John Garrard Elgood was born in Leicester, England in 1833 or 1834 and was articled to Henry Bowman (1814-1883) and Joseph Stretch Crowther (1820-1893) of Bowman & Crowther in Manchester from 1848 to 1854. He then worked as an assistant to Thomas Worthington (1826-1909) in Manchester from 1855 to 1880 when he was taken into partnership as Worthington & Elgood.
Elgood was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1889 and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1890. He died in Bowden, near Manchester on 8 March 1893
Architectural projects by Worthington & Elgood included offices of Bayer Peacock & Company, Gorton, Manchester (1882); Leyland Free Library, 98 Market Street, Hindley, Wigan (1884-87); Woodside ,Upwood Mount, and Overdale at Barnt Green, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire (1884-88); memorial fountain to Frederick Cavendish, Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire (1885); additions to Rosslyn Chapel, Hampstead, London (1885); New Bath Hospital and Rawson Convalescent Home, Harrogate, Yorkshire (1886-89); Monton Memorial Schools, Monton, Eccles, Lancashire (1888-89); Lower Mosley Street Schools, Manchester (1888-89); Unitarian Schools, Gee Cross, Dukinfield (1889); Manchester New College and Tate Library. Oxford (1891); Dukinfield Old Chapel (1891-93)
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001