's Companion and Workman's General Assistant (1758), The Builder's Pocket Treasure: or, Palladio Delineated and Explained (1763), The Practical Builder (1774), The Car-penter's and Joiner's Repository (1778), The Builder's Golden Rule (1781), The British Palladio (1786), and The Builder's Sketch Book (1793). A selection of plates from his books was published as Decorative Details of the Eighteenth Century by William and James Pain (1946), with an introduction by A. E. Richardson. For The British Palladio he was assisted by his son, also James, who was the father of James, George Richard, and Henry Pain, all pupils of Nash. James (1779–1877) and George Richard (1793–1838), assisted for a time by Henry, became successful architects and builders in Ireland (James was the First Fruits architect for the Province of Cashel), where they designed numerous churches and castellated houses. James Pain's chapel at Cloghjordan, Co. Tipperary (c.1830), is a handsome essay in Perp., agreeably composed, and, with George Richard, he designed the Parish Church of Buttevant, Co. Cork (1826). The Pains also designed Gothic Anglican Churches at Mallow and Carrigaline (Co. Cork), and produced competent Classical designs for RC Churches at Bantry, Dunmanway, Millstreet, and Ovens, all in Co. Cork, as well as for a convent at Blackrock, Co. Dublin. For Cork Gaol, the Pains chose a severe Greek Doric style, using the unfluted shafts of the Temple of Apollo at Delos as their model (1818–23), and for the Court-House at Cork (1830—destroyed) they used an octastyle Corinthian Order. Among their houses, Dromoland, Co. Clare (1826—castellated) may be cited.

Bibliography

Colvin (1995);
M. Craig (1982);
Graby (ed.) (1989)