Description

In 1898 at the age of 25 Percival Cherry Blow launched his professional career as an architect, having gained Associate Membership of the Royal Institute of British Architects in the same year. He chose to base his practice in his home city of St Albans, opening additional offices in Harpenden and Luton as work commissions were dictated. Whilst the majority of his projects were in Hertfordshire and to a lesser extent Bedfordshire, his work in the First World War and later for Sainsbury’s took him much further afield.

He is particularly noted for the attractive Edwardian villas he designed in Clarence Road and Hall Place Gardens in St Albans and in ‘The Avenues’ area of Harpenden. The years of the First World War, the subsequent depression and later recession in the early 30s, all had an impact on the building industry but Blow weathered the lean years through his reputation, good connections and versatility.

Members of the St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society carried out the research for this book with the support of Percival Blow’s grandson, Christopher Blow. It tells the story of one very gifted man with a passion for good design, a meticulous approach to specifying the best possible building materials and a true appreciation of architectural history.

The book includes original plans and drawings, sketches, early and more recent photographs and maps showing the location of Percival Blow’s buildings in St Albans and Harpenden.

Paperback: 52 pages
Publisher: St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-901194-22-0
Dimensions: 29.6 x 21 x 0.4 cm