Francis Charles Bayliss [also known as Frank Bayliss] was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England on 5 July 1876, It is not known where and with whom he trained as an architect. Between 1905 and 1938 Bayliss was the design coordinator for the stationers and newsagents W.H. Smith & Son and was responsible for the design of all their shops and retail outlets. A photograph of a tea room designed by Bayliss for W.H. Smith & Son at 248, rue de Rivoli, Paris is illustrated in 'Decorative Art' 1928 (p.81).
Bayliss was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Architects ( F.S.Arc.) and was admitted a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (F.R.I.B.A.) in 1925. His address was given as 93 Mary St, Kings Norton, Worcesteshire in 1881; Victoria Road, Yardley, Worcestershire in 1901; Barham Cottage, Walton On Thames, Surrey in 1911; "Keith", Fitzalan Road, Finchley, London in 1914; "Sandford", Angmering-on-Sea, Sussex in 1923; and Chanctonbury, Angmering-on-Sea, Sussex in 1926 and 1935. He died in Marylebone, Middlesex [now London] on 20 May 1938.
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001