Sir Thomas Penberthy BennettKBEFRIBA (14 August 1887 – 29 January 1980) was anEnglish architect, responsible for much of the development of thenew towns ofCrawley andStevenage.[1]
Thomas Bennett was born in 1887 inPaddington,London.[2] He trained as anarchitect atRegent Street Polytechnic while employed in thedrawing office of theLondon and North Western Railway. He went on to study at theRoyal Academy Schools.
He joined the Office of Works (laterMinistry of Works) in 1911. A career in both education and government followed, until setting up his own practice known as TP Bennett in 1921. In 1922, he became a Fellow of theRoyal Institute of British Architects.
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In 1940, he became Director of Bricks at the Ministry of Works, where he was awarded theCBE in 1942, but returned to private practice immediately after theSecond World War. He was knighted in 1946.
His practice was responsible for many landmark buildings such as theSaville Theatre, Esso House, John Barnes Department store, Hampstead (since 1986, a branch ofWaitrose),Westminster Hospital, a BOAC air terminal, theLondon Mormon Temple inSurrey,Smithfield Poultry Market in London, and Hawkins House in Dublin.[3]
In 1947, he was appointed as the Chairman of theDevelopment Corporation ofCrawley New Town, inWest Sussex, a post he held until 1960. In his early days at the Development Corporation, he was responsible for the scrapping of the existing plans for the New Town, and the appointment of SirAnthony Minoprio to create a new master plan. When the town was built, a newcomprehensive school was named for him, opening in 1958. He also took over responsibility for the Stevenage New Town which had been initially the responsibility ofMonica Felton.
After the completion of Crawley New Town, in 1958 Sir Thomas Bennett designed the terraced houses (1–14) on Middle Field, St John's Wood, which the 20th Century Society have recognised as well-preserved mid-century reinterpretation if the Georgian Terrace.[4] He openedthe Thomas Bennett Community College school inTilgate, Crawley, officially in November 1959. After a section of the originalSmithfield Poultry Market was destroyed by fire in 1958, Bennett designed its replacement, built between 1961–63 and with a unique concrete shell domed roof, believed to be the largest in Europe at the time.[5] In 1964 he designed the Crawley Chapel ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[6] Other T.P. Bennett buildings are the UK Ford HQ at Warley (1965) and the Forton motorway service station (1965).[citation needed]
He was awarded theKBE in 1954. His private practice, T.P. Bennett and Son, expanded into an architectural company and in 1967 was passed to his only son, P.H.P.Bennett, CBE, Chairman of theJoint Contracts Tribunal 1973–1978.
He died on 29 January 1980.
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