By 1826, he had moved to the village of Bethnal Green near the City of London, where he married Esther Wilson (1806–88) at St. Matthew's Church.During the 1850s, Jay won the contract for the construction of the Victoria Towers and clock, and the Old Palace Yard frontage at the Houses of Parliament;[1] and one for St. Olave's Grammar School.Also, in 1868, upon acquisition of Campsbourne Lodge along with those parts of its estate not already sold off to the British Feeehold Land Company or other developers, he proceeded to build several of the streets bordering Alexandra Park, some of which remain to this day.A memorial monument to John Jay, which is (grade 2 listed by English Heritage), stands on the west side of Dr. Watts' Walk (the central southern path) in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, and is said to have been carved in his own workshop, possibly by his own hand.It is a highly ornamented white marble sarcophagus with moulded cover, lions' feet, and rich acanthus decoration in the corners.