William Robert Davidge (1879–1961) was an architect and surveyor, who combined these skills with an enthusiasm for urban improvement to become one of the pioneering leaders of the British

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, ...

movement of the early twentieth century. He also played a key role in the introduction of town planning to Australia and New Zealand. He served as president of the

Royal 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 gra ...

from 1926 to 1927.

Biography

Early and personal life

William Robert Davidge was born on 17 February 1879 in

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...

, Middlesex. His parents were Henry Thomas Davidge and Louisa Anderson Davidge. He entered University College in 1896, and also studied at Kings College, graduating with a degree in architecture in 1900. He married Kathleen Mary Lane and had three children, Kathleen Enid Grace Davidge (24 Sep 1910), Margaret Mary Davidge (6 June 1912), and Helen Joyce "Jane" Davidge (15 May 1919).

Architect

From 1902 to 1907 Davidge was an assistant to W.E. Riley in the architect's department of the London County Council. He became an associate member 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 ...

in 1904. In July 1912 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Surveyor

While a student Davidge was articled to Marshall Hainsworth, Surveyor to the Teddington Urban District Council. From 1907 to 1916 he was District Surveyor for Lewisham, Greenwich, and Woolwich. In 1919 he became Housing Commissioner for the Southern Counties and later for the London area.

Town planner

In the early 1900s Davidge took an interest in the emerging British

Garden City Movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, and ...

. In 1909 he presented a paper to the Institution of Surveyors (later to become the

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for surveyors, founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental level, and aims to promote and enforce the highest international standards in the val ...

) in support of the Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1909 which proposed to make it mandatory for local authorities in the United Kingdom to introduce town planning systems. From 1921 Davidge practiced as a consulting town planner and architect-surveyor, and in 1926 he was elected President of the

, as well as serving as Chair of the Executive of the Garden Cities and Town Planning Association (later to become the

Town and Country Planning Association The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) is an independent research and campaigning charity founded and based in the United Kingdom. It works to enable homes, places and communities in which everyone can thrive. Through its research, tr ...

). Davidge prepared professional planning reports for places throughout the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, including recommendations for

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

West Kent Kent is a traditional county in South East England with long-established human occupation. Prehistoric Kent Kent has been occupied since the Lower Palaeolithic as finds from the quarries at Fordwich and Swanscombe attest. The Swanscombe skul ...

and

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. As well as being a member of architecture and planning institutes, he was also an associate member of the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...

Influence in New Zealand and Australia

In 1914, Davidge travelled to New Zealand and from there to Australia. In both New Zealand and Australia Davidge gave a series of public lectures with

Charles Reade Charles Reade (8 June 1814 – 11 April 1884) was a British novelist and dramatist, best known for '' The Cloister and the Hearth''. Life Charles Reade was born at Ipsden, Oxfordshire, to John Reade and Anne Marie Scott-Waring, and had at leas ...

(1880 - 1933), another enthusiast of town planning, to promote the new planning paradigms. As a result of this tour Davidge drew up New Zealand's first civic improvement scheme, a plan for the Taranaki city of

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

. Davidge's plan was not, however, implemented.Miller, Caroline. "Town Planning in New Zealand," ''Planning Quarterly'', December 2002, 13
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidge, William Robert 1879 births 1961 deaths British urban planners Associates of the Royal Institute of British Architects Presidents of the Royal Town Planning Institute