Cyril Arthur Farey was born in London, England on 28 April1888. He was articled to Horace Field (1861-1948) and worked assistant to Ernest Newton (1856-1922). He also attended the Architectural Association Schools and at the Royal Academy Schools in London, where he was awarded the RA School Gold Medal in 1911. He was also awarded the Tite Prize in 1913 and the Soane Medallion in 1914.
After a brief partnership with Horace Field and Charles Evelyn Simmons (1879-1952) as Horace Field, Simmons & Farey in in London, c.1911-c.1912, Farey commenced independent practice as an architect in London in 1913, and, from 1919, in Salisbury, Wiltshire. In the mid-1920s he worked on projects in Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong, with Graham Richards Dawbarn (1893-1976).
Farey was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1918. His address was given as 14 Hart Street, Bloomsbury, London in 1913; 19 Bedford Square, London in 1923; 7 Bedford Square, London; and 83 Prince Albert Road, Regent's Park, London in 1935 and 1939. He died at at the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth, Marylebone, London on 7 December 1954. At the time of his death he was living at 83 Prince Albert Rd, Regents Park, London.
"Thornfield", Wildwood Rise, N.W., 1914; houses at Hampstead, N.W., 1913-14; Bristol Housing, 1919-22; Holy Trinity Church Hall, Hounslow, 1924; Raffles College, Singapore (commenced 1925); house at Oxhey, 1925. N.B. [Scotland] — the last two (Singapore and Oxhey) are being carried out in conjunction with G. R. Dawbarn. [Source: Who's Who in Architecture 1926]
Cyril A. Farey (1888-1954) 'Fareyland': An exhibition of watercolours and drawings by Cyril Farey. London: Gallery Lingard, 1990
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
‘Obituary’. The Builder vol. 187, 10 December 1954 p. 947
‘Obituary’. The Builder vol. 187, 17 December 1954 p. 976
Thirties: British Art and Design before the War. Thirties: British Art and Design before the War. London: Arts Council of Great Britain, 1979 [Catalogue of an exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, London, 25 October-13 January 1979]
Thumbnotes & masterpieces by Cyril Farey (1888-1954): Architectural sketches and watercolours between 1900-1925. London: Gallery Lingard, 1996
Who's Who in Architecture 1926. London: Architectural Press 1926