Bryan Thomas (architect)

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Bryan Thomas (architect) - Wikipedia

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Bryan Thomas
Born	(1928-11-28)28 November 1928 India
Died	19 December 2023(2023-12-19) (aged 95)
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Architectural Association School of Architecture
Occupation	Architect
Years active	1957–2019
Spouses	Pauline Venton (m. 1954; div. 1973) Wendy Foster (m. 1975; died 2021)
Children	4

Buildings	House at Beth Chatto Gardens

Website	www.bryanthomas.org.uk

Bryan Keith Thomas (28 November 1928 – 19 December 2023) was an English architect in Essex, known for domestic architecture in that county such as the house at Beth Chatto Gardens in Elmstead Market. His church architecture included Church of England, Christian Scientist and Quaker places of worship.

Early life

Bryan Keith Thomas was born in British India on 28 November 1928.^[1] He spent his early years between India and Felixstowe, Suffolk, where he attended preparatory school.^[2]

Career

Thomas trained at the Architectural Association from 1945 to 1950 before working with David Stern and subsequently with the modernist architect Wells Coates and his partner Michael Lyell.^[3] As his family were centred around Colchester and the Mersea Island, he moved to north Essex in 1955^[2] where he established his own practice in Colchester in 1957.^[3]

Thomas's domestic architecture includes the house at Beth Chatto Gardens (1960), the House on the Heath, Fordham Heath (1967, extended 1974),^[4] as well as a number of other houses in Essex. Due to the length of time that Thomas practised, he returned to a number of his houses to update or expand them such as one in Fingringhoe that he originally designed in 1964.^[5]

His church architecture included a Friends meeting room for the Quakers (1968),^[3] St Andrew and St Peter Church, Alresford (1975–76), First Church of Christ Scientist, Colchester (1975–77),^[6] and Christ Church, Ireton Road, Colchester (1978).^[7]

In addition, he designed rides and restaurants for Alton Towers, leisure complexes at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, shelters for the elderly and schools such as St Osyth Church of England Primary School.^[2] He received a commendation in The Sunday Times British Homes Award in 2013,^[5] before retiring at age 91 in 2019.^[8]

Personal life

Thomas' first marriage was to Pauline Venton, with whom he had four sons.^[8] His second wife, Wendy Foster, died in 2021.^[8] Thomas died on 19 December 2023, at the age of 95.^[1]^[8]

Notable works

Notable works by Thomas include:

House at Beth Chatto Gardens, Elmstead Market, 1960.^[9]^[10]
House on the Heath, Fordham Heath, 1967, extended 1974.^[4]^[11]
St Andrew and St Peter Church, Alresford, 1975–76.^[12]
First Church of Christ Scientist, Colchester, 1975–77.^[13]^[14]
Christ Church, Ireton Road, Colchester, 1978.^[7]
University of Essex's health clinic.^[2]
Wivenhoe House extension, in 1987–88.^[15] Here, he added a 40-bed extension.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "About Bryan Keith Thomas, A.R.I.B.A. A.A.Dipl. (Hons) - 28 Nov 1928 to 19th Dec 2023". Wivenhoe's History. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Wivenhoe: Bryan shows no signs of slowing down". Daily Gazette. 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "About". Bryan Thomas. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b House at Fordham Heath 1967. Archived 2 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine Bryan Thomas. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Bryan Thomas". The Modern House. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
^ Bettley, James & Nikolaus Pevsner (2007). The Buildings of England Essex. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. pp. 88 & 270. ISBN 9780300116144.
^ ^a ^b "Churches". British History Online. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Dodds, James (16 February 2024). "Bryan Thomas obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
^ Bettley & Pevsner, p. 343.
^ Gray, Catriona. (2016). Sixties House. Decades of Design. London: Conran Octopus. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-84091-699-7.
^ Bettley & Pevsner, p. 341.
^ Bettley & Pevsner, p. 88.
^ Bettley & Pevsner, p. 270.
^ "Protestant nonconformity". British History Online. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
^ "Bryan Thomas". Parks & Gardens. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2019.

External links

Media related to Bryan Thomas (architect) at Wikimedia Commons

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