Harold Falkner FRIBA was a notable British architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 in the early 20th Century and is now considered a leading exponent of the vernacular

Vernacular

A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...

  and the Arts & Crafts

Arts and Crafts movement

Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...

 in architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

. Most of his surviving buildings are in West Surrey.

Early career

Falkner attended Farnham Grammar School

Farnham Grammar School

Farnham Grammar School is now called Farnham College which is located in Farnham, Surrey.-History:The grammar school was created some time before 1585...

 and was articled first with the influential architect Sir Reginald Blomfield

Reginald Blomfield

Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period.- Early life and career :...

 and after 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

Guy Maxwell Aylwin

Guy Maxwell Aylwin AAdipl FRIBA was a notable British architect, practising almost wholly in the West Surrey area around Farnham.-Early career :...

.

Later career

Based out of the modest market-town of Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

, in Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

, his buildings, around 115 of them, are all in that area. A lifelong friend of Gertrude Jekyll

Gertrude Jekyll

Gertrude Jekyll was an influential British garden designer, writer, and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and the USA and contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines.-Early life:...

, he was a near-contemporary of Edwin Lutyens

Edwin Lutyens

Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...

, many of whose buildings can be seen in the same area. He was frequently featured in the architectural press of the time and produced a range of differing styles of building, from Arts and Crafts

Arts and Crafts movement

Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...

 and Queen Anne

Queen Anne Style architecture

The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...

 to neo-Georgian

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

 and Tudor

Tudor style architecture

The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...

. His relative obscurity has been attributed to his refusal to adopt the Modern Movement and his rather obstinate character. His obituary

Obituary

An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...

 in the Architectural Review

Architectural Review

The Architectural Review is a monthly international architectural magazine published in London since 1896. Articles cover the built environment which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism as well as theory of these subjects....

 was written by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner

Nikolaus Pevsner

Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...

.

His houses include Stranger's Corner (the former home of W. H. Allen

W. H. Allen

William Herbert Allen was a notable English landscape watercolour artist whose career spanned more than 50 years from the 1880s to the 1940s. He was invariably referred to as "WH" rather than by his given name. Born 14 September 1863 in West Brompton, London, of parents from Alton, Hampshire,...

), 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 a good essay in the sort of workers’ cottages being built all over the Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 countryside in this period. Delarden in Moor Park is a very interesting rendered country house. Although less successful is his scheme for the Sampsons Almshouses (1933-4) 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

Arthur Stedman

Arthur J Stedman FRIBA was a British architect in the Late-Victorian and Edwardian periods. He was a prominent architect in and around Farnham, Surrey where he was educated, lived and died.- Career :...

, who was probably his most significant competitor.

Dippenhall

The Falkners had a large land ownership in this small village just a mile or so to the North-West of Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

. It was here that he realized 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 a haven for the vernacular architecture of West Surrey.

Dippenhall Houses:

• Dippenhall Grange
• Overdeans Court
• Halfway House (Dora's Green).
• Deans Knowe
• The Barn
• Meads
• Burles
• Burles Lodge
• Grovers Farm
• The Old Barn

Farnham & Charles Borelli

Falkner is reputed to have been a key contributor to the preservation of Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

 as one of the best Georgian

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

 towns in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Nicholas Pevsner disagreed with the derivation of the town as a Georgian gem and considered the town to be a reproduction of what the Victorians

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 thought a Georgian

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

 town should look like. Nonetheless, with the local politician, Charles Borelli, his life-long friend and collaborator, Falkner was responsible for some important works to preserve and enhance the town centre of Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

, at a time when few architects respected the need to maintain this cultural heritage. Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

 remains the town it is today, as a large part the result of their joint advocacy. Such buildings as 40, 41 & 42 The Borough, The Town Hall Buildings, 10 Castle Street, the Bush Hotel and the Bailiffs Hall exemplify his approach of careful addition, renewal and recycling.

Partnership with Guy Maxwell Aylwin

He also did much work in collaboration with the prominent Farnham architect, Guy Maxwell Aylwin

Guy Maxwell Aylwin

Guy Maxwell Aylwin AAdipl FRIBA was a notable British architect, practising almost wholly in the West Surrey area around Farnham.-Early career :...

 with whom he was in partnership between 1927 and 1930 under the name of Falkner & Aylwin, including rebuilds of many local pubs for Courage's

Courage (brewery)

Courage is a former British brewery. The brands are now 100 per cent owned and brewed by Wells & Young's Brewery as part of a venture called Courage Brands Ltd.-History:...

 brewery, including the Seven Stars on East Street. Guy Maxwell Aylwin was from a family of local architects, father and son, much like his contemporary, Arthur Stedman

Arthur Stedman

Arthur J Stedman FRIBA was a British architect in the Late-Victorian and Edwardian periods. He was a prominent architect in and around Farnham, Surrey where he was educated, lived and died.- Career :...

 and son, Leonard. Aylwin, like the younger Stedman was apprenticed at the offices of Sir Edwin Lutyens, who was raised just outside Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

 and built many of his earliest and most successful projects there. Falkner, Stedman and Aylwin are the three locally born arts & crafts

Arts & Crafts

Arts & Crafts may refer to:* Arts and Crafts Movement, an aesthetic movement* Arts and crafts, activities related to making things with one's own hands and skill* "Arts & Crafts", a song by Red Light Company...

 architects that made the most significant contribution to the area’s cultural heritage in this period.

Roderick Gradidge & Michael Blower

A number of his projects have been altered, restored and extended by the twin and eminent skills of architects, Michael Blower

Michael Blower

Michael Blower AAdipl FRIBA FRSA is a notable British architect, activist for the preservation and restoration of England’s cultural heritage and accomplished watercolourist and recorder of England’s townscapes...

 of Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

 and Roderick Gradidge

Roderick Gradidge

Roderick Gradidge AA Dipl. ARIBA was a prominent British architect and writer on architecture, former Master of the Art Workers Guild and campaigner for a traditional architecture.- Career :...

 of Chiswick

Chiswick

Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...

, such as Overdeans Court, The Priory, Merlewood & Tancreds Ford (for the author Ken Follett

Ken Follett

Ken Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels. He has sold more than 100 million copies of his works. Four of his books have reached the number 1 ranking on the New York Times best-seller list: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, and World Without End.-Early...

). The latter was the subject of two fine articles in Country Life

Country Life (magazine)

Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...

 by Clive Aslet

Clive Aslet

Clive Aslet is editor-at-large of Country Life magazine, a writer on British architecture and life, and a campaigner on countryside and other issues.-Career:...

.

Personal life

Harold Falkner was born into a wealthy land-owning family in the Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 town of Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

 on the 28th November 1875, just 5 months after his father’s death. The family settled at 24 West Street, Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

 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 80 on 30 November 1963. He was never married and had no surviving children, his estate passing to his sister’s family.

Legacy

Part of his archive and some of his architectural drawings survive and are housed in the Farnham Museum. Some of his archive can also be found in Stedman Blower Architects archive, in the hands of the Blower Foundation. The houses of Dippenhall remain his most lasting legacy and within a few hectares stand a dozen or so buildings designed, built and altered by him throughout his career. Fortunately most are Grade 2 Listed Buildings and will remain along with his significant contribution to the town centre of Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

, and the restoration and sensitive infill projects that he designed.

External links

• The Blower Foundation (for cultural connection) is a registered UK Charity devoted to cultural heritage and expression and http://www.cultural-connection.org hold an archive of drawings and buildings designed by Falkner and have an online gallery of his buildings.
• Stedman Blower Architects http://www.stedmanblower.co.uk hold additional correspondence, archives and detailed information on further projects in so far as they have been involved in works to some dozen or so of his remaining buildings.
• Farnham Museum http://www.waverley.gov.uk/museumoffarnham/ hold additional correspondence and archives, salvaged from a skip after his death and the closure of his offices in West Street, Farnham.