Leonard Cecil Howitt (1896 – 1964) – often referred to as L. C. Howitt – served in both World Wars and was Manchester City Council's chief architect from 1946 until he retired in 1961.

Life

Leonard Howitt was born on 27 December 1896 in Islington, London. His parents were William Howitt, a type founder, and his wife Ada. After her husband's death in about 1910, Ada Howitt returned to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

with her son. Howitt died at his home in

Brooklands, Sale Brooklands is an area of Greater Manchester, England, southwest of Manchester city centre. It had a population of 24,796 at the 2011 census (10,434 in Trafford and 14,362 in Manchester). History The area is named after Samuel Brooks, a Manc ...

on 20 May 1964 aged 67. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

Career

Howitt started work in the architect's office at Manchester Town Hall shortly before the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After war service, he attended the University of Liverpool School of Architecture from where he graduated in 1925. He then joined Herbert J Rowse Architects in Liverpool where he remained until 1934. He was part of the team that designed the

Mersey Tunnel The Mersey Tunnels connect the city of Liverpool with Wirral, under the River Mersey. There are three tunnels: the Mersey Railway Tunnel (opened 1886), and two road tunnels, the Queensway Tunnel (opened 1934) and the Kingsway Tunnel (opened 1 ...

(Queensway) ventilation towers. He was appointed chief architectural assistant to Liverpool City Council's Director of Housing before returning to Manchester as deputy city architect in 1937. Howitt served in the army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, rising to the rank of major. In 1945 Howitt returned to Manchester as acting city architect. The following year he was appointed city architect, a position he held until he retired in 1961. He designed many schools, colleges and other buildings for the corporation and was responsible for reconstructing the

Free Trade Hall The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, Manchester, England, was constructed in 1853–56 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre. It is now a Radisson hotel. The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. T ...

after it was damaged in the

Manchester Blitz The Manchester Blitz (also known as the Christmas Blitz) was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the German ''Luftwaffe''. It was one of three major raids o ...

. He designed the Courts of Justice (1957-1962), Hollings College (1957-1960). Other than schools, few buildings erected during Howitt's tenure as city architect survive. His 1974 Terminal Building at Manchester Airport was remodelled by his successor, Sidney George Besant-Roberts. Other surviving buildings are Hollings College, Heaton Park Reservoir Pumping Station (1955), Wythenshawe Fire Station (1957), Blackley Crematorium (1959), Wythenshawe Bowls and Tennis Pavilion (1960) and the Manchester Courts of Justice. After retiring from the corporation in 1961 he entered private practice in Manchester in partnership with Leonard J Tucker. Howitt became a Fellow 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 supp ...

in March 1942, served on its council for twelve years and was its vice-president from 1956 to 1958. He was president of the Manchester Society of Architects from 1955 until 1957 and served on other professional bodies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howitt, Leonard Cecil 20th-century English architects Architects from London Alumni of the University of Liverpool