Sir Banister (Flight) Fletcher
(b London, 15 Feb 1866; d London, 17 Aug 1953). English architect and writer. He was the elder son of Banister Fletcher (1833-99), an architect and surveyor, who became Professor of Architecture at King's College, London, in 1890. He studied at the Architectural Association, the Royal Academy Schools and University College in London and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1884 he joined his father's office, becoming a partner in 1889; when his brother, Herbert Phillips Fletcher (1872-1916), entered the partnership it became known as Banister Fletcher & Sons, under which name the practice continued for many years. As a designer, Fletcher was never in the first rank. His buildings, which included banks, churches, flats, houses and commercial work, reflect, if not obstrusively, the historicism then current. Only one, the Gillette factory (1937) on the Great West Road, Osterley, London, built when he was over 70, reveals sympathy with newer ideas. As a historian, his reputation rests firmly on A History of Architecture, which appeared to immediate acclaim in 1896. The first three editions were written jointly with his father; the next thirteen by him alone, ably supported by his office staff. Subsequent editions of this single-volume record of world architecture, although radically altered and expanded beyond recognition, are continuing evidence of his inspiration. Fletcher was also a barrister and an astute businessman closely associated with the City of London, serving as a Common Councillor for nearly 50 years, Master of the Carpenters' Company, and in 1918-19 Senior Sheriff. He was knighted in 1919.
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