Hansom was born in the parish of St Martin's (possibly on St Martin's Lane),
York to a large Roman Catholic family and baptised as Josephus Aloysius Handsom(e). He was the brother of the architect
Charles Francis Hansom and the uncle of
Edward J. Hansom. He was apprenticed to his father, Henry, as a joiner, but showing an early aptitude for draughtsmanship and construction, he transferred his apprenticeship to a York architect named Matthew Philips, without informing the City of York. He took a post as assistant to John Oates and there befriended the brothers John and
Edward Welch, with whom he formed his first architectural partnership (Handsom & Welch) in 1828. Together they designed several churches in Yorkshire and Liverpool, and also worked on the renovation of
Bodelwyddan Castle in
Denbighshire and
King William's College in the Isle of Man. In 1831 their designs for
Birmingham Town Hall were accepted; however, the contract led to their bankruptcy, as they had stood surety for the builders. The disaster led to the dissolution of the partnership. Hansom supported the views of social reformers
Robert Owen and
Thomas Attwood, and the
Operative Builders Union, which was formed in 1831/3, which led to some viewing him as a socialist. He went on to sell the patent to a company for £10,000; however, as a result of the purchaser's financial difficulties, the sum was never paid. The first
Hansom Cab travelled down
Hinckley's Coventry Road in 1835. The Hansom cab was improved by subsequent modifications and exported worldwide to become a ubiquitous feature of the 19th-century street scene. In 1843 Hansom founded a new architectural journal known as
The Builder, another venture which was to flourish through the century; renamed
Building in 1966, it continues to this day. However, neither he nor his partner
Alfred Bartholomew (1801–45) profited from the enterprise, because they were compelled to retire for lack of capital. Between 1854 and 1879 Hansom devoted himself to architecture, designing and erecting a great number of important buildings, private and public, including numerous churches, schools and convents for the Roman Catholic Church. Buildings from his designs are to be found all over the United Kingdom, as well as in Australia and South America. Hansom practised in a succession of architectural partnerships. From 1847 to 1852 he practised in
Preston, Lancashire, working briefly in association with
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin towards the end of the latter's life. After the practice moved to London, he took his brother Charles Francis Hansom into partnership in 1854. But this partnership was dissolved in 1859 when Charles established an independent practice in Bath with his son Edward Joseph Hansom as clerk. In 1862 Joseph Hansom formed a partnership with
Edward Welby Pugin, which broke up acrimoniously in 1863. Finally, in 1869, he took his son
Joseph Stanislaus Hansom into partnership. Hansom lived at 27 Sumner Place,
South Kensington, London, and there is a
blue plaque there in his memory. Hansom moved to manage an estate at
Caldecote Hall. He retired on 31 December 1879 and died at 399
Fulham Road, London, on 29 June 1882. == Surviving works ==