Thomas Francis Ford (9 May 1891 – 11 January 1971) was a prolific ecclesiastical architect, Diocesan Architect for

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, an Ashpitel Prize winner at the Royal Institute of British Architects, founder of ''Thomas Ford Architects'', and with his brother Ralph, who owned the largest and most complete collection of English Bibles in England, a translator in 1948 of the New Testament.

Early years

Ford was born in Bedford on 9 May 1891 and educated at Bedford Modern School. In 1908 he moved to London to study architecture and was initially apprenticed to a firm of architects before commencing studies at the Royal Academy School of Architecture in 1912. Ford's studies were interrupted by the advent of World War I during which he was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

on account of his religious faith. After the war, Ford resumed his studies and won the acclaimed Ashpitel Prize for top marks in his final Royal Institute of British Architects examinations in 1919.

Architectural career

Ford's architectural career began in the office of W A Forsyth where he was briefly a partner before starting his own architectural practice in 1926, initially concentrating on commercial work. By 1929 the practice was called ''Ford and Harkess'' and based at 12 City Road in the City of London. Ford lived at Eltham from 1930 and worked extensively in south east London where he started to specialise in churches and became Diocesan Architect for

. Ford was ‘not known for his love of advanced modern architecture and his churches derive from a number of styles, though many show primarily the influence of Sir John Soane (1753-1837) and other architects of the Regency’. After World War II, during which he was Head Air Raid Warden, he was engaged in the rebuilding of damaged churches as well as designing new ones. Most of his ‘post-war buildings are modest’, reflecting post-war privation, although he regularly engaged Hans Feibusch to paint murals.

The New Testament translation

In 1948 Ford and his brother, Ralph Ewart Ford, published ‘a blue-bound, 7½"x5" New Testament of 377 pages’ entitled ''The Letchworth Version''. Born in Bedford, both brothers had been influenced at an early age by John Bunyan. In their preface to the Letchworth Version of the New Testament, the brothers praise the King James Version and state their aim to be the simplification of its language so that it could be comprehensible to a modern ear and the vast majority of ordinary people, a view they had gained over the years working with the poor and for Ralph, as a Scripture Reader to the forces during World War II. On 23 June 1945, Thomas Ford ‘read his paper entitled the ''Need for a Revision of the English Bible'' before the Ecclesiological Society in London’. Although ‘they were not experts in Greek, Mr. R. E. Ford owned the largest and most complete collection of English Bibles in England’ (the collection was displayed at the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey during the coronation of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in 1953) and thus the brothers were able to compare them all to ensure that they were adhering closely to the meaning. The Letchworth Version was published in 1948 on a print run of 3,000. Due to a ‘misunderstanding the brothers’ aims and the refusal of the university presses to permit the use of the name Authorized Version in the Ford's preface, reviewers criticized the version rigorously and it has not been reprinted’.

Family life

In August 1920, Ford married Grace with whom he had two boys and one girl. Ford's two sons and son-in-law were employed in Ford's architectural practice which continues today. Ford's ‘hobby was bookbinding, at which he excelled, including the intricate gold tooling’.

Selected architectural work

Crawley Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time of th ...

– Church of St Alban, Gossops Green * Eltham – Church of St Barnabas (restored Sir Gilbert Scott's work following war damage in 1944) * New Eltham – All Saints Church * Paulsgrove – Church of St Michael and All Angels (1955) *

Storrington Storrington is a small town in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, and one of two in the civil parish of Storrington and Sullington. Storrington lies at the foot of the north side of the South Downs. it has a population of around 4,60 ...

– Church of St Mary, where Ford added a vestry south of the chancel in 1933 * Tulse Hill – Church of St Matthias (repairs) * Walworth - The Church of St Peter Walworth, Liverpool Grove and Trafalgar Street (restoration work completed 1953) *

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

- St John's Church (restored and remodelled after bomb damage) * Welling – Church of St Mary the Virgin * Wickham – Church of St Michael * Woolwich – Church of St Mary Magdalene (repairs)

Gallery

File:St John the Evangelist Waterloo - geograph.org.uk - 1257876.jpg,

St John's Church, Waterloo St John's Church, Waterloo, is an Anglican Greek Revival church in South London, built in 1822–24 to the designs of Francis Octavius Bedford. It is dedicated to St John the Evangelist, and with St Andrew's, Short Street, forms a united benefice ...

, remodelled by Ford after bomb damage File:St Mary the Virgin Church, Storrington.jpg, St Mary's Church, Storrington, where Ford added a vestry south of the chancel, 1933 File:St Alban's Church, Gossops Green, Crawley (October 2011).JPG, St Alban's Church, Crawley File:St Barnabas church, Eltham (geograph 2650441).jpg, St Barnabas Church, Eltham, where he restored Sir Gilbert Scott's work following war damage in 1944 File:London-Woolwich, St Mary Magdalene, west 1.jpg, St Mary Magdalene Woolwich File:St Peter's Chancel.jpg,

St Peter's Church, Walworth St Peter's Church is an Anglican parish church in Walworth, London, in the Woolwich Episcopal Area of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. It was built between 1823–25 and was the first church designed by Sir John Soane, in the wave of the churc ...

, where Ford completed restoration work in 1953

References

External links

T.F. Ford at English HeritageT.F. Ford at the Architectural Association School of Architecture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Thomas 1891 births 1971 deaths British architects Architects from Bedfordshire Translators of the Bible into English People educated at Bedford Modern School People from Bedford 20th-century translators Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects