Who was John Bell?
John Bell was a builder and architect active, especially in Durham, England, in the early- to mid-18th century. He is noted to have had a great knowledge of Gothic architecture and to have often carried out the designs of James Paine. Bell worked under Paine's direction at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland in the 1760s. He died in early 1784 and was buried at the church of St. Mary le Bow, Durham, England on 16 February that year.
John Bell lived in the city’s North Bailey and in 1784 was buried in the church of St Mary-le-Bow, just yards from his home.
Sources:
Colvin, Howard, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, 3rd edition (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995), p. 119.