Sir Edwin Airey was a British industrialist responsible for the Airey

Airey house

An Airey house is a type of prefabricated house built in Great Britain following World War II.Designed by Sir Edwin Airey to the Ministry of Works Emergency Factory Made housing programme, it features a frame of prefabricated concrete columns reinforced with tubing recycled from the frames of...

 prefabricated houses constructed in the UK after the Second World War.

Life

Airey was born in 1878, the son of William Airey. His older brother, John Robinson Airey (1868–1937) became a prominent mathematician. He attended Leeds Central High School and the Yorkshire College, and in 1904 married Edith Greaves: they had one son and four daughters. He took over his father's building business, W. M. Airey & Sons. During the First World War he was a transport advisor to the Ministry of Food. He and his company were very much involved with construction for the Ministry of Munitions, and then the Ministry of Health

Ministry of Health

Ministry of Health may refer to:*Ministry of Health *Ministry of Health *Ministry of Health *Ministry of Health...

 afterwards. It was for this and his work in social welfare that he was knighted in the King's Birthday Honours in 1922.

During the Second World War the company produced huts for American troops stationed in the UK. This led to the development of concrete slab units which could be quickly assembled into houses to replace those destroyed during the war. Prototypes were put up in Seacroft

Seacroft

Seacroft is an outer-city suburb consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre and lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area....

, Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

 in 1945, followed by hundreds in the London County Council area. A total of 20,000 Airey houses were ordered: they were two storey semi-detached houses, initially to be used as two flats, then to be converted into single family homes once the post-war housing crisis was over. They were intended to be permanent dwellings rather than temporary ones.

He lived in Oakwood Grange

Oakwood, Leeds

Oakwood is an affluent suburb of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, that lies between Gipton and Roundhay Park. It is within the LS8 postcode and part of the Roundhay City Council Ward.-Notable features:...

 where Louis Le Prince

Louis Le Prince

Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince was an inventor who is considered by many film historians as the true father of motion pictures, who shot the first moving pictures on paper film using a single lens camera....

 filmed the Roundhay Garden Scene

Roundhay Garden Scene

Roundhay Garden Scene is an 1888 short film directed by inventor Louis Le Prince. It was recorded at 12 frames per second, runs for 2.11 seconds and is the oldest surviving film.-Overview:...

 in 1888, credited as the first motion picture.

Airey contributed to sports in Yorkshire in several ways. He was chairman of the Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Company, and was responsible for the development of Headingley Stadium

Headingley Stadium

Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....

 and its establishment of a major cricketing venue.

Airey was an active member of the Conservative Party

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 and became Lord Mayor of Leeds

Lord Mayor of Leeds

The Lord Mayor of Leeds is a ceremonial post held by a member of Leeds City Council, elected annually by the council....

 1923–1924. Other high offices included High Sheriff of Yorkshire

High Sheriff of Yorkshire

The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...

 1944–1945; Chairman of the Rugby Football League

Rugby Football League

The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...

 1951–1952, Chairman of the Yorkshire Branch of the Institution of Structural Engineers

Institution of Structural Engineers

The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. It has 27,000 members in 105 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation for structural engineers...

 1944–1945.

He died 14 March 1955.

External links

• www.leodis.org Picture of Sir Edwin Airey accompanying Princess Mary at Headingley Cricket Ground, 1927
• www.leodis.org Picture of Edwin Airey with Princess Mary at Headingley Cricket Ground, 1927
• www.britishpathe.com Sir Edwin Airey, Lord Mayor of Leeds, opens the National Rose Show at Roundhay Park
  Roundhay Park
  Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is one of the biggest city parks in Europe. It has over of parkland, lakes, woodland and gardens which are owned by Leeds City Council. The park is one of the most popular attractions in Leeds, nearly a million people visit each year...
  
  15 July 1920