Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944)

Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens (1869-1944) Born in London but spent most of his young life growing up in Surrey, he was one of thirteen children and was always known as Ned. Lutyens suffered from rheumatic fever and it was decided that he was too delicate to have a public school education like his brothers, of which he had eight. He only went to school for two years and although felt at a disadvantage to his educated brothers, despite his illness and not being allowed or able to play games and sport he used his eyes and imagination and not his feet, developing an interest in buildings and architecture whilst spending time in rural Surrey. The illustrator Randolph Caldecott was a neighbour and it has been said that Lutyens was inspired by his images and decided to become an architect, his father enrolled him at the National Art Training School in South Kensington. At the age of eighteen he was articled as a pupil in the office of Ernest George & Peto. In 1889 Lutyens met Miss Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) and later this became a creative collaboration of great importance.

Edwin Lutyens was an architect of such prominence many of his country houses and designs featured in Country Life magazine from its commencement in 1897 until the early 1940's.

A good example of his early work was Overstrand Hall, Norfolk and Le Bois des Moutiers, France. He went on to develop a more classical style and designed two churches for the New Hampstead Garden Suburb, London to Julius Drewes Castle Drogo near Drewsteighton in Devon. New Delhi, India's new imperial capital was an exciting and interesting design time for Lutyens as he was chief architect alongside Herbert Baker, he was able to incorporate local architecture styles to his own classical style, Hyderabad House and Rashtrapati Bhavan (Viceroy's House) being prime examples.

Marsh Court, Hampshire was the last of his Tudor designs. Lindisfarne Castle was refurbished by Lutyens. His design work was so varied as you can see from the following, The British Embassy in Washington, DC., Queen Mary's Dolls House, the Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool. Other houses by Lutyens include, Goddards, Surrey, Folly Farm, Berkshire and Little Thakeham, Sussex, he also added a wing to Penheale Manor, Cornwall just after the Great War.  Middleton Park was Lutyens last house which he designed with his only son Robert.

Lutyens was Knighted in 1918 and elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy in 1921. Appointed a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission in 1924 until his death in 1944.