WILLIAM EDWARD BROOKS [ARCHITECT]

Personal papers of William Edward Brooks, 1879-1945, architect, including personal accounts and architectural papers.

The papers listed here were given to the Greater London Record Office in March 1995 through Andrew Saint of English Heritage.

William Edward Brooks was born on 2 February 1879. He was educated at George Street School, Camberwell, which he left in February 1893 at the age of 14. He then obtained the first of a series of clerical posts while continuing his education, attending the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and gaining Department of Science and Arts certificates for building construction and perspective. From September 1896 he was employed in the office of Benaiah Adkin, Surveyor. In January 1898 he obtained the post of junior architectural assistant with George Vickery, working on large factories, warehouses and office buildings in the City of London. In 1899 he entered the Royal Academy Architectural Schools completing the full course as a prize winner. In 1902 he became an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects. In January 1900 he was appointed an architectural assistant in the Fire Brigade Branch of the London County Council Architect's Department, being promoted to the posts of 1st draughtsman in July 1900, Sub Divisional Officer in February 1902, and Acting Divisional Officer in January 1903. He played a large part in designing fire stations at Cannon Street in the City of London, Kensington, Lea Green, and Tooting.

His father, Edward Brooks, had been appointed engineer at the Orange Street Baths, St Martin-in-the-Fields, in 1884. In October 1896 Edward Brooks became Superintendent and Engineer of Orange Street Baths while his wife, Ellen, became Matron, the family moving from South London to Westminster. William Edward Brooks became much involved with the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, where he met his wife and where he was married on 20 May 1907. From 1912 he and his family lived at 228 Sydenham Road, Croydon, an interesting house built in c.1882 in an experimental concrete panel system by the local builder, W. H. Lascelles.

From 1916 to 1919 W.E. Brooks served in the Royal Naval Air Service, later the Royal Air Force. He then returned to the L.C.C. Architect's Department where in 1924 he was transferred to the Schools Section. From 1931 to 1934 he worked on housing, then from 1934 to 1939 he was assistant architect in charge of town planning. In 1939 he was appointed Divisional Architect (Constructional), and from 1941 he was second officer in the Department. He had become a Fellow of the R.I.B.A. in 1937. He retired on 31 August 1944 and died on 10 March 1945.

One of W.E. Brooks' three daughters, Miss Helen Brooks, continued to live at 228 Sydenham Road until her death in 1993. She assisted with the exhibition on London's Architecture and the London Fire Brigade, 1866-1938, organised in 1981 by Andrew Saint. Her extensive notes relating to her study of W.H. Lascelles are now deposited in Croydon Local Studies Library. Some of W.E. Brooks' drawings, including drawings by Philip Webb and other architects which were in his possession, have been passed to the RIBA Drawings Collection.