Thomas Baldwin

Who was Thomas Baldwin?

Thomas Baldwin was an English surveyor and architect in Bath.

He did not originally hail from Bath but was first recorded in the city in 1774, where he was initially a clerk to plumber, glazier, and politician Thomas Warr Attwood. By 1775, he was appointed as the Bath City Architect after Attwood's death. During the construction of the Guildhall during 1775, he was officially appointed the position of Bath City Surveyor. He was surveyor to the Pulteney Estate and planned the development of Bathwick as well as being responsible for much of the building. Around the same time he was appointed to the Office of Architect and Surveyor for the Improvement Commissioners on 9 April 1790, which he held until 1793.

Baldwin married Elizabeth Chapman in St James' Church, Bath on 15 September 1779, which is ironic because it was designed by John Palmer of Bath between 1768–1769, the man who would investigate and destroy Baldwin's reputation, and then steal his commissions and positions. The Chapmans were a local political family, and a month after his marriage he was appointed Deputy Chamberlain to the Corporation of Bath.