Francis William Bedford was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England 1866 [1867 or 1868 - sources differ] and was articled to William Henrty Thorpe (1852-1944) from 1884 to 1887. He then worked in the office of Sir Ernest George (1839-1922) and Harold Ainsworth Peto of George & Peto from 1887 to 1890. He also attended the classes at the Architectural Association Schools, the Royal Academy Schools, and Westminster School of Art in London. He qualified as an architect in 1890 and was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1891 and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1899.
Bedford commenced independent practice in Leeds in 1892 and was in partnership with Sydney Decimus Kitson (1871-1937) as Bedford & Kitson from 1897 to 1903 when he moved to London. He died in London on 2 December 1904.
Armstrong, Barrie and Armstrong, Wendy. The Arts and Crafts movement in the North East of England: a handbook. Wetherby, England: Oblong, 2013
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‘Obituary’. The Builder vol. 87, 10 December 1904 p. 610
‘Obituary’. Royal Institute of British Architects Journal vol. 12, 1904-05 p. 116
Stamp, Gavin. The English House 1860-1914. Catalogue of an exhibition of photographs and drawings. London: InternationalArchitect and the Building Centre Trust, 1980 p. 62
Thorp, William H. ' F. W. Bedford'. Architectural Association notes vol. 20, January 1905 pp. 12-14 [Bedford was articled to William Henry Thorpe (1852-1944) from 1884 to 1887 and they collaborated on projects]