Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield (20 December 1856 – 27 December 1942) was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

period.

Early life and career

Blomfield was born at Bow rectory in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, where his father, the Rev. George John Blomfield (d. 1900), was rector. His mother, Isabella, was a first cousin of his father and the second daughter of the Rt. Rev.

Charles James Blomfield Charles James Blomfield (29 May 1786 – 5 August 1857) was a British divine and classicist, and a Church of England bishop for 32 years. Early life and education Charles James Blomfield was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the eldest son (and ...

, Bishop of London. He was brought up in Kent, where his father became rector of Dartford in 1857 and then of Aldington in 1868. He was educated at Highgate School in North London, whose

Grade 2 listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

War Memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

he later designed, and then Haileybury school in Hertfordshire, and at

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...

, where he took a first-class degree in classics. At Oxford, he attended

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...

's lectures, but found "the atmosphere of rapt adoration with which Ruskin and all he said was received by the young ladies... was altogether too much for me". Although he had a clear leaning towards the polite arts, his family did not have the means to sustain him as a gentleman artist, and Blomfield at this date had no clear career. After Oxford, he spent a year travelling on the continent as a tutor before accepting an offer from his maternal uncle, Sir Arthur Blomfield, to become an articled pupil in his London practice in the autumn of 1881. He also enrolled in the

Royal Academy Schools 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 purpo ...

, where

Richard Phené Spiers Richard Phené Spiers (1838 – 3 October 1916 London) was an English architect and author. He occupied a unique position amongst the English architects of the latter half of the 19th century, his long mastership of the architectural school at ...

was Master of the Architectural School. He found the atmosphere in his uncle's office uncongenial and the practice's traditional

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

output hard and soulless, although he gained valuable mechanical skills at draughtsmanship and site experience. He prospered more at the Academy Schools, taking the junior prize in 1882 and the senior prize the following year, with a design for a town house in the fashionable Queen Anne Revival style, of which he was later ashamed. During his years in his uncle's office, the practice produced two uncharacteristic schemes (for work at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

and

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

) that appear to foreshadow Blomfield's enthusiasm for classicism, and in the design of which he was presumably involved. He was an occasional cricketer and played in matches with

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

Allahakbarries Allahakbarries was an amateur cricket team founded by author J. M. Barrie, and was active from 1890 to 1913. The team's name was a portmanteau of Barrie's name and the mistaken belief that 'Allah akbar' meant 'Heaven help us' in Arabic (rather than ...

XI.

Design work

At the beginning of 1884, having completed his training, he left his uncle's office and spent a further four months travelling in France and Spain before returning to London and establishing a practice at 17 Southampton Street, off the Strand, in London; E.S. Prior had an office in the same building. Through Prior, a former pupil of

Richard Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...

, Blomfield met others of Shaw's circle, including

Mervyn Macartney Mervyn is a masculine given name and occasionally a surname which is of Old Welsh origin, with elements ''mer'', probably meaning "marrow", and ''myn'', meaning "eminent". Despite the misconception of the letter 'V' being an English spelling, th ...

Ernest Newton Ernest Newton (12 September 1856 – 25 January 1922) was an English architect, President of Royal Institute of British Architects and founding member of the Art Workers' Guild. Life Newton was the son of an estate manager of Bickley, Ke ...

and

Gerald Horsley Gerald Callcott Horsley (31 October 1862, in Glasgow – 2 July 1917, in Crowborough, East Sussex)*Gerhard Bissell, ''Horsley, Gerald'', in: ''Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon'', vol. 75, 2012 (in German) was a British architect and draughtsman who ...

. Although he never worked in Shaw's office, Blomfield was, like them, henceforth a great admirer of Shaw. With this ground, Blomfield was involved in the founding of the

Art Workers Guild The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of a ...

and was at first made its Honorary Secretary, but he attended infrequently and when admonished about this, resigned in a huff. In retrospect, however, he paid tribute to these efforts as formative in setting a new direction for architecture: "I think it is due to these young men of the 80s that the arts were rescued from the paralysing conventions of the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

". In 1890, with the idea of designing and making fine furniture, Blomfield,

Ernest Gimson Ernest William Gimson (; 21 December 1864 – 12 August 1919) was an English furniture designer and architect. Gimson was described by the art critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers". Today his reputatio ...

, Macartney and

William Lethaby William Richard Lethaby (18 January 1857 – 17 July 1931) was an English architect and architectural historian whose ideas were highly influential on the late Arts and Crafts and early Modern movements in architecture, and in the fields of con ...

joined forces to establish

Kenton & Co Kenton may refer to: Places Canada *Kenton, Manitoba South Africa *Kenton-on-Sea United Kingdom * Kenton, Devon *Kenton, London ** Kenton station, Kenton Road, Kenton, London * Kenton, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear *Kenton, Suffolk ** Kento ...

. Although the venture had the makings of a success, it lasted only two years, as the partners decided to concentrate instead on their increasingly successful architectural practices. In 1886 Blomfield married the daughter of

Henry Burra Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

Rye, Sussex is a small town and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England, two miles from the sea at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede. An important member of the mediaeval Cinque Ports confederati ...

, a town where he had designed several houses, including his own, the very informal ''Point Hill''. The same year, Blomfield and the printer T.J. Cobden Sanderson (1840–1922) built themselves a pair of pretty houses in

Frognal Frognal is a small area of Hampstead, North West London in the London Borough of Camden. Frognal is reinforced as the name of a minor road, which goes uphill from Finchley Road and at its upper end is in the west of Hampstead village. History ...

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

; 51 Frognal remained Blomfield's London home until his death. Regent Street 20040807

The heyday of Blomfield's practice, between 1885 and 1914, was dominated by the construction of new

country houses An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

and the renovation and extension of existing ones on the most generous scale. Notable among these works are the alteration of

Apethorpe Palace Apethorpe Palace (pronounced ''Ap-thorp'', formerly known as "Apethorpe Hall", "Apethorpe House", "Apthorp Park" or "Apthorp Palace" ) in the parish of Apethorpe, Northamptonshire, England, is a Grade I listed country house dating back to the 1 ...

, Northamptonshire (1906-09);

Chequers Chequers ( ), or Chequers Court, is the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A 16th-century manor house in origin, it is located near the village of Ellesborough, halfway between Princes Risborough and Wendover in Bucking ...

, Buckinghamshire (mostly 1909–12),

Heathfield Park Heathfield Park is an English country house and walled park in the village of Old Heathfield in East Sussex. History Originally called Bayley Park, the mansion was begun by James Plummer in 1677 and continued by Raymond Blackmore in the early ...

, Sussex (1896–1910) and

Brocklesby Park __NOTOC__ Brocklesby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated south from Habrough, south-west from Immingham, and is located close to the border of both North Lincolnshire and North ...

, Lincolnshire (1898–1910). The completely new buildings are mostly slightly smaller but still substantial; houses such as Wittington House at Medmenham, Buckinghamshire in 1897;

Caythorpe Court Caythorpe Court is a Grade II* listed former hunting lodge situated about one mile to the east of Caythorpe, Lincolnshire, England. It was originally built in 1901 for Edgar Lubbock, a brewer and banker, to the designs of Sir Reginald Blomfield. ...

, Lincolnshire;

Moundsmere Manor Moundsmere is a hamlet in Hampshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Preston Candover. It is 3 miles away from the village of Bentworth and lies away from Basingstoke. At one time, Moundsmere came under the large parish of Bentworth u ...

. Hampshire; or Wretham Hall, Norfolk. Much of this work was carried out in a manner inspired by Blomfield's studies of both English and French Renaissance styles. Blomfield's fairly numerous university and commercial buildings also included a number of prestigious commissions, including the college buildings for

Lady Margaret Hall Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located on the banks of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formall ...

, Oxford and the United Universities Club in London. He played a major part in the completion of the Quadrant on

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

, London when

withdrew from the project. 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 ...

put an end to the type of building projects on which he had been engaged, and after it ended in 1919 his practice never returned to its former size. He was sixty-five in 1921, but continued working at a gradually decreasing pace into his late 70s, producing a large number of

war memorials A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

in the 1920s, including the

Menin Gate The Menin Gate ( nl, Menenpoort), officially the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves a ...

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

. His last major project was the reconstruction of 4 Carlton Gardens, London, in 1932.

Publications

Blomfield had a gift for sketching and writing. His first book, ''The Formal Garden in England'', illustrated by Inigo Thomas, appeared in 1892. His views invoked the criticism of the gardener William Robinson, who pursued a lengthy dispute with those architects who dared to interest themselves in gardening, especially Blomfield and

John Dando Sedding John Dando Sedding (13 April 1838 – 7 April 1891) was an English church architect, working on new buildings and repair work, with an interest in a "crafted Gothic" style. He was an influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, many of wh ...

. In 1897 Blomfield's first major historical work, ''A history of Renaissance architecture in England, 1500–1800'' was published by George Bell and Sons. The architecture of the Wren era in particular appealed to him, and he came to regard it as the era of England's finest architecture. This book was complemented by the appearance of a companion study, ''A history of French architecture'', published in two volumes covering 1494–1661 (1911) and 1661–1774 (1921). Together with the work of Blomfield himself, Sir John Belcher and

, the arrival of a serious account of architectural development in the 17th and 18th centuries led not only to the preservation of many previously neglected buildings of those periods, but also increased interest in the neo-Georgian style. His other published works include ''Studies in Architecture'' (1905); ''The Mistress Art'' (1908), ''Architectural Drawing and Draughtsmen'' (1912); ''The Touchstone of Architecture'' (1925); ''Six Architects'' (1925); ''Memoirs of an Architect'' (1932); the controversial anti-

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

polemic, ''Modernismus'' (1934) and the sketchy ''

'' (1940). In 1920 he delivered the British Academy's Aspects of Art Lecture, which was published in the ''

Proceedings of the British Academy The ''Proceedings of the British Academy'' is a series of academic volumes on subjects in the humanities and social sciences. The first volume was published in 1905. Up to 1991, the volumes (appearing annually from 1927) mostly consisted of the te ...

''. A further collection of autobiographical material, 1932–42, continuing his memoirs, remains unpublished and is in the possession of his descendants.

Archival materials

The British Architectural Library Drawings Collection has a number of his perspective drawings produced for

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 ...

exhibitions and an incomplete collection of his sketchbooks, photographs and papers. Other documents remain in the possession of his descendants, but he disposed of the majority of his drawings during the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

. A bronze bust of Blomfield by Sir

William Reid Dick Sir William Reid Dick, (13 January 1878 – 1 October 1961) was a Scottish sculptor known for his innovative stylisation of form in his monument sculptures and simplicity in his portraits. He became an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1921, a ...

is in the National Portrait Gallery.

List of works

The following list of major works is selected from that given in R.A. Fellows, ''Sir Reginald Blomfield: an Edwardian architect'', 1985, with additions from ''The Buildings of England'' and other sources cited in the bibliography: Goldsmiths College main building

London - Piccadilly Circus - Regent Street

Lambeth Bridge, over the River Thames in London

Usher Gallery and Spring Flowers - geograph

Haileybury College Haileybury may refer to: Australia * Haileybury (Melbourne), a school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ** Haileybury Rendall School, an offshoot in Berrimah, North Territory, Australia China * Haileybury International School, an internatio ...

, Hertfordshire: erection of Bradby Memorial Hall, 1886; Music School, Sports Pavilion and organ case, 1923 *

Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Hoddesdon, in the Broxbourne district, in Hertfordshire, England, north of London, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 I ...

, Hertfordshire: erection of five houses on St Catherine's estate for J.A. Hunt, 1887 * 20 Buckingham Gate,

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 ...

, Middlesex: new town house in free Queen Anne style, 1887 * Rye, Sussex: new vicarage, 1887; mission room, 1900 * Swinford Old Manor, near Ashford, Kent: restoration, 1887 *Blacknoll, Dorset: new house, 1889 *

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

, Hertfordshire: new covered market, public library and art school, 1889 (with W.H. Wilds) *

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

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 ...

, Surrey: alterations and renovation for Arthur Brook, 1889, in free Queen Anne style * Rye, Sussex: erection of houses in Gun Garden and Watchbell Street, 1890, 1910 *

Aslockton Aslockton is an English village and civil parish 12 miles (19.3 km) east of Nottingham and two miles (3.2 km) east of Bingham, on the north bank of the River Smite opposite Whatton-in-the-Vale. The parish is also adjacent to Scarring ...

, Nottinghamshire: new church, 1890–92 *

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

(Switzerland): rebuilding of St. Antonien Kapelle, 1891, in late Gothic style *

Carshalton Carshalton () is a town, with a historic village centre, in south London, England, within the London Borough of Sutton. It is situated south-southwest of Charing Cross, in the valley of the River Wandle, one of the sources of which is Carshalton ...

, Surrey: extension of All Saints church, 1891–1914 (with A.W. Blomfield) *Southwater,

Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

, Sussex: new house and gardens, 1891 *

Court, Buckinghamshire: restoration, alterations and gardens for Bertram Astley, 1892–1901 and Arthur Lee, 1st Baron Lee of Fareham, 1909–12, in neo-Jacobean style * Frogmore Hall, Hertfordshire: alterations, 1892 *

, Hampstead, Middlesex: new houses at 49–51 Frognal for himself and T.J. Cobden Sanderson, 1892 * Swiftsden,

Etchingham Etchingham is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex in southern England. The village is located approximately southeast of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent and northwest of Hastings, on the A265, half a mile west o ...

, Sussex: new house in neo-Georgian style, 1892 * Borrowstone Lodge,

Kincardine O'Neil Kincardine O'Neil ( gd, Cinn Chàrdainn, sco, Kinker) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated between the towns of Banchory and Aboyne approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of Aberdeen on the north bank of the River Dee. ...

, Aberdeenshire: new house, 1893 *

Queen Anne's School Queen Anne's School is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18, situated in the suburb of Caversham just north of the River Thames and Reading town centre and occupying a campus. There are around 450 pupils. Nearly half a ...

, Caversham, Oxfordshire: chapel, 1893 * St. George, Hanover Square, London: new fittings, ''circa'' 1894 *

Warley Lodge Warley may refer to: Places in the United Kingdom Essex *Warley, Essex *Great Warley *Little Warley *Warley Hospital West Midlands *Warley, West Midlands, a neighbourhood centred on the towns of Oldbury and Smethwick *Warley (UK Parliament consti ...

, Essex: new gardens, 1894 * Mystole House.

Chartham Chartham is a village and civil parish in the Canterbury district of Kent, England. It is situated on the Ashford side of the city, and is in the North Downs area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, south west of Canterbury, England. The Great St ...

, Kent: alterations and additions, 1895, in neo-Georgian style * Godinton Park, Kent: alterations, 1895, 1924 and new garden, ''circa'' 1902 * Greycoat Place, London: warehouse for Army and Navy Stores, 1895 * Limpsfield Chart, Surrey: St. Andrew's Church, 1895, in Arts & Crafts style * Rye, ''Point Hill'', expansion of cottage into new house for himself, 1895–1912 * Cowley House, Middlesex: addition and alterations, 1896 *

, Sussex: alterations and additions for W.C. Alexander, 1896–1910, in neo-Georgian style *

, Oxford: college buildings, 1896–1915 * St Edmund's School,

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

, Kent: headmaster's house, 1897 * Hillside School, Godalming, Surrey: school buildings and house, 1897 * Wittington, Medmenham, Buckinghamshire: house, gardens and lodge for Hudson Kearley, 1st Lord Devonport, 1897–1904, and enlargement, 1909; in

Wrenaissance Edwardian architecture is a Baroque Revival architecture, Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style. Descripti ...

style *

Mellerstain Mellerstain House is a stately home around north of Kelso in the Borders, Scotland. It is currently the home of the 14th Earl of Haddington, and is a historical monument of Scotland. History The older house or castle at Mellerstain included ...

, Roxburghshire: restoration and gardens for Lord Binning, 1898–1910 *

, Lincolnshire: reconstruction and new gardens for Earl of Yarborough, 1898–1910 in

style *

, Lincolnshire: new house and gardens for

Edgar Lubbock Edgar Lubbock LLB (22 February 1847 – 9 September 1907) was an English amateur footballer who twice won the FA Cup and played first-class cricket. He later became a partner in the Whitbread Brewery, a Director and Deputy Governor of the Ban ...

, brewer and banker, 1899–1903, in neo-Jacobean style * Effordleigh House, near Plymouth, Devonshire: new house, 1899 *

Fratton Fratton is a residential and formerly industrial area of Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. Victorian style terraced houses are dominant in the area, typical of most residential areas of Portsmouth. Fratton has many discount shops and "greasy spoo ...

, Portsmouth, Hampshire: St Mary's Church Institute (1899–1907) *

Drakelow Hall Drakelow is a civil parish in South Derbyshire, England. It is centred a small fraction over south of Burton on Trent and has a border with that town. The population of the civil parish including Caldwell, Derbyshire and Cauldwell, Derbyshir ...

, Derbyshire: restoration and gardens for Gresley family, 1900–06 * West Broyle,

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

, Sussex: new house, 1901 * Yockley,

Frimley Frimley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. The town is of Saxon origin, although it is not listed in Domesday Book of 1086. Train services to Frimley (on the line between ...

, Surrey: new house and gardens for Charles Furse ARA, 1901–02 in neo-Georgian style; additional wing, 1910 * Murraythwaite, Dumfriesshire: new house, 1901 *

Blundell's School Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school in the English public school tradition, located in Tiverton, Devon. It was founded in 1604 under the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the t ...

Tiverton, Devon Tiverton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Devon, England, and the commercial and administrative centre of the Mid Devon district. The population in 2019 was 20,587. History Early history The town's name is conjectured to derive from "Twy-fo ...

shire: additions, 1901 *

Heywood Manor Heywood may refer to: People *Heywood (given name), including a list of people with the name * Heywood (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name Places Antarctica * Heywood Island (Antarctica), South Shetland I ...

Boldre Boldre is a village and civil parish in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is in the south of the New Forest National Park, above the broadening (estuary) of the Lymington River, two miles (3 km) north of Lymington. In the 2 ...

, Hampshire: new house and gardens, 1902 *

Euston Hall Euston Hall is a country house, with park by William Kent and Capability Brown, located in Euston, a small village in Suffolk located just south of Thetford, England. It is the family home of the Dukes of Grafton. The Hall Euston first appears ...

, Suffolk: new gardens for

Duke of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke ...

, 1902 * Hatchlands, Surrey: new Music Room, 1902–03, in

style *

Sherborne School for Girls Sherborne Girls, formally known as Sherborne School for Girls, is an independent day and boarding school for girls, located in Sherborne, North Dorset, England. There were 485 pupils attending in 2019–2020, with over 90 per cent of them livin ...

, Dorset: new buildings, 1902–26, in neo-Tudor style *

Gogmagog Hall Gogmagog may refer to: * Gogmagog (band), a British supergroup * Gogmagog (giant), a giant in British folklore * Gog Magog Hills The Gog Magog Hills are a range of low chalk hills, extending for several miles to the southeast of Cambridge in ...

, Cambridgeshire: alterations, 1903 * Ballard's Court,

Goudhurst Goudhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. It lies in the Weald, around south of Maidstone, on the crossroads of the A262 and B2079. The parish consists of three wards: Goudhurst, Kilndown and ...

, Kent: new house, 1903 * Leasam House,

Playden Playden is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The village is located one mile (1.6 km) north-west of Rye. History Playden is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Pleidena; it is a largely rural parish ...

, Sussex: alterations and new gardens, 1903 * Medmenham Manor House, Buckinghamshire: restoration for Hudson Kearley, 1903 *

Apethorpe Hall Apethorpe Palace (pronounced ''Ap-thorp'', formerly known as "Apethorpe Hall", "Apethorpe House", "Apthorp Park" or "Apthorp Palace" ) in the parish of Apethorpe, Northamptonshire, England, is a Grade I listed country house dating back to the ...

, Northamptonshire: alterations and additions, and new gardens, for Leonard Brassey, 1st Baron Brassey, 1904 *

Knowlton Court Knowlton Court is a Grade I listed manor house near Goodnestone, Kent, England that dates back to the Elizabethan period. The present front façade in the Queen Anne style, was added in 1715. Early history The Knowlton estate is recorded in t ...

, Kent: alterations and new gardens for Major

Elmer Speed Elmer is a name of Germanic British origin. The given name originated as a surname, a medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, derived from Old English ''æþel'' (noble) and ''mær'' (famous). It was adopted as a given name in the United State ...

, 1904 *

St Mary's Church, Islington The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the historic parish church of Islington, in the Church of England Diocese of London. The present parish is a compact area centered on Upper Street between Angel and Highbury Corner, bounded to the west by Live ...

, Portico at west door, 1904 * Merchant Taylors' Hall, London: alterations, 1904, 1926 * Saltcote Place, Rye, Sussex: new house for Mr Hennessy, 1905 , URL=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/14230958.slice-of-english-history-is-yours-for-35-million/ * Kenfield Hall, Kent: additions and alterations, 1906–09 * Oxford & Cambridge Club, Pall Mall, London: alterations, including new staircase, 1906–12 *

United University Club The United University Club was a London gentlemen's club, founded in 1821. It occupied the purpose-built University Club House, at 1, Suffolk Street, London, England, from 1826 until 1971. Formation and membership The Club was founded at a meetin ...

, Suffolk St., London: new building, 1906; extensions, 1924, 1938 * Wyphurst,

Cranleigh Cranleigh is a village and civil parish, about southeast of Guildford in Surrey, England. It lies on a minor road east of the A281, which links Guildford with Horsham. It is in the north-west corner of the Weald, a large remnant forest, the ma ...

, Surrey: additions for C.E.H. Chadwyck-Healey, 1907, in neo-Tudor style * Garnons, Herefordshire: alterations, 1907, in neo-Georgian style *

Ickworth Ickworth is a small civil parish, almost coextensive with the estate of the National Trust's Ickworth House, in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, eastern England, south-west of Bury St Edmunds. The population of the parish was only minimal ...

, Suffolk: remodelling of entrance hall for 4th

Marquess of Bristol Marquess of Bristol is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the Hervey family since 1826. The Marquess's subsidiary titles are Earl of Bristol (created 1714), Earl Jermyn, of Horningsheath in the County of Suffolk (1826), and ...

, 1907 * Hill House, Shenley, Hertfordshire: new gardens for S. de la Rue, 1907 * Milner Court,

Sturry Sturry is a village on the Great Stour river situated northeast of Canterbury in Kent. Its large civil parish incorporates several hamlets and, until April 2019, the former mining village of Hersden. Geography Sturry lies at the old Roman junc ...

, Kent: additions and new gardens, 1907 *

, Hampshire: new house and gardens for Wilfred Buckley, 1908–09 in neo-Georgian style *

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...

, Surrey: new archive repository for

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

, 1908–10 * Hill Hall, Essex: alterations and additions for Mrs Charles Hunter, 1909 *

Sherborne School (God and My Right) , established = 705 by Aldhelm, re-founded by King Edward VI 1550 , closed = , type = Public school Independent, boarding school , religion = Church of England , president = , chair_label = Chairman of the governors , ...

, Dorset: Carrington Building, 1909–10; Classrooms and Gatehouse Tower on the northside of the Courts, 1913–23; War Memorial Staircase and ante-Chapel, 1922; Gymnasium, 1923; Music School, 1926 * Manoir de la Trinité, Jersey: remodelling for

Athelstan Riley John Athelstan Laurie Riley (10 August 1858 – 17 November 1945) was an English hymn writer and hymn translator. Riley was born in Paddington, London, and attended Pembroke College, Oxford, where obtained his BA in 1881 and MA in 1883. Active ...

, 1909–12 * Sandhouse,

Witley Witley is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Waverley in Surrey, England centred south west of the town of Godalming and southwest of Guildford. The land is a mixture of rural (ranging from woodland protected by the Surrey Hills AO ...

, Surrey: new house, ''circa'' 1909–11 * New Public Library, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, 1910–14, in

style *

Westgate Water Tower The Westgate Water Tower, also known as the Lincoln Water Tower is a historic water tower, dating to AD 1911. It is located on Westgate, in Lincoln, England. It is a grade II listed building. History It was designed by Reginald Blomfield in the ...

, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, 1910 * 20 Upper Grosvenor Street, London: alterations and redecoration, 1910 *

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

, London: redevelopment of The Quadrant with new shops and stores, 1910–26 * Malma, Pyrford, Surrey: new house, 1914–1915 * Lockleys, Welwyn, Hertfordshire: alterations, additions and gardens, 1911 *

Whiteley Village Whiteley Village, in Hersham, Surrey, England, is a retirement village, much of it designed architecturally by Arts and Crafts movement-influenced architect Reginald Blomfield. It is owned by the charitable Whiteley Homes Trust and is on land w ...

, Surrey: new houses in North Avenue, 1911 *

The Lordship ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Much Hadham Much Hadham, formerly known as Great Hadham, is a village and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England. The parish of Much Hadham contains the hamlets of Perry Green and Green Tye, as well as the village of Muc ...

, Hertfordshire: additions, 1912 * Wretham Hall, Norfolk: new house and gardens for Sir

Saxton Noble Saxton can refer to: Places United States * Saxton, Kentucky, USA * Saxton, Missouri, USA * Saxton, Pennsylvania, USA ** Saxton Nuclear Generating Station * Camp Saxton Site, Port Royal, South Carolina, USA Other places * Saxton, North Yorks ...

, 1912–13, in

style *

Netherseal Hall Netherseal (or 'Netherseale') is a village and civil parish in the England, English county of Derbyshire,OS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest :(1:25 000) :

, Derbyshire: restoration, 1914 *

Kinnaird House Kinnaird is originally a Scottish Gaelic topographical term, ''ceann ard'', meaning "high headland". Kinnaird may refer to: Places Canada * Kinnaird, British Columbia, a neighbourhood in Castlegar, British Columbia Scotland * Kinnaird, Angus, ...

, Pall Mall, London: new building, 1915 (with A.J. Driver) *Penn House, Buckinghamshire: alterations, 1918 * Brodick Castle, Arran: restoration and new gardens, 1919 * Harefield Place, Middlesex: alterations, 1920, 1934 *

Carlton Club The Carlton Club is a private members' club in St James's, London. It was the original home of the Conservative Party before the creation of Conservative Central Office. Membership of the club is by nomination and election only. History The ...

, Pall Mall, London: extension, 1920 (destroyed in Second World War: not the current premises in St James's Street) *

Sulgrave Manor Sulgrave Manor, Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, England is a mid-16th century Tudor hall house built by Lawrence Washington, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of George Washington, first President of the United States. The manor passed out of ...

, Northamptonshire: additions and restoration, 1921 *

Halstead Hall Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011 Barkers Barkers or Barkers Men's Clothing is a New Zealand menswear fashion brand and retail chain. It has 31 stores around the country, including 13 in Auckland. It was established in Auckland CBD in 1972, and is headquartered in Grafton, Auckland. The ...

Department Store, High Street, Kensington, Middlesex: new department store, 1924 *

The Headrow The Headrow is an avenue in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It is one of the most important thoroughfares in central Leeds, hosting many of the city's civic and cultural buildings including Leeds Town Hall, Leeds Central Librar ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, Yorkshire: layout of new street with shops, offices and banks, 1924–37 (with other architects) *

Lambeth Bridge Lambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east–west direction in central London. The river flows north at the crossing point. Downstream, the next bridge is Westminster Bridge; upstream, the next bridge i ...

, London: new bridge, 1929–32 *

(Belgium): new British School building, 1925 *

Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...

, Buckinghamshire: development plan, 1926 *

Usher Gallery The Usher Gallery is an art museum in Lincoln, England. The gallery displays a collection of artworks by painters such as J. M. W. Turner and L. S. Lowry. Established in 1927, it is run as part of the Collection. History James Ward Usher wa ...

Lincoln, Lincolnshire Lincoln () is a cathedral city, a non-metropolitan district, and the county town of Lincolnshire, England. In the 2021 Census, the Lincoln district had a population of 103,813. The 2011 census gave the urban area of Lincoln, including North H ...

: new building, 1926–27 *

Chantry Bridge Rotherham Bridge crosses the River Don, South Yorkshire, River Don in central Rotherham, South Yorkshire. It is known for its bridge chapel, considered the best preserved in England.David Hey, ''Medieval South Yorkshire'' A document of 1385 re ...

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, Yorkshire: reconstruction, 1927 * Crockerhill, Sussex: alterations, 1929 * County Hall, Lewes, Sussex: rebuilding, 1928–30 *

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

, London: new facade, 1930 * 4 Carlton Gardens, London: new offices, 1932 (part of a scheme for the total redevelopment of

Carlton House Terrace Carlton House Terrace is a street in the St James's district of the City of Westminster in London. Its principal architectural feature is a pair of terraces of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St. James's Pa ...

Among war memorials for which he was responsible are: *

Brandhoek Military Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery Brandhoek Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in Vlamertinge in Belgium on the Western Front. The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity ...

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, 1915. * Belgian War Memorial,

Victoria Embankment Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfare ...

, London, 1917, with Belgian sculptor

Victor Rousseau Victor Rousseau ( Feluy, 16 December 1865 – Forest, 17 March 1954) also known as M. Victor Rousseau, was a Belgian sculptor and medalist. Biography Rousseau was of Walloon heritage and descended from a line of stonemasons. He began carv ...

* Derby School War Memorial, an obelisk at St. Helen's House, Derby, 1921 *

Hertfordshire Regiment The Hertfordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army. Originating in units of Rifle Volunteers formed in 1859, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First and Second Wor ...

Memorial, Hertford, 1921 *

(Belgium):

, 1922 and Saint George's Memorial Church, 1928 *The

Royal Air Force Memorial The Royal Air Force Memorial is a military memorial on the Victoria Embankment in central London, dedicated to the memory of the casualties of the Royal Air Force in World War I (and, by extension, all subsequent conflicts). Unveiled in 1923, it ...

in London, 1923. *The

Cross of Sacrifice The Cross of Sacrifice is a Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It is present in Commonwealth war cemeteries containing 40 or ...

or War Cross, for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

). These are in Commonwealth cemeteries in many countries. * Bury War Memorial

Awards and honours

Blomfield was made an Associate 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 ...

(RIBA) in 1881 and a Fellow in 1906; an Associate of the

in 1905 and elected to the Academy in 1914, where he had been Professor of Architecture 1907–11 and awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 1913. He was President of the RIBA in 1912–14 and was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1919. In 1933, he was elected into the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

as an Honorary Corresponding member.

Death

He died aged 86 on 27 December 1942 and is buried in family plot in the churchyard of St James,

, East Sussex, half a mile north of his country home ''Point Hill'', Rye. Fellow architect

Horace Field Horace Field was a London-born architect. His work was often in a Wrenaissance style, as well as other post-gothic English historical revival styles, with influences from the Arts and Crafts movement and Richard Norman Shaw. His commissions incl ...

, who was a near neighbour in both Rye and Hampstead, is buried in the same churchyard.

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * *

External links

Profile on Royal Academy of Arts Collections

* Blomfield, Reginald (1911). ''A History of French Architecture from the Death of Charles VIII till the Death of Mazarin'' London: G. Bell. Vols. I (copie
1

2
and II (copie
1

2
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

. * Blomfield, Reginald (1921). ''A History of French Architecture from the Death of Mazarin till the Death of Louis XV, 1661–1774''. London: G. Bell. Vols. I (copie
1

2
and II (copie
1

2
at Internet Archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blomfield, Reginald 1856 births 1942 deaths Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Architects from Devon Associates of the Royal Institute of British Architects Blomfield family Commonwealth War Graves Commission Knights Bachelor People associated with Goldsmiths, University of London People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College People educated at Highgate School People from Mid Devon District Presidents of the Royal Institute of British Architects Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal Royal Academicians

Early life and career

Design work

Publications

Archival materials

List of works

Awards and honours

Death

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

External links