Architects

Name:

Francis Thomas Verity

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

22/07/1925

Year of Birth :

1864

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DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

14/08/1937

Year of Death:

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Bio Notes :

Francis Thomas Verity was born in Kensington in 1864, the son of the theatre architect Thomas Verity. The younger Verity was educated at Cranleigh School, Surrey and studied at the South Kensington Schools under the art master A F Brophy from 1881 before being articled to his father in 1883. While there he studied at University College under Professor Hayter Lewis and at the Architectural Association. In 1887 he entered the Royal Academy Schools, where the art master, Richard Phené Spiers encouraged him to attend the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He undertook a tour of Italy, Germany and France. Although he never officially enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts he entered the atelier of Blouet, headed at that time by Jean Louis Pascal, where, like Burnet before him, he became strongly influenced by Henri-Paul Nénot, architect of the new Sorbonne. On his return in 1889 he won the Tite Prize, passed the qualifying exam and was admitted ARIBA on 3 June 1889, his proposers being his father, Spiers and Arthur Cates.

In 1891 his father died and he became sole partner, inheriting his father's post of Surveyor of Theatres to the Lord Chamberlain and being admitted FRIBA as early as July 1896. He was the architect of many distinguished theatres and London office and apartment blocks, all of which strongly reflected his Beaux-Arts schooling, their style strongly influencing the work of his pupils, Albert Richardson and Charles Lovett Gill. On the accession of Edward VII he was commissioned to redecorate the state apartments at Buckingham Palace, and in the same year (1901) as a result of administrative changes he became architect to the Lord Chamberlin's Department.

Verity was awarded the RIBA's London Architecture Medal in 1923. He was also a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. His wife, Abbie May Leonard, was American.

Verity took his son-in-law Samuel Beverley into partnership in 1930. Born in Australia in 1896, Beverley had joined his office in 1922 and been his chief assistant since the mid-1920s. They became European advisory architects to the Paramount Cinematograph Company and to the Union Cinema Company, the former appointment bringing commissions for large Paramount cinemas in Tottenham Court Road, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Glasgow and Paris.

Verity died in Bournemouth on 14 August 1937. The practice was continued by Beverley who died in 1959, and by his son-in-law, Sir Anthony Denny Bt.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

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

Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date From Type	Date To	Date To Type	Notes
London England	Business

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

Employers2 classic

Name	Name Link	Date From	Date To	Position	Notes
Thomas Verity	204265	In year 1883		Apprentice
Verity & Beverley	204197	In year 1930	In year 1937	Partner

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

Employees or Pupils2 classic

Name	Name Link	Date From	Date To	Position	Notes
Alexander Porteous Gracie	205073	After 1908	Before 1926	Assistant
Christopher Bristow	203834	In year 1902	In year 1906	Apprentice
(Sir) Albert Edward Richardson	205135	In year 1904	In year 1909	Assistant
Samuel Beverley	204199	In year 1922		Assistant
Robert Hunter Cameron	207409	c. 1906	c. 1907	Assistant	for 1 year 2 months
Samuel Beverley	204199	c. 1925		Senior Assistant

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

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

Proposer	Proposer Link	Date Proposed	Notes
Richard PhenÃ© Spiers	203602	1889/06/03	for Associateship
Arthur Cates	203632	1889/06/03	for Associateship
Thomas Verity	204265	1889/06/03	for Associateship

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

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

Person	Date Proposed	Notes
Robert Hunter Cameron	1919/03/03	for Associateship

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date
Gray, A Stuart	Edwardian Architecture: A Biographical Dictionary	1985
British Architectural Library, RIBA	Directory of British Architects 1834-1914	2001
Grove Dictionary of Art	Grove Dictionary of Art
Pike, W T	London

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
RIBA Journal	1937/09/11	v44	p1008 - obituary
Builder	1937/09/20	*	Obituary
Architects Journal	1925/01/07	*	Article by A Trystan Edwards
Architects Journal	1937/08/26	*	Obituary
RIBA Journal	1937/10/16	v44	p1071 - obituary by H S Goodhart-Rendel

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

Employees or Pupils

Employees or Pupils2 classic

RIBA Proposers

RIBA PROPOSERS2 classic

RIBA Proposals

RIBA PROPOSALS2 classic

References

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