Edward Maufe

Who was Edward Maufe?

Sir Edward Brantwood Maufe KBE, R.A, F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect and designer, noted chiefly for his work on places of worship and remembrance memorials. He was a skilled interior designer and designed many pieces of furniture. He was perhaps best known for designing Guildford Cathedral, the Air Forces Memorial and for his work on behalf of the Imperial War Graves Commission for which he received a Knighthood in 1954.

Born in Ilkley, Yorkshire, Maufe studied architecture, initially under the direction of William A. Pite in 1899 and later attended St John's College, Oxford. He designed his first blueprint, Kelling Hall in Norfolk, in 1912. From there he concentrated mainly on places of worship, often designing extensions and memorials to already established buildings. A late entry into World War I in 1917 meant a brief intermission from architecture, until his demobilisation in 1919.

Maufe returned to architecture and designed more than fifty buildings in a career which lasted over fifty years. In 1936, he started work on what is perhaps the most famous of all his designs, Guildford Cathedral. Work was not completed until its consecration in 1961, due to the outbreak of World War II. During the conflict, Maufe became a principal architect of the Imperial War Graves Commission, later becoming chief architect and artistic advisor. He was associated with the Commission for more than 25 years.