John Richard Ireson [also known as J. R. Ireson] was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England in c.1877. In the 1911 England and Wales Census is given as Manager & Designer Of Architectural Accessories C C Fireplaces Joinery & Decorative Plater Work Etc. His address is given as 46 Westfield Road, Kings Heath, King's Norton, Birmingham
A photograph of a fireplace designed by J.R. Ireson and executed by the British fireplace manufacturer The Well Fire Co. is featured in 'The Studio Yearbook of Decorative Art' 1906 (p.101). His profession is given as 'architect' however, his name is not recorded in 'Directory of British Architects 1834-1914 volume 1 A-K' by Antonia Brodie et al (London: Continuum/British Architectural Library Royal Institute of British Architects, 2001) or listed in Who's Who in Architecture 1914, 1923 or 1926