Henry Vaughan Lanchester (9 August 1863 – 16 January 1953) was a British

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

working in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He served as editor of ''

The Builder ''Building'' is one of the United Kingdom's oldest business-to-business magazines, launched as ''The Builder'' in 1843 by Joseph Aloysius Hansom – architect of Birmingham Town Hall and designer of the Hansom Cab. The journal was renamed ''Bu ...

'', was a co-founder of the

Town Planning Institute The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) is the professional body representing planners in the United Kingdom, and Ireland. It promotes and develops policy affecting planning and the built environment. Founded in 1914, the institute was gran ...

and a recipient of the

Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is g ...

Biography

Lanchester was born in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

, London. His father,

Henry Jones Lanchester Henry Jones Lanchester (1834–1914) F.R.I.B.A was an English architect and surveyor. Most of his building work was carried out in Greenwich and Hove. Biography Lanchester was born on 5 January 1834, at Islington, the son of Frederick Lanchester ...

(1816–1890), was an established architect, and his younger brother, Frederick W. Lanchester (1868–1946), was to become an engineer. He was articled to his father, but also worked in the offices of London architects F.J. Eadle, T.W. Cutler and George Sherrin from 1884 to 1894. He studied at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in 1886, won the Aldwinckle Prize and, in 1889, the

Owen Jones Owen Jones (born 8 August 1984) is a British newspaper columnist, political commentator, journalist, author, and left-wing activist. He writes a column for ''The Guardian'' and contributes to the ''New Statesman'' and '' Tribune.'' He has two ...

Studentship. His first architectural work was Kingswood House,

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...

, in 1892, and he established his own practice in 1894. His first fully independent work in 1896 were offices in

Old Street Old Street is a street in inner north-east Central London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, via St Luke's and Old Street Roundabout, to the crossroads where it meets Shoreditch High ...

, for Messrs

Bovril Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick and salty meat extract paste similar to a yeast extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston. It is sold in a distinctive bulbous jar, and as cubes and granules. Bovril is owned and distribut ...

Ltd. He formed a partnership in 1896 with James A. Stewart (1865 or 6-1908) and

Edwin Alfred Rickards Edwin Alfred Rickards (1872–1920) was an English architect. Early life Rickards was born in 1872. Career Rickards worked alongside the architects Henry Vaughan Lanchester and James Stewart. He specialized in baroque architecture. He designed ...

(1872–1920). As Lanchester, Stewart and Rickards, in 1897 the firm won the competition to build

Cardiff City Hall City Hall ( cy, Neuadd y ddinas) is a civic building in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales, UK. It serves as Cardiff's centre of local government. It was built as part of the Cathays Park civic centre development and opened in October 1906. Built of ...

. Lanchester was editor of ''The Builder'' from 1910 to 1912. In 1912, he visited

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and prepared a report on the planning of

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

as well as preparing plans for

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. In 1914 he was one of the founder members of the Town Planning Institute in London. He formed a new partnership in 1923, Lanchester, Lucas &

Lodge Lodge is originally a term for a relatively small building, often associated with a larger one. Lodge or The Lodge may refer to: Buildings and structures Specific * The Lodge (Australia), the official Canberra residence of the Prime Ministe ...

, with Thomas Geoffry Lucas and

Thomas Arthur Lodge Thomas Arthur Lodge (1888–1967) was a British architect. He studied at the Architectural Association in London until 1909, and was then articled to Thomas Geoffry Lucas. After a time spent with a number of different firms, Lucas and Henry Vaugh ...

. He was appointed Professor of Architecture at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, and in 1934 Lanchester was awarded the Royal Gold Medal of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

Architectural works

(1897–1905) * Cardiff Law Courts (1901–04) *

Deptford Town Hall Deptford Town Hall is a municipal building in New Cross Road, Deptford, London. It is a Grade II listed building. History The building was commissioned to replace the aging vestry hall of St Paul's. The site selected had previously been occupi ...

, London (1902–07; today part of

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...

) *

Methodist Central Hall The Methodist Central Hall (also known as Central Hall Westminster) is a multi-purpose venue in the City of Westminster, London, serving primarily as a Methodist church and a conference centre. The building, which is a tourist attraction, also ho ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

(1905–11) *Third Church of Christ Scientist,

Curzon Street Curzon Street is located within the Mayfair district of London. The street is located entirely within the W1J postcode district; the eastern end is north-east of Green Park underground station. It is within the City of Westminster, running ap ...

, Westminster (1910–12) tower (1931–32) *The Post Office

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

(1916) *Housing schemes in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...

(1920–23) * Council Building for the United Provinces, Lucknow (1921) *Planned new suburbs in

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

(1921) *Planned new suburbs in

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...

(1922) *

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

Hospital (1925) *Hospital

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

(1927) *Parkinson Building,

Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

(1927–1951) *

Umaid Bhawan Palace Umaid Bhawan Palace, located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, is one of the world's largest private residences. A part of the palace is managed by Taj Hotels. It is named after Umaid Singh, Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present owner, Ga ...

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Ki ...

(1929–43)

List of published work

Town Planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

(1918) *

a Study in Tropical Town Planning (1923) *

Fischer von Erlach Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His infl ...

(1924) *Talks on Town Planning (1924) *The Art of Town Planning (1925) *Outline of Studies in Town Planning (1944)

Gallery of work

File:Cardiff City Hall cropped.jpg, Cardiff City hall (1897-1905) File:Cardiff City Hall wide view.jpg, Cardiff City hall (1897-1905) File:Cardiff City Hall dome.jpg, The dome, Cardiff City hall (1897-1905) File:Cardiff tower.jpg, The tower, Cardiff City hall (1897-1905) File:Cardiff Crown Court.JPG, Law Courts, Cardiff (1901–04) File:Deptford Town Hall, SE14 - geograph.org.uk - 82222.jpg, Deptford Town Hall (1902–07) File:Deptford Town Hall Building.jpg, Detail of the facade, Deptford Town Hall (1902–07) File:Methodist.central.hall.london.arp.jpg, Methodist Central Hall, Westminster (1905–11) File:Leeds University.jpg, Parkinson Building, Leeds University (1927-1951)

References

* Page 232 Edwardian Architecture: A Biographical Dictionary, A. Stuart Gray 2nd Edition 1988 * Page 9, Directory of British Architects 1834-1914 Volume 2: L-Z, Antonia Brodie, Alison Felstead, Jonathan Franklin, Leslie Pinfield and Jane Oldfield, 2001 Continuum * Chapter IX H.V. Lanchester, Representative British Architects of the Present Day, C.H. Reilly, 1931 B.T. Batsford Ltd {{DEFAULTSORT:Lanchester, Henry Vaughan 1863 births 1953 deaths 20th-century English architects Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal Architects from London