author
Walter H. Godfrey
1881–1961
An English architect and architectural historian, he helped shape how historic buildings were recorded, studied, and understood in Britain. His books brought the story of English architecture to a broad readership with clarity and care.
1 Audiobook
Some famous buildings and their story : being the results of recent research in London and elsewhere
by Sir Alfred William Clapham, Walter H. Godfrey
About the author
Walter Hindes Godfrey (1881–1961) was an English architect, antiquary, and architectural and topographical historian. He was also known as a landscape architect, designer, draftsman, and illustrator, and his work combined practical knowledge of buildings with a deep interest in their history.
He is especially remembered for his writing on English architecture, including books such as The Story of Architecture in England and A History of Architecture in London. Beyond his books, he played an important role in preserving architectural knowledge: sources describe him as the first director and a driving force behind the National Buildings Record, an effort created during the Second World War to document historic buildings.
Godfrey was also closely connected with Sussex local history and record scholarship, serving the Sussex Record Society for many years and helping edit several of its volumes. His career shows a rare mix of architect, historian, and public-minded recorder of the built environment.