Owen Williams (engineer)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sir Evan Owen Williams (20 March 1890 – 23 May 1969) was an English engineer and architect, known for being the principal engineer for the original
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
, and later
Gravelly Hill Interchange The Gravelly Hill Interchange, popularly known as Spaghetti Junction, is a road junction in Birmingham, England. It is junction 6 of the M6 motorway where it meets the A38(M) Aston Expressway in the Gravelly Hill area of Birmingham. The interc ...
(known popularly as ''Spaghetti Junction'') as well as a number of key modernist buildings, including the
Express Building Express or EXPRESS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn * '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid Music * ''Express'' ...
in
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 ...
and the D10 and D6 Buildings at the Boots Factory Site in
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
. Primarily an engineer, he was not classically trained as an architect but showed an exceptional degree of proficiency with both flair and functionality in his buildings which were considered far ahead of their time during the 1930s. Williams ultimately believed architecture and engineering must be inseparable.


Career

Williams was born at 16 Caroline Terrace in
Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...
, London, England, on 20 March 1890. He was the son of Evan Owen Williams, a Welsh-born grocer and Mary Roberts. Originally both farmers, they moved to London some years before Owen was born. Williams had two sisters and two brothers. Mary Kate died young, but the second born, Elizabeth Maud, became an author. Owen had an older brother, Robert Osian, who was a successful banker and came out of retirement to manage the finances of his brother's engineering practice which was launched in 1940. Williams attended
Tottenham Grammar School Tottenham Grammar School (TGS) was a renowned grammar school in North London, with local football connections. History A Tottenham grammar school had existed for centuries. Its origins are unclear, possibly dating back to 1456 but in 1631 a le ...
and excelled in mathematics. He was apprenticed to the Electrical Tramways Co. in London in 1907 and at the same time did an engineering degree at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. In 1912 Williams assumed a position as engineer and designer with the Trussed Concrete Company. Seven years later, he started his own consulting firm, Williams Concrete Structures. He was then appointed chief consulting civil engineer to the
British Empire Exhibition The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925. Background In 1920 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhibit ...
which included the old
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
. The commission also included the Palace of Industry building in Brent, the first building in the United Kingdom to use concrete as the exterior. The building was listed in 1997 in recognition of this but was delisted in 2004 after an appeal by a property developer. Williams was recognised for his achievements and received a knighthood in 1924. Through the exhibition, Williams met its architect,
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
, and they worked together on the design of Williams's bridges in Scotland. Williams designed his buildings as functional structures sheathed in decorative facades. More an engineer than an architect, he produced a series of reinforced concrete buildings during the period between the wars. After World War II he worked on developing the first plan for Britain's motorway system. His other works include the
Dorchester Hotel The Dorchester is a five-star luxury hotel on Park Lane and Deanery Street in London, to the east of Hyde Park. It is one of the world's most prestigious and expensive hotels. The Dorchester opened on 18 April 1931, and it still retains its ...
, buildings at the Boots Factory Site in
Beeston, Nottinghamshire Beeston is a town in the Borough of Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire, England, south-west of Nottingham city centre. To its north-east is the University of Nottingham's main campus, University Park. The pharmaceutical and retail chemist group Boots h ...
, the
M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...
and the
Pioneer Health Centre The Peckham Experiment was an experiment designed to determine whether people as a whole would, given the opportunity, take a vested interest in their own health and fitness and expend effort to maintain it. The experiment took place between 192 ...
in Peckham, south London. In the 1940s the company expanded and became Sir Owen Williams and Partners. This followed the building of the
Daily Express Building, Manchester The Daily Express Building, located on Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, England, is a Grade II* listed building which was designed by engineer Sir Owen Williams. It was built in 1939 to house one of three ''Daily Express'' offices; the other tw ...
, which Williams designed. Contrary to popular belief, the Manchester building was the only one of the three Express Buildings which Williams designed – the others in Glasgow and
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 ...
were designed by Ellis and Clark. Although Williams was more of an engineer than an architect, the Express Building in Manchester was lauded for its architecture and demonstrated his proficiency as an architect. His nephew is quoted as saying "Just fancy Taid taking all that time over the trip to Barnet, when 60 years later his Grandson was head of Civil Engineering for the M1 ....." Owen Williams' grandson, Richard Williams, was chief executive of the Owen Williams Group until its acquisition by Amey in 2006.


List of works

(Including bridges) *1913–14 – Resident engineer for Trussed Concrete Steel Company at Patent Fuel Works, Swansea Docks *1914–16 – Chief estimating engineer, Trussed Concrete Steel Company *1916–17 – Assistant aeroplane designer, Wells Aviation *1917–18 – Various ships and slipways, Poole, Dorset *1921–24 –
British Empire Exhibition The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925. Background In 1920 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhibit ...
buildings at
Wembley Park Wembley Park is a district of the London Borough of Brent, England. It is roughly centred on Bridge Road, a mile northeast of Wembley town centre and northwest from Charing Cross. The name Wembley Park refers to the area that, at its broadest ...
with
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
(included Palace of Industry Building which was listed in 1997 and delisted in 2004) *1921–24 –
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
with
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1924–25 – Lea Valley Viaduct and Bridge with
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1924–25 – Parc des Attractions, Paris *1924–26 – Findhorn Bridge with
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1924–27 – Road Bridge, Shepherd Leys Wood *1924–29 – Bournemouth Pavilion with Home & Knight *1925–26 – Spey Bridge, Newtonmore ... architect:
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1925–26 – Crubenmore and Loch Alvie Bridges ... architect:
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1925–26 – Duntocher Bridge ... architect:
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1925–26 – Belfast Water Tower, Northern Ireland *1925–26 – Wansford Bridge,
Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...
with
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1926–28 – Dalnamein Bridge with
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1926–28 – Carr Bridge (demolished) with
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1926–28 – Lochy Bridge with
Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton was ...
*1927–28 – Brora Bridge *1927-28 –
Clapton Stadium The Clapton Stadium, also known as Millfields Road, was a football ground and greyhound racing stadium in the Lower Clapton area of London. History The stadium was originally named Whittles Athletic Ground and was mostly used for whippet racin ...
*1927–30 – Montrose Bridge *1928–29 – Pont-Rhyd-Owen Bridge *1928–30 – Wadham Road Viaduct *1928–30 – Harnham Bridge, Wiltshire *1928–30 – Pilkington's Warehouse, London *1929–30 – The Dorchester Hotel proposal *1929–31 – Wakefield Bridge *1929–31 – Llechryd Bridge proposal *1929–31 – Daily Express, London as engineer with architects H. O. Ellis & Clarke *1930–32 – Boots Packed Wet Goods Factory (D10 Building) *1931–33 – Sainsburys Factory and warehouse *1932–34 – Cumberland Garage and Car Park *1933–34 – Empire Pool, Wembley Park *1933–35 – Pioneer Health Centre, London *1933–36 – Residential flats, Stanmore *1935–37 – Provincial Newspaper office, London *1935–38 – Odhams Printing Works *1935–38 – Boots Packed Dry Goods Factory (D6 Building) *1935–39 – Daily Express Building, Manchester *1936–37 – Lilley & Skinner office and warehouse extension *1936–38 – Dollis Hill Synagogue *1936–39 – Scottish Daily Express Building, Glasgow *1938–39 – Daily News Garage, London *1939–41 – Vickers-Armstrong Aircraft Factory completed by Oscar Faber & Partners *1944–45 – Wilvan Houses *1944–45 – Mobile home *1945–67 – Newport By-pass (present-day M4) *1950–55 – BOAC Maintenance Headquarters, Heathrow *1951–59 – M1 Motorway phase one (with James Price as chief resident engineer) *1953–66 – Port Talbot By-pass *1954–56 – BOAC Wing Hangars, Heathrow *1955–61 – Daily Mirror Building (now demolished) *1956–67 – M1 Motorway phase two (with James Price as chief resident engineer)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Owen 1890 births 1969 deaths People from Tottenham English civil engineers Alumni of the University of London People educated at Tottenham Grammar School