Overview
Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) was a renowned English architect – the attached sketch is by Dame Laura Knight. His work embraced private houses, government and bank buildings, office blocks, new towns and museums. Selected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, he also built and designed memorials, tombstones and graveyards, of which were many were needed after the slaughter of the First World War (1914-18). He was equally skilled at exteriors and interiors, at large and small jobs. His career was founded on his practice in England, but, later, he had a role in the creation of buildings all over the world.
A chance meeting with Gertrude Jekyll in 1889 resulted in a close cooperation between them over many years. She was a strong influence on his early work in the vernacular Surrey style and introduced him to many of his early clients. One of his important clients was Midland Bank, the largest bank in the world between the wars, whose chairman, Reginald McKenna, was married to Pamela Jekyll, Gertrude’s niece; he also built several houses for Mr & Mrs McKenna. Gertrude helped Lutyens acquire garden design skills, which enhanced his architectural creativity. Among his earliest jobs was Munstead Wood, Gertrude Jekyll’s house in Surrey. He was an excellent draughtsman and a witty cartoonist; he did several cartoons of Gertrude Jekyll, one of which is titled ‘Bumps (after his nickname for her) and Lut-Lut’. With her brother, Herbert Jekyll, Lutyens was responsible for the British Pavilion at the Paris Exhibition in 1900.
Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens had a close personal and professional relationship, lasting until her death in 1932, but their businesses were totally independent. Although they cooperated on several dozens of projects together, Gertrude also worked with more than fifty other architects, as well as advising on many garden projects on her own.