Richard Michael Townsend Tyler (9 November 1916 – 13 January 2009) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who was notable for his restoration work on large private houses after the Second World War, which allowed families to own more manageable homes while remaining sympathetic to their original designs.

Early life and military career

Tyler was born in

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

in 1916, where his father was an officer in the colonial police. At the age of seven he was sent to

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in England to live with an aunt of his mother. As a child he was educated at

Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey London ...

where he became captain of the rifle Eight. Showing a flair for drawing he was awarded a place at the Bristol School of Architecture. In 1937, while holidaying in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, he was bullied by a group of people in an attempt to make him throw stones at a synagogue. This event led Tyler to believe that a war with Nazi Germany was inevitable and he signed up for military service once war was declared. Although Tyler was unfit for service due to poor eyesight and hearing, he still managed to be accepted and joined the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

. He was assigned to the 7th Armoured Division's Support Group under the command of Brigadier

John Charles Campbell Major-General John Charles Campbell, (10 January 1894 – 26 February 1942), known as Jock Campbell, was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded t ...

. In 1941, as part of Operation Crusader, Tyler was injured in the defence of the Sidi Rezegh airfield. While trying to move a munitions truck, Tyler was struck in the thigh by shrapnel from a German tank. By the time he reached

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, the wound was gangrenous and his leg was amputated.

Return to England and practice as an architect

On returning to England, after convalescing in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, he discovered that his father had remarried; Tyler had only heard of his mother's death shortly before seeing action in Africa. His stepmother, Madeleine Allhusen, was the former wife of Sir Geoffrey Congreve, and Tyler married one of her daughters, Henrietta, in 1944. His stepmother inherited Brahan Castle in

Dingwall Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, but the property was full of dry rot and beyond fiscal repair. Tyler used gelignite to demolish the Victorian additions to the building to leave a purposeful ruin; while converting outhouses into living quarters on the estate. Tyler set up an architects' practice in London with fellow war veteran Tom Bird. The two had met in a Cairo hospital having been wounded on the same day. Although the partners tended to work on separate projects, they sometimes made joint reconstructions. A notable joint venture was Hall Barn near

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of central London and southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High Wycombe. The ...

for

Edward Levy-Lawson, 1st Baron Burnham Edward Levy-Lawson, 1st Baron Burnham, (28 December 1833 – 9 January 1916), known as Sir Edward Levy-Lawson, 1st Baronet, from 1892 to 1903, was an English newspaper proprietor. He was the owner and publisher of ''The Daily Telegraph''. Bi ...

, in which the architects stripped the house back, removing Victorian additions to revert the building to a state resembling its original form. Other works by Tyler included reconstruction to

Forde Abbey Forde Abbey is a privately owned former Cistercian monastery in Dorset, England, with a postal address in Chard, Somerset. The house and gardens are run as a tourist attraction while the estate is farmed to provide additional revenue. Forde Abbe ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...

Levens Hall Levens Hall is a manor house in the River Kent, Kent valley, near the village of Levens, Cumbria, Levens and south of Kendal in Cumbria, Northern England. History The first house on the site was a pele tower built by the Redman family in ar ...

in Cumbria and

Knebworth House Knebworth House is an English country house in the parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England. It is a Listed building#Categories of listed building, Grade II* listed building. Its gardens are also listed Register of Historic Parks and Gar ...

in Hertfordshire.

External links

Richard Tyler: architect known for restoring country houses
Timesonline 06/02/2009

Telegraph.co.uk 04/02/2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyler, Richard 1916 births 2009 deaths 20th-century English architects People educated at Charterhouse School English amputees Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of World War II