Thomas Raffles Davison

Thomas Raffles Davison ARIBA (1853 - 5 May 1937) was an English architectural illustrator and journalist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work featured in The British Architect and Northern Engineer for over 40 years from 1874, and he became editor of the publication in 1878 until it merged with The Builder in 1919.^[1]

Career

Born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1853, the second son of a Congregational minister, Davison was educated privately at Shrewsbury, and after showing a talent for drawing was articled to the architect William Henry Spaull in Oswestry, later working in the Manchester office of H J Paull.^[2]

His arrival in Manchester coincided with a move by several local architects to set up an architectural magazine to rival the London-based Builder. Davison became a major contributor to The British Architect and Northern Engineer and was appointed editor in 1878.^[2] In 1896, by which date the magazine had relocated to London, Davison became an Honorary Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects; he was later active in the work of the London Society.^[3]

Sketch of the south end of Bramall Hall

Some of his sketches - published in the magazine as 'Rambling Sketches' (also the title of a book published in 1883) - were exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, and at the Modern Gallery in 1907, in New York City after 1919 and in the RIBA Galleries in 1924. His presentation of architects' designs made him popular with many of the country’s leading architects, some of whom supported a book marking his retirement in 1927. Then Sir Aston Webb wrote:

"To architects he has been known for nearly half a century for his peculiar power in transferring their elevations and sections into perspective form, not only understandable by the layman but truthfully portraying the design of the architect."^[2]

References

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1. ↑ Architectural Journals, British Association for Local History - http://www.balh.co.uk/lhn/article.php?file=lhn-vol1iss96-4.xml
2. 1 2 3 Thomas Raffles Davison, Dictionary of Scottish Architects - http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=201015
3. ↑ http://www.londonsocietyjournal.org.uk/