Goddards Study Day 2025

Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 10:45am-4:30pm

Event address: Goddards, Abinger Lane, Abinger Common, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6JH

Coffee

The day will begin at Goddards at 10:45am with coffee.

The Talk

Paul Waite will present a talk on the architect Sir Edward Maufe. Maufe was a close contemporary of Lutyens and some of buildings bear a close resemblance to Lutyens’s work. Maufe was born in Ilkey, Yorkshire in 1882 and so surely must have closely followed the construction of Heathcote (1906-09). Later his family moved south to live in the former home of William Morris, Red House, designed by Philip Webb. Educated at St Johns Oxford and the Architectural Association, he became a member of the RIBA in 1910. He married Gladys Evelyn Prudence – daughter of Edward Stutchley – she was a designer and interior decorator and later became the director of Heals. In 1912 Maufe set up his on practice. His first commission was Kelling Hall, Norfolk, in the arts and crafts style. He often lectured on ‘furnishing and decorating the home’ and on new architecture. The Swedish Grace Movement was hugely inspirational to Maufe, and something he regularly championed – saying of it “[that it] combined freshness without obviously breaking the tradition”. His design for St Saviour’s, Acton (1924-6) for the Royal Association in Aid of the Deaf and Dumb was a direct embodiment of the movement.  Like Lutyens, he also worked on city banks, designing several for Lloyds including 50 Notting Hill Gate. Of his houses, one of the best is Yaffle Hill in Dorset for C. Carter of Poole Potteries. In 1932 Maufe won the competition for the new Guildford Cathedral, which we will be visiting in the afternoon.

He also shared working for the University of Cambridge with Lutyens, working for Trinity and St Johns – Lutyens at Trinity and Magdalene. From 1943-69 Maufe was principal architect to the CWGC, also designing an extension to Lutyens’s mercantile memorial at Tower Hill.

Our Speaker

Paul Waite is a trustee of the Lutyens Trust, and will be known to you all as Chair of the Events Committee, for which he regularly organises trips and study tours.

Lunch

The price includes refreshments at Goddards, plus entry and lunch at Guildford Cathedral and a private tower tour.

Afternoon Visit

This year with kind permission of the Bishop, we are being invited to tour Guildford Cathedral. Maufe’s design of 1932 was commenced in 1936 under the supportive eye of John Grieg, first bishop of Guildford. Naturally all worked stopped in 1939 and with building licenses had to come by post-war it was not restarted until the 1950s by which time Maufe was 70. Only with sheer determination was the project funded. Mrs Prudence Maufe, his wife, devised the ‘Buy-a-brick” campaign which was roled out across Surrey’s schools (buying more than 200,000 bricks). Edward gave talks to local clubs for a donation to the funding pot and later a fundraiser, Eleanora Iredale, was brought in with Maufe paying her first year’s salary to ensure his cathedral would be built. It was consecrated on 17th May 1961 by Bishop George Reindorp in the presence of HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Tickets are £65 per person.

This event is for members only – join here to book.