Arthur Shoosmith

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1888 - 1974) was an English architect who emigrated to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and worked for a time on behalf of the well-known English architect

Sir Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...

Early years

Shoosmith was born in 1888 in

St Petersburg, Russia Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601,9 ...

and grew up in Russia and Finland.Arthur Shoosmith (1888-1974)
Artfact.com (attributed to ''

Oxford Art Online Oxford Art Online is an Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press ...

''). Retrieved 2012-01-29. He was educated in England before attending the

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in 1911.

Career

Shoosmith won the

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

's Soane Medallion in 1920. He took up work as the representative in India of

where, until 1931, he supervised the construction of the

Viceroy's House The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, ISO: ''Rāṣṭrapati Bhavana''; ; formerly Viceroy's House (1931–1947) and Government House (1947–1950)) is the official residence of the President of the Republic of India at the western end of Rajpath, Rai ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. Operating from Lutyens' New Delhi office, Shoosmith then designed St Martin's Garrison Church in Delhi, now described as a "real highlight" and "one of the finest buildings of the twentieth century".Robert Fermor-Hesketh (Ed.), ''Architecture of the British Empire'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1986), p. 184. The church was built using three-and-a-half million red bricks but very modern for its time, square and almost windowless. The soldiers claimed it was like a fortress, excellent to defend in an emergency. It was completed in 1930. He was awarded an OBE in the 1930 New Years Honours. Shoosmith's other building which he designed himself was the Lady Hardinge Serai, a guesthouse in Delhi, completed in 1931.Shoosmith, Arthur Gordon
Encyclopedia.com (from ''A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture''). Retrieved 2012-01-29. He returned to England in 1931, where he spent the remainder of his career in teaching, before retiring in 1957.
University of Waterloo Library (citing ''Grove Art Online''). Retrieved 2012-01-29.

References

External links

The building of St. Martin's Church (St Martin's Church website)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoosmith, Arthur 20th-century English architects English emigrants to India 1888 births 1974 deaths Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire