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Harold Falkner
Harold Falkner FRIBA (28 November 1875 – 30 November 1963) was a notable British architect in the early 20th century and is now considered a leading exponent of the vernacular and the Arts & Crafts in architecture. Most of his surviving buildings are in West Surrey.
Falkner was born on 28 November 1875 at White House, Bramley, Surrey, England. Falkner was born into a wealthy land-owning family, just five months after his father's death. The family settled at 24 West Street, Farnham in 1883 and it was in this house that the young boy remained, running his architectural practice there until his death at the age of 88 on 30 November 1963.
Falkner was educated at Farnham Grammar School, and then at Farnham School of Art where he studied architecture under W. H. Allen. He undertook his articles training under Reginald Blomfield, where he became well versed in the neo-Georgian style.
Faulner died from pneumonia on 30 November 1963, aged 88, at 44 Hale Road, Farnham, Surrey. He was never married and had no surviving children. His estate, £114,030, passed to his sister's family.
Falkner attended Farnham Grammar School and was articled first with the influential architect Sir Reginald Blomfield and then with the Farnham practice of Niven & Wigglesworth who he joined in partnership in 1900 under the name of Niven, Wigglesworth & Falkner. This partnership was dissolved by 1909 and he worked mostly on his own for the remainder of his career, apart from three years in partnership with a younger Farnham-bred architect, Guy Maxwell Aylwin.
Based out of the modest market-town of Farnham, in Surrey, his buildings, around 115 of them, are all in that area. A lifelong friend of Gertrude Jekyll, he was a near-contemporary of Edwin Lutyens, many of whose buildings can be seen in the locality. He was frequently featured in the architectural press of the time and created buildings in a range of styles, from Arts and Crafts and Queen Anne to neo-Georgian and Tudor. His relative obscurity has been attributed to his refusal to adopt the Modern Movement and his rather obstinate character. His obituary in the Architectural Review was written by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner.
His buildings include Stranger's Corner (the former home of W. H. Allen), the Farnham Town Hall buildings and Bailiff's Hall (both Grade II listed), the Tudor-style "Spinning Wheel" building in the Borough. The (former) Jolly Farmer, Runfold is a fine brick and stone building and the cottages next to Manor Farm in Seale are an essay in the sort of workers' cottages being built all over the Surrey countryside in this period. Delarden in Moor Park is a rendered country house. Although less notable is his scheme for the Sampsons Almshouses (1933–34) on West Street, Farnham, which is not nearly as good as the Macdonalds Almshouses (1908) next door. These Almshouses were designed by Farnham's other prominent architect of the day, Arthur Stedman, who was probably his most significant rival.
The Falkners had a large land ownership in the hamlet of Dippenhall just a mile or so to the West of Farnham. It was here that he realised some of his most interesting works as he built throughout his career a dozen or so important houses, using a variety of refurbishments, extensions and recycled old buildings as havens for the vernacular architecture of West Surrey.
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Harold Falkner
Harold Falkner FRIBA (28 November 1875 – 30 November 1963) was a notable British architect in the early 20th century and is now considered a leading exponent of the vernacular and the Arts & Crafts in architecture. Most of his surviving buildings are in West Surrey.
Falkner was born on 28 November 1875 at White House, Bramley, Surrey, England. Falkner was born into a wealthy land-owning family, just five months after his father's death. The family settled at 24 West Street, Farnham in 1883 and it was in this house that the young boy remained, running his architectural practice there until his death at the age of 88 on 30 November 1963.
Falkner was educated at Farnham Grammar School, and then at Farnham School of Art where he studied architecture under W. H. Allen. He undertook his articles training under Reginald Blomfield, where he became well versed in the neo-Georgian style.
Faulner died from pneumonia on 30 November 1963, aged 88, at 44 Hale Road, Farnham, Surrey. He was never married and had no surviving children. His estate, £114,030, passed to his sister's family.
Falkner attended Farnham Grammar School and was articled first with the influential architect Sir Reginald Blomfield and then with the Farnham practice of Niven & Wigglesworth who he joined in partnership in 1900 under the name of Niven, Wigglesworth & Falkner. This partnership was dissolved by 1909 and he worked mostly on his own for the remainder of his career, apart from three years in partnership with a younger Farnham-bred architect, Guy Maxwell Aylwin.
Based out of the modest market-town of Farnham, in Surrey, his buildings, around 115 of them, are all in that area. A lifelong friend of Gertrude Jekyll, he was a near-contemporary of Edwin Lutyens, many of whose buildings can be seen in the locality. He was frequently featured in the architectural press of the time and created buildings in a range of styles, from Arts and Crafts and Queen Anne to neo-Georgian and Tudor. His relative obscurity has been attributed to his refusal to adopt the Modern Movement and his rather obstinate character. His obituary in the Architectural Review was written by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner.
His buildings include Stranger's Corner (the former home of W. H. Allen), the Farnham Town Hall buildings and Bailiff's Hall (both Grade II listed), the Tudor-style "Spinning Wheel" building in the Borough. The (former) Jolly Farmer, Runfold is a fine brick and stone building and the cottages next to Manor Farm in Seale are an essay in the sort of workers' cottages being built all over the Surrey countryside in this period. Delarden in Moor Park is a rendered country house. Although less notable is his scheme for the Sampsons Almshouses (1933–34) on West Street, Farnham, which is not nearly as good as the Macdonalds Almshouses (1908) next door. These Almshouses were designed by Farnham's other prominent architect of the day, Arthur Stedman, who was probably his most significant rival.
The Falkners had a large land ownership in the hamlet of Dippenhall just a mile or so to the West of Farnham. It was here that he realised some of his most interesting works as he built throughout his career a dozen or so important houses, using a variety of refurbishments, extensions and recycled old buildings as havens for the vernacular architecture of West Surrey.