 Larger versions of these images are located at the foot of the page. Basic Biographical Details | Name: | Leonard Aloysius Scott Stokes | | Designation: | Architect | | Born: | 1858 | | Died: | 25 December 1925 | | Bio Notes: | Leonard Aloysius Scott Stokes was born at Southport, Lancashire in 1858, the son of a Roman Catholic barrister Scott Nasmyth Stokes who was chief inspector of schools. Stokes's eldest brother was a painter Adrian Scott Stokes RA, and his youngest was Sir Wilfred Stokes, inventor of the Stokes gun; his uncle was S N Stokes, a founder member of The Cambridge Camden Society, who had converted to Catholicism.
The Stokes family moved to London where Stokes was articled to the Roman Catholic church architect Samuel Joseph Nicholl of Kentish Town in 1874 for three years. In 1877 he moved to the office of James Gandy a London architect who was also Street's quantity surveyor, followed by a year as clerk-of-works at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin and a period in George Edmund Street's office as an assistant. Thereafter he entered the RA Schools in 1878 and was briefly in the offices of Piers St Aubyn, Thomas Edward Collcutt and Bodley & Garner before commencing independent practice at 13 Holland Street, Kensington in January 1850. In the same year he won the Pugin Studentship which enabled him to travel in Germany in 1881 and Italy with Walter Millard in 1882. He was admitted ARIBA on 9 January of the latter year his proposers being Street (who had died on 18 December) St Aubyn and Spiers.
The practice was very successful from 1883 onwards, mainly with Roman Catholic Church work, and moved to 31 Spring Gardens where it remained until 1901 when it moved to 2 Great Smith Street, Westminster. Stokes was President of the Architectural Association 1889-92 and was admitted FRIBA on 16 June 1890, his proposers being Collcutt, Alfred Waterhouse and Aston Webb whose outlook as an imaginative freestyle designer was similar to his own. In 1898 Stokes married Edith Gaine, daughter of the General Manager of the National Telephone Company and between 1898 and 1911 when the company was compulsorily acquired by the Post Office as a result of a legal judgement, Stokes built twenty telephone exchanges of which three were in Scotland, all highly original variations on English Renaissance themes.
Stokes was awarded the Medaille d'Argent at the Paris Exhibition of 1900 and was President of the RIBA 1910-12. In 1915 he was severely affected by paralysis. His practice was continued by George Drysdale. Born 1851, Drysdale had been articled to Stokes 1903-05, followed by six months with Sir Ernest George. Thereafter Drysdale had attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts for fifteen months winning the Pugin studentship in 1906 and the Tite Prize and the Soane Medallion in 1908. He passed the qualifying exam in 1910 and was admitted ARIBA on 27 March 1911, his proposers being Stokes, James Sivewright Gibson and Henry Thomas Hare.
Stokes was Royal Gold Medallist in 1919. He died in London on 25 December 1925. The practice having passed out of his control before his son David was old enough, David became the Aberdeen partner of Alexander George Robertson Mackenzie. | Private and Business Addresses| The following private or business addresses are associated with this architect: | | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes |  | 13, Holland Street, Kensington, London, England | Business | 1880 | After 1890 | | | 31, Spring Gardens, London, England | Private(?) | 1883 * | | | | 3, Prince's Street, Storey's Gate, London, England | Business | Before 1892 | After 1900 | | | 2, Great Smith Street, Westminster, London, England | Business | Before 1901 | After 1914 | | | 17, Buckingham Street, London, England | Business | 1923 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployersEmployees or Pupils
RIBARIBA ProposersRIBA Proposals
Buildings and Designs| This architect was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | | | Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | | 1901 | Central Telephone Exchange | | | Edinburgh | Scotland | | | 1907 | Western Telephone Exchange | Hillhead | | Glasgow | Scotland | Design - but with Colin Menzies as executant architect | | 1908 | Telephone exchange | | | Aberdeen | Scotland | |
ReferencesBibliographic References| The following books contain references to this architect: | | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | British Architectural Library, RIBA | 2001 | Directory of British Architects 1834-1914 | | | Lists other sources |
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