John Culy Harvey was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England on 23 December 1877 He trained as an architect in the office of H. Stephenson from 1898 to c.1900 and as an assistant to a firm of contractors for over three years. He qualified as an architect in 1912 and was elected as an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) later that year. Harvey commenced practice as an architect in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. in 1913. By 1920 he had relocated his business to Cardiff, Wales where he was active as an architect until at least 1939. Work by his practice mainly included warehouses; agricultural, domestic, and school buildings. He died on 25 November 1959. At the time of his death he was living at 31 Strawberry Hill Road, Twickenham, Middlesex.
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