James Maude Richards


Sir James Maude Richards, CBE FRIBA was a British architectural writer.

Early life and education

James Maude Richards was born in 1907, at Ladypath, Park Lane, Carshalton, Surrey. His father, Louis Saurin Richards, was a solicitor, and his mother, Lucy Denes, was born in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. Educated at Gresham's School, Holt, and Cambridge University, he trained as an architect at the Architectural Association.

Career

He worked at J. Lyons & Co., assisting Oliver Percy Bernard, before being sent to work as an architectural assistant for the engineer, Owen Williams.
But his main career was as a writer on architecture. As well as publishing many books, he served as editor of the Architectural Review from 1937 to 1971, the longest period in office of any of its editors.

Personal life

He had a short, unhappy marriage to artist Peggy Angus, with whom he had a daughter, Victoria, and a son Angus. The couple married in 1936 and divorced in 1948. In 1954, he married Kit Lewis, also an artist; the couple had one son.
He died in Fulham, London, on 27 April 1992.

Major publications