Basic Biographical Details

Name: Henry Boddington
Designation:  
Born: 1881
Died:  
Bio Notes: Henry Boddington was born 1881 of the brewing family. He was educated at Oxford University, and was articled to Charles Heathcote & Sons in Manchester, attending Manchester School of Architecture from 1904 to 1907. In 1908 he was an assistant with John Belcher in London from whose office he passed the qualifying exam in 1909. He was admitted ARIBA on 29 November 1909, his proposers being Heathcote, Belcher and A Mitchell.

In 1910 he was taken into partnership by Frank Worthington Simon in Edinburgh, apparently for the purpose of entering competitions. They were unplaced in the Edinburgh Usher Hall competition of that year, but in 1912 they won the competition for the Manitoba Parliament Buildings. The Manitoba project proved slow to get off the ground and Simon formed a further association with Briggs Wolstenholme & Thornley to design the Arts Building of Liverpool University in 1913. Initially Simon commuted between his Liverpool practice and his office at 261 Fort Street, Winnipeg, while Boddington was in permanent residence in Winnipeg with his sister from 1914 to look after the project. There he formed the partnership of Boddington Inman & Skelton, probably to acquire local experience and hopefully further commissions. There were however serious difficulties between both architects and the clients: the Government refused to allow Simon and Boddington to supervise the project, preferring to use their provincial architect. A Royal Commission inquiry in 1915 found that this had been to enable funds for the building to be diverted to party funds and vote rigging and the Conservative Rublin government had to resign. Simon then became supervising architect and after Boddington enlisted in the Canadian army in 1917 he had to take up full-time residence in Winnipeg until the building was completed and dedicated in July 1920. Probably because of the expectations of the Canadian partners, the relationship between Simon and Boddington had not been an altogether happy one.

By 1926 Boddington was back in London. He died in 1964.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 3Edinburgh, ScotlandBusiness19101914 
Item 2 of 3261, Fort Street, Winnipeg, CanadaBusiness1914 *  
Item 3 of 326, Old Burlington Street, London, EnglandBusiness1926 *  

* earliest date known from documented sources.


Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 4Charles Heathcote & Sonsc. 1904c. 1908Apprentice 
Item 2 of 4John Belcher19081910Assistant 
Item 3 of 4Simon & Boddington19101917Partner 
Item 4 of 4Boddington, Inman & SkeltonAfter 1914 Partner 

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 41910Usher Hall  EdinburghScotlandCompetition design
Item 2 of 41912Manitoba Parliament BuildingsEdmonton WinnipegCanadaWon competition and secured job; Septimus Warwick was recruited as site architect
Item 3 of 41916Railway ViaductBanff AlbertaCanada 
Item 4 of 41926Leith Town Hall and Public LibraryLeith EdinburghScotlandThird premiated design

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1British Architectural Library, RIBA2001Directory of British Architects 1834-1914