Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 in Cobham, Kent - 4 February 1946 in Cobham, Kent) was a British architect.
Baker was the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, 1892–1912. He designed the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa; and with Edwin Lutyens was instrumental in designing New Delhi. His tomb is in Westminster Abbey.
Born on the family farm Owletts near Cobham, Kent, in England, the fourth son of nine children of T...
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Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 in Cobham, Kent - 4 February 1946 in Cobham, Kent) was a British architect.
Baker was the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, 1892–1912. He designed the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa; and with Edwin Lutyens was instrumental in designing New Delhi. His tomb is in Westminster Abbey.
Born on the family farm Owletts near Cobham, Kent, in England, the fourth son of nine children of Thomas Henry Baker and Frances Georgina Davis, Herbert was from the outset exposed to a tradition of good craftsmanship, preserved through isolation in the neighbourhood of his home. As a boy, walking and exploring the historical ruins found in the area, were his favourite pastimes. Here he observed and learned to appreciate the time-honoured materials of brick and plaster, the various aspects of timber use, especially in roof construction - tie-beam and arch-braced collar-beam trusses. He was profoundly influenced by the stone construction...
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