Godfrey Goodwin (

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, 24 February 1921 – 18 August 2005) was a scholar who published works on

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...

and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

. He is best known for his major work, ''A History of Ottoman Architecture'', first published in 1971, which remains a standard English-language reference on Ottoman architecture.

Biography

Godfrey was born in Lisbon, Portugal, where his father was an engineer for a British company. After his father's death in 1923, his family moved back to England, where he went to school at

Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, then pursued his education at the

French Institute The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately ...

and the

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

in London. He joined the British army in 1939 and served during the Second World War, which took him to many locations, including Rome, where his interest and education in architecture was fostered. In 1952, he moved to Turkey and began teaching at an English school in Istanbul, before joining the faculty of Robert College (present-day

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Boğaziçi Üniversitesi''), also known as Bosphorus University, is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey, historically tied to a former American educational insti ...

) in 1958 as assistant professor of art and architectural history. He met Gillian Chorley in 1965, his future wife. They moved to London a few years later and had a son in 1968. After completing and publishing ''A History of Ottoman Architecture'' (1971), he became a teacher at a primary school. In the 1980s he served as a director and librarian at the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society, was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encourag ...

. After his wife died in 2000, he moved back to Turkey and taught courses on Ottoman architecture at Boğaziçi University.

Selected bibliography

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Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Godfrey 1921 births 2005 deaths Academic staff of Boğaziçi University