Skip to Main Content

Architects

Basic Biographic Details

(Sir) Herbert Baker
Architect
Exact Date
Exact Date
02/04/1946
Herbert Baker (later Sir Herbert) was born in Cobham in Kent on 9 June 1862, one of ten children of Thomas H Baker, JP. He was educated at Tonbridge School and articled to his uncle Arthur H Baker in September 1881 and remained for three years whilst attending classes at the Architectural Association. He remained with Baker after his apprenticeship as clerk of works at Llanberis Church, North Wales, a project which lasted a further year and a half. He then transferred to the office of Ernest George & Peto as improver and subsequently assistant and remained there until 1890 during which period he attended the Royal Academy Schools. While at their office he met Edwin Lutyens with whom he went sketching in the country. Baker won the Ashpitel Prize and passed the qualifying exam in 1889 and was elected ARIBA on 13 January of the following year, his proposers being his uncle, Harold Ainsworth Peto and Ernest George. He was elected Fellow ten years later on 18 January 1900, his proposers being on this occasion H S Greaves, Ernest George again and W Emerson.

When in 1891 Baker's brother Lionel went out to South Africa to set up a fruit farm, Baker went out to advise on its situation. He soon met Cecil Rhodes who asked him to restore his home, Groote Schuur and to rebuild it again after a fire in 1893. In Baker Rhodes saw a man who could share his dreams of a great and permanent culture for South Africa. Baker was appointed Diocesan architect for Cape Town in 1893 and as such was responsible for a number of churches in the city. He formed a partnership with his former assistant Francis Edward Masey in 1899; together they designed a great variety of buildings - not only churches, but offices, banks and villas. They also supervised the construction of the Union Castle Line building and the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town on behalf of Dunn & Watson.

Rhodes died in 1902 and Lord Milner who had the task of rebuilding in the Transvaal and Orange River Colony after the Boer War engaged Baker & Masey on a number of projects including Government buildings, churches, houses and agricultural and mining settlements. In 1906 they took on a third partner, Franklin Kaye Kendall, who had joined the practice in 1899 as assistant.

Baker invited his friend Lutyens to visit South Africa and from this Lutyens secured the commissions for the War Memorial and Art Gallery in Johannesburg. In his turn Lutyens recommended Baker to share with him in designing the new government buildings in New Delhi. In 1909 Masey left to set up his own practice in Rhodesia and Baker formed a new partnership with Frank Leonard Hodgson Fleming who had been assisting since 1903, but this appears to have been dissolved by 1912 when he was associated with Lutyens for about a year on the project for New Delhi.

Baker returned to London in 1913, leaving his South African practice to Fleming, and embarked on the New Delhi project. However disagreement between Lutyens and Baker over the levelling of the King's Way leading to Lutyens's Viceregal Lodge made a rift between them which led to a long estrangement. Baker joined the Art Workers' Guild in 1914.

Baker devoted twelve years to the New Delhi project but then turned his attention to buildings in England (and one in Scotland) after the First World War. He was one of the principal architects of the War Graves Commission. In the mid-1920s he visited Kenya and Uganda and worked for the government in Kenya. In 1927 he was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal for Architecture.

At the age of sixty nine Baker formed a partnership with Alexander Thomson Scott in 1931. He died on 4 February 1946 at Owletts, Cobham, Kent. He was survived by his wife Florence, his sons and his daughter.

Publications: 'Plas maur' (1888), 'Cecil Rhodes, by his architect' (1934), 'Church House: its art and symbolism' (1940), 'Architecture and personalities' (1944).

Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From CharDate From TypeDate To CharDate To TypeNotes
Owletts Cobham Kent EnglandPrivate

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

AddressClassDate From Date From TypeDate ToDate To TypeNotes
Cape Town South AfricaBusiness
Johannesburg South AfricaBusiness
IndiaBusiness
14 Barton Street London SW EnglandBusiness
Romney House/18 Marsham Street London SW EnglandBusiness

Employment and Training

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this person (click on an item to view details):

Employers2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
Arthur Baker2059881881/09In year 1884Apprentice
Arthur Baker205988In year 1884In year 1886Clerk of Works
Ernest George & Peto100285In year 1886In year 1890ImproverLater assistant
Herbert Baker & Masey205195In year 1899In year 1906Partner
Herbert Baker, Masey & Kendall205992In year 1906In year 1909Partner
Herbert Baker & Kendall205225In year 1909In year 1910Partner
Herbert Baker, Kendall & Fleming205994In year 1910c. 1912Partner
Lutyens & Baker203985In year 1912In year 1913Partner
(Sir) Herbert Baker & A T Scott204356In year 1931In year 1946Partner

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this person (click on an item to view details):

Employees or Pupils2 classic

NameName LinkDate FromDate ToPositionNotes
Edwin Landseer Lutyens200727In year 1887c. 1889ApprenticeLutyens worked under Baker, chief assistant to George & Peto
Francis Edward Masey205990In year 1896In year 1899Assistant
Franklin Kaye Kendall205194In year 1899In year 1906Assistant
Alexander Thomson Scott203389In year 1914In year 1922AssistantWith the exception of military service, from outbreak of war in 1914 to 1918
Alexander Thomson Scott203389In year 1922In year 1929Chief Assistant
Alexander Thomson Scott203389In year 1929In year 1931Partner
David Carr200738In year 1930In year 1931Assistant
Robert Hunter Cameron207409c. 1913c. 1913Assistantfor 4 months (in South Africa)
George James Miller202055c. 1932c. 1934Assistant

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this person for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

ProposerProposer LinkDate ProposedNotes
Harold Ainsworth Peto2036731890/01/13for Assocateship
Ernest George2012381890/01/13for Assocateship
Thomas Henry Baker2060761890/01/13for Assocateship
Ernest George2012381900/01/18for Fellowship
(Sir) William Emerson2035871900/01/18for Fellowship
Harry Sidon (sometimes erroneously spelt Siddon) Greaves2060771900/01/18for Fellowship

RIBA Proposals

This person proposed the following individuals for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

PersonDate ProposedNotes
John Parker1902/02/03for Fellowship
William Leck1904/12/05for Fellowship
James MorrisLate 1910sfor Licentiateship
Arthur James Marshall1911/02/27for Licentiateship
William Bryce Binnie (Major)1925/11/30for Fellowship
Alexander Thomson Scott1930/11/03for Fellowship
(Captain) Arthur James Scott Hutton1935/07/22for Fellowship

Buildings and Designs

This person was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs2 classic

Building NameDate StartedTown, District or VillageIslandCity or CountyCountryNotes
Bank of EnglandIn year 1921LondonEnglandReconstruction and heightening
India HouseIn year 1928AldwychLondonEngland
Martin's BankIn year 1930LondonEngland
Glyn, Mills & Co BankIn year 1930LondonEngland
South Africa HouseIn year 1930WestminsterLondonEngland
Monteviot HouseIn year 1931RoxburghshireScotlandAlterations
Boreham ManorIn year 1932ChelmsfordEssexEnglandWith George Lindsay Auldjo Jamieson as assistant
Glenapp ChurchAfter 1932GlenappAyrshireScotlandInchcape Monument (on the grounds that Baker designed the Inchcape Memorial Church at Woldingham, Surrey)
The Drove HouseIn year 1933ThornhamNorfolkEngland

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

AuthorTitleDatePublisherPartNotes
Irving, Robert GrantIndian summer: Lutyens Baker and Imperial Delhi1981
Gray, A StuartEdwardian Architecture: A Biographical Dictionary1985pp97-99
Reilly, C HRepresentative British Architects of the Present Day1931London: Batsford Ltdpp40-53
Keath, MichaelHerbert Baker: Architecture and Idealism 1892-19131992Ashanti
Beauty's AwakeningBeauty's Awakening: The Centenary Exhibition of the Art Workers' GuildBrighton Museum September -November 1984, Royal Pavilion Brighton
Greig, DoreenHerbert Baker in South Africa1970Purnell
Metcalf, ThomasAn Imperial Vision1989University of California
Simons, Phillida BrookeGroote Schuur1996Fernwood Press

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical NamePublisherDate CircEditionNotes
RIBA Journal1946v53pp189-190
Builder1946/02/15*pp158-9 Obituary
Architect and Building News1946/02/15*p85
The Times1946/02/06*
Scotsman194602/06Death notice, p8

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this person:

Arc ref classic

Archive NameSourceSource Cat NoBuilding IdItem NameNotes
Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive materialProfessor David M Walker personal archive100041Additional information courtesy of Michael Baker