Louis de Soissons

Who was Louis de Soissons?

Louis Emanuel Jean Guy de Savoie-Carignan de Soissons CVO RA FRIBA, was the younger son of Charles, the Count de Soissons. An architect, he was called for professional purposes Louis de Soissons.

de Soissons was born in Montreal, Canada, but moved in childhood with his family to London. In 1913 he won the first year of the Henry Jarvis scholarship of the Royal Institute of British Architects, enabling three years of European travel and study.

The first major commission of the practice he set up was the 'master plan' for Welwyn Garden City, a planned town created by Ebenezer Howard, on cheap redundant farmland. Louis de Soissons was appointed architect for the town in 1920 and the practice was significantly involved in its development over the next 60 years. He designed the concrete Shredded Wheat factory for the eponymous Canadian company.

Other important early projects included the Home Office and Duchy of Cornwall Estates in London, where the future Edward VIII was the effective client and the Nag's Head Estate in Bethnal Green, London, E2 which was one of the few private "Slum Clearance" projects undertaken by a private landlord.