Bryan Keith Thomas (born 1928) is an architect in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, England, known for domestic architecture in that county such as the house at Beth Chatto Gardens in Elmstead Market. His church architecture has included Church of England, Christian Scientist and Quaker places of worship.

Early life

Bryan Thomas was born in India in 1928 and spent his early years between India and

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northea ...

, Suffolk, where he attended preparatory school.

Career

Thomas trained at the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

from 1945 to 1950 before working with David Stern and subsequently with the

modernist architect Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that Form f ...

Wells Coates Wells Wintemute Coates OBE (December 17, 1895 – June 17, 1958) was an architect, designer and writer. He was, for most of his life, an expatriate Canadian who is best known for his work in England, the most notable of which is the Modernist ...

and his partner Michael Lyell. As his family were centred around

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

and the

Mersea Island Mersea Island is an island in Essex, England, in the Blackwater and Colne estuaries to the south-east of Colchester. Its name comes from the Old English word ''meresig'', meaning "island of the pool" and thus is tautological. The island is s ...

, he moved to north

in 1955 where he established his own practice in Colchester in 1957. Thomas's domestic architecture includes the house at Beth Chatto Gardens (1960), the House on the Heath, Fordham Heath (1967, extended 1974),House at Fordham Heath 1967.
Bryan Thomas. Retrieved 5 May 2019. as well as a number of other houses in Essex. Due to the length of time Thomas has been practising, he has returned to a number of his houses to update or expand them such as one in

Fingringhoe Fingringhoe is a village and civil parish in Essex, England, located five miles south-east of Colchester. The centre of the village is classified as a conservation area, featuring a traditional village pond and red telephone box. The ''Roman Riv ...

that he originally designed in 1964. His church architecture includes a Friends meeting room for the Quakers (1968), St Andrew and St Peter Church, Alresford (1975–76), First Church of Christ Scientist, Colchester (1975–77), and Christ Church, Ireton Road, Colchester (1978). In addition, he has designed rides and restaurants for Alton Towers, leisure complexes at

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore, in the county of Lancashire, North West England. It operates as a secure facility, and has introduced epayments via smartphones for admission charges, replac ...

, shelters for the elderly and schools such as St Osyth Church of England Primary School. He received a commendation in ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'' British Homes Award in 2013.

Notable works

Notable works by Thomas include: * House at Beth Chatto Gardens,

Elmstead Market Elmstead Market is a village in the civil parish of Elmstead, in the Tendring district of Essex, England. It lies 3 km north-east of Wivenhoe and 6 km east of Colchester. It is on the A133 road which runs to Clacton-on-Sea to the sout ...

, 1960. * House on the Heath, Fordham Heath, 1967, extended 1974. * St Andrew and St Peter Church, Alresford, 1975–76. * First Church of Christ Scientist, Colchester, 1975–77. * Christ Church, Ireton Road, Colchester, 1978. *

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Es ...

's health clinic. *

Wivenhoe House Wivenhoe House is a grade II-listed house located in Colchester, Essex. It is in use as a 4-star hotel. History Wivenhoe House's history began in 1759 when Isaac Rebow asked Thomas Reynolds to build the house. In 1816, owner Major-General Franci ...

extension, in 1987–88. Here, he added a 40-bed extension.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Bryan Living people 20th-century English architects English ecclesiastical architects 21st-century English architects Architects from Essex 1928 births

Early life

Career

Notable works

See also

References

External links